a new world of justice.
Where SYSTEMS & LEADERS create SAFER COMMUNITIES.
Through evidence-informed programs, we equip organizations and leaders to advance practice, improve outcomes, and drive sustainable change.
NEW BOOK COMING THIS AUGUST!
Written by Roots & Rise Founder & Director Chelsey De Groot, I Shouldn’t Have to Play the Victim brings together her experience on both sides of the justice system: as a professional working within it and a survivor seeking its protection. Through a deeply personal account of domestic violence, Chelsey explores the profound disconnect between how systems are designed to function and what happens when they fail to create safety for those whom they are meant to protect.
Published by Landon Hail Press.
“I felt like I was walking on the journey with you.”
“…more powerful than any citation will ever be.”
roots & rise
Our mission strengthens the people, policies, and systems responsible for creating safer communities. Every leader and institution we work with has the power to shape countless lives: a ripple effect that reaches families, neighborhoods, and culture for generations to come. We measure our impact in direct outcomes: less violence, less crime, and lower recidivism in the communities we serve.
Evidence. experience. action.
Research, professional expertise, and lived experience, brought together to create real-world solutions that fortify organizations, leaders and the communities they serve.
SHAPED BY 20+ YEARS IN THE FIELD.
Justice agencies, educational institutions, health systems, corrections, and community organizations trust this work to hold up where it matters most. We create a clear path from where you are to where you're ready to go, tested in action and shaped by what actually works on the ground.
built with, not for.
Our programs are built on trauma-informed, culturally responsive practice in partnership with Indigenous leaders, collectives, and communities navigating justice, safety, and systems change.
work with us
Our 4 core programs are designed from decades of growth working across the victim, offender, institutional, and systems levels:
origin evaluation
A comprehensive strategic roadmap that clarifies where you stand, surfaces critical gaps, and charts the path toward reducing crime and improving impact.
lifecycle partnership
Organizations gain a long-term partner who turns strategy into implementation, guides growth, and sustains change that outlasts any single initiative.
capacity building systems
Professionals & organizations walk away equipped with sharpened skills, shared language, and practical frameworks, ready to deepen efficacy and elevate service delivery.
public action + events
Audiences & leaders leave with game-changing tools, renewed perspective, and grounded confidence, ready to advance evidence-informed practice and cultivate safer communities.
“I have worked alongside Chelsey FOR 10+ years and have seen firsthand her unwavering integrity, GRIT, resilience, and commitment to justice. She leads with experience AND WISDOM, bringing CONNECTION and HOPE to every organization and community she serves.”
Heather
Mental Health Therapist at Prairie Dawn Counseling
“chelsey has many wonderful qualities… She is fantastic at providing guidance & made an incredible impact on my self-confidence & self- motivation to do good work. ”
Douglas Hoffman, BPA-CRJS
Case Manager at Lethbridge Drug Treatment Court
McMan Youth, Family, and Community Services Association
ready to build what’s next?
Whether you're just getting curious about what's possible or facing an urgent need to improve impact and outcomes, we meet you where you are and navigate the path ahead.
our founder
As Founder and Director of Roots & Rise, Co-founder and Vice President of the National Survivors Coalition of Canada, and internationally acclaimed author, Chelsey brings more than 20 years of professional expertise together with real-world initiatives across justice, corrections, child welfare, Housing First initiatives, problem-solving courts, Indigenous partnerships, and organizational development.
Through Roots & Rise, Chelsey works with leaders and institutions ready to evolve practice, advance methodology, and improve outcomes across the communities they serve. Grounded in Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) principles and values-based leadership, her work bridges organizational capacity, professional education, cross-sector collaboration, and public events to build more effective, human-centered approaches to safety.
Author of I Shouldn’t Have to Play the Victim, forthcoming this August published by Landon Hail Press, Chelsey draws together her experience on both sides of the justice system. The book explores the profound disconnect between how systems are designed to function and what happens when they fail to create safety for the people they are meant to protect.
Chelsey holds a Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University, a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Justice Studies, and a Diploma in Child and Youth Care from Lethbridge College. She is a 2018 Community Leader Award recipient and former President of Lethbridge and Area Search and Rescue. Her work is grounded in the belief that a new world of justice begins with the leaders, organizations, and systems willing to transform from within.