Advocacy
.jpg "Jill Pidcock photo")
Jill Pidcock
Executive Director
The Arc of the Central Mountains
The Arc of the Central Mountains serves four rural counties in central mountains of Colorado. The majority of our community is comprised of middle and lower class, with close to 50% Spanish speakers and a large number of undocumented families. Immediately upon opening our doors for operation we were presented with a case which evolved into providing supports for a young adult who was facing multiple felony charges for stalking. Did I mention he was also in the middle of reapplying for DACA status? We have been able to create a truly community-based support system for this young man while at the same time building a relationship with a local judicial system resulting in his four cases being dismissed. This innovative solution has become well respected by self advocates, families, judges, public defenders and district attorney's. Come learn some basic tools for building your own collaborative system of support.
We will discuss who to bring to the table and what steps to take when strategizing for a community-based support plan, and look at ideas for finding the funding resources to implement the plan.