The FullCircle Program helps at-risk youth and their families start fresh
By Kristen West
What if there were a place that embraced young people and their addiction struggles with so much empathy and support that they and their families began to heal?
What if that place was not just a free, safe space but also a fun place to hang out? That’s what The FullCircle Program in Denver and several other major cities is doing to change the lives of teenagers, young adults and their families.
Ben Stincer, the program director for the Colorado FullCircle chapters, got involved in the organization after he overcame his addiction struggles. “In 2012, I had gotten sober. I was struggling with substance use and all the different things we talk about at FullCircle. I got sober and wanted to work in the field,” Stincer says. “I started volunteering and fell in love with the concept because I thought this is just the purest it could be.”
FullCircle originated in Phoenix, Arizona, as a modified 12-step-based recovery community organization that serves at-risk youth ages 13 to 25 and their families. These individuals are often struggling with substance use, self-harm, promiscuity, pornography, eating disorders or other harmful behaviors.
The program aims to provide young people with something positive and enriching that is as easily accessible as the negative behaviors or substances they find addicting. “If you just save people, all they need is more saving,” Stincer says. “But if you teach them how to save themselves, they can continue to do that forever.” The concept was so successful that FullCircle expanded to Boulder, Centennial, Denver, Charlotte, Kansas City, and North Kansas City, and it plans to expand worldwide.
Throughout each participant’s 90-day voluntary commitment, they attend in-person support group meetings twice weekly and two sober social events on the weekend. The social activities include anything from Jeopardy or Harry Potter–themed events to football, soccer, volleyball or even punk rock–themed dances. The buildings are a teenage paradise with ping pong tables, video games, pool tables, sound systems and full coffee bars.
Simultaneously, there’s a family support group meeting that is also peer-to-peer. “It’s moms talking to moms and dads talking to dads,” Stincer says. “There are very few things I trust more than parental gut. They may not know what’s wrong, but they’ll know something is wrong long before anyone else.” Stincer adds that when parents know what’s happening, they are in a position of power to be supportive.
The level of help that FullCircle provides is considered a wraparound support or the glue between the cracks that young people fall into. In addition to partnering with the participants’ families and educators, the program has strong relationships with local therapists, psychiatrists, social workers and external treatment centers. It helps participants attend the therapies with scholarship funding.
AvidLifestyle and Colorado AvidGolfer selected FullCircle as the beneficiary of the 2025 Wheels of Dreams charity event on August 3. Stincer hopes that the additional funding and awareness about the program will help it hire more staff and expand its services at its rapidly growing Centennial location. Anyone interested in becoming a FullCircle volunteer or opening a FullCircle branch can visit the FullCircle website for more information.
Centennial FullCircle Program
11234 E Caley Ave., Unit B
Centennial
720.830.5652
fullcircleprogram.com
