Warrior’s Way Forward Association 

This month, we are honoured to feature a survivor led organization, Warrior’s Way Forward Association. Founder, Chelsea Brown, created the non-profit after she and her child courageously left a severe domestic violence relationship. Driven to help people in similar situations, Warrior’s Way Forward is determined to ensure every voice is heard, every plea for help is answered, and every individual feels safe.  

About Warrior’s Way Forward  

Warrior’s Way Forward was created from Chelsea’s lived experiences with domestic violence. When she escaped, she expected safety to follow. Instead, she was faced with a veritable maze. She found herself navigating police, court, housing, safety planning and parenting, all while living in fear. She realized that victims are often expected to make life-altering decisions while experiencing trauma, and many systems struggle to recognize coercive control and escalating risk. 

A newly formed organization, Warrior’s Way Forward is in their building and development phase. Currently, they are not operating as a direct service provider; their work is focused on advocacy, prevention, and improving system response. 

Chelsea is involved in developing lived-experience, trauma-informed domestic violence training scenarios for police and first responders in collaboration with the Coalition for Canadian Police Reform and DGS Immersive Training. They are also collaborating with MacEwan University through sociology programming and working alongside domestic violence shelters and community organizations in the Edmonton area to strengthen coordinated responses. 

The long-term goal for Warrior’s Way Forward is to establish survivor-informed programming and, eventually, second-stage supportive housing, where families can stabilize and rebuild after leaving violence. 

Navigating a Path Forward 

Warrior’s Way Forward Association initially began before Chelsea ever planned to form an organization. Survivors quietly started reaching out to her, asking how she left safely.  

“I wasn’t trying to become an advocate — I was trying to help the next person live.” -Chelsea Brown 

During one of the hardest periods of her life, Chelsea witnessed thousands of salamanders appear throughout her neighborhood. This became her first interaction with news media, after she was interviewed about the phenomenon. 

Chelsea later learned that, historically, the salamander symbolizes surviving fire and transformation, living through something that should have destroyed you.  

“At the time, I was fighting to leave abuse and rebuild my life, and the meaning deeply resonated with me.” -Chelsea Brown 

Fittingly, the salamander became the logo of Warrior’s Way Forward. It represents resilience, survival, and the reality that leaving violence is not the end of the journey — healing and rebuilding come after. 

How You Can Help 

One of the most impactful things people can do is to share awareness. Many victims never disclose abuse because they fear they won’t be believed or understood. Allowing the space for their voices to be heard is critical. Community partnerships and professional collaboration are also valuable during their development phase. 

Monetary donations and sponsorships will help Warrior’s Way Forward to build training initiatives, prevention education, and future survivor supports.  

Donations will help build: 

• Emergency transportation  

• Hotel rooms and essentials when shelters are full 

• Food, hygiene, and safety kits  

• Connections to addiction recovery and trauma-informed counseling 

• Second-stage housing built around healing and hope 

• Legal advocacy, resource navigation, and long-term community support 

To make a donation, please click here. 

Additionally, education is equally important. Learning about coercive control and recognizing early warning signs can help protect someone long before physical violence occurs.  

Upcoming Events 

Warrior’s Way Forward continues to develop trauma-informed domestic violence response training for first responders and strengthening partnerships with community organizations and educational institutions. They will also participate in community awareness and fundraising initiatives as we work toward launching programming. You can also follow Warrior’s Way Forward on Facebook. 

“Domestic violence rarely begins with physical violence. It begins with isolation, fear, and psychological control. By the time visible injury occurs, victims have often been surviving for years. Prevention starts with understanding — and when communities understand earlier, they don’t just support victims, they prevent tragedy.” -Chelsea Brown 

It takes extraordinary bravery to walk away from violence; and it takes a special kind of strength to turn that pain into purpose. Through Warrior’s Way Forward Association, Chelsea is doing exactly that. She is transforming lived experience into advocacy, education, and change so that others do not have to navigate the same maze alone.