Welcome True North Society!

As you may have heard, the Wheatland Crisis Society rebranded to become the True North Society in June 2023.

So… why True North?

In our thirtieth year of working to interrupt the cycle of violence, we believed it was time to reconnect with our community with a name that truly represents our vision of interrupting the cycle of abuse through empowerment to create a safe environment for all!

Represent our Mission & Vision

It was a lot of work! Coming up with a new name that represented our mission and vision took a lot of brainstorming, communication, and revision.

We started by turning to our staff for a brainstorming session during a full-day team-building retreat. There were some excellent and creative ideas in remembrance of key workers and concepts in the domestic violence field, reminiscent of other shelters such as Ruth’s House or Safe Haven.

However, we decided not to explore similar names for two reasons:

1) We are proud to serve all individuals and families regardless of age, gender identity, or gender expression; services are accessible to men, women, and anyone within the LGBTQ+ community. We worried that a gendered name might discourage men and gender non-conforming individuals experiencing violence from reaching out to us for support.

2) We also wanted to avoid a name too descriptive of our crisis services to help protect individuals in the event their abuser discovered they had reached out to us for support.

“The Journey”

But the big takeaway from our group brainstorming session was our collective desire to represent ourselves as a service that supports clients on their journey, that we are a service that meets clients where they are at, and that we aim to provide a safe place until you can make the next step.

And that’s what we did next! We continued brainstorming a lot of different ideas and names surrounding the concept of the “journey.” After a bunch of staff surveys and votes, we comfortably settled on a name we thought represented who we are and how we want to serve our community.

So, WHY True North?

Outreach Client Roadmap for Outreach (2)

Helping you Acheive Your Goals

Following your “true north” is to follow your path. It is the internal compass that guides you along your journey. Helping our clients to rediscover their “True North” is empowering! It is a statement that the power to create change and find direction is in their hands; we are here to support them on their journey.

Who We Serve

Removing “Wheatland” from our name reconnects us with our community. True North is proud to serve Strathmore and over 15 of our surrounding communities within Wheatland, Rocky View, Vulcan, and Kneehill County. As one of the only shelters in Alberta that accepts male victims of abuse, we may serve individuals from all over the province. Removing “Wheatland” from our name eliminates the confusion that we only serve the Wheatland area, which has acted as a barrier for individuals, and even other resource centers, from reaching out to us for support.

Empowerment

Removing “Crisis” from our name also reflects our values of compassion and safety. It can be triggering for clients to constantly refer to themselves as in a place of crisis while they heal and plan their journey forward. During their stay with us, we want clients to feel safe and empowered; we believe “True North” strives to do just that!