Julie Despaties, Student

Standing by those who need to be heard, and amplifying their voices, has always been important to Julie. She’s an advocate at heart, and her commitment to supporting permanency for children and youth in families grew from her own adoption journey. After adopting a sibling group of three older children, Julie soon realized that adoptive, kin, and customary care families in Ontario would benefit from more resources, advocacy and community connections. In forming Adopt4Life – Ontario’s Adoptive Parents’ Association, in 2014, Julie created a unified voice and invaluable peer network for adoptive parents and permanent caregivers.

She’s been a passionate advocate in the nonprofit sector for more than 25 years. A true changemaker, Julie has helped to shape legislation designed to strengthen the child welfare system, better protecting some of Ontario’s most vulnerable young people.

Having completed her B.A. in Communications at the University of Ottawa in the early 2000’s, Julie always knew that she would go back to do a masters. Her pursuit to continuously meet the needs of an ever-growing community has led her to the MPNL program. She’s thrilled to embark on this journey and can’t believe that eventually, all four of her kids will be obtaining a university education while she completes this degree!