Project True is a not-for profit organization in Vancouver that was created out of the lack of accessible resources for people living with serious body image disorders and/or disordered eating.
We want to be able to provide support and resources so that recovery from disordered eating is available to all. The more we talk to those around us about Project True, the more we realize that almost everyone we speak with has been impacted by disordered eating. Whether this impact has been a personal struggle, or through watching someone they care about go through this journey, we passionately feel it is time to step up so we can provide recovery-based support for our family, friends and community.
Our mission
- Break the silence around disordered eating and start a discussion to generate compassionate awareness
- Offer supportive solutions for those struggling in Vancouver, as well as anyone with access to the Internet
- Guide individuals to the right places so they know which local businesses (think yoga studios, restaurants and clothing stores) have been educated on disordered eating, and have pledged to be compassionate to all
Use of funds
- Speaking at schools in and around Vancouver to address the uncomfortable topic of disordered eating, sharing our stories, educating students and teachers, and offering them resources in case they are ever touched by body image anxiety
- Working with local yoga studios and specialized healthcare professionals to develop a training manual to educate yoga teachers on disordered eating, exercise addiction, and the mental and physical struggles associated with them, in order to educate and cultivate compassion
- Getting out into the community with fundraising events, such as our yogatography night earlier this year, and the upcoming Color Me Rad race
- Developing a Certified True program to acknowledge local businesses that have taken the Project True pledge after the completion of an education session on how disordered eating and body image may affect their customers
Project True’s BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals):
- To be the first online rehabilitation resource in North America where individuals can work through a rehabilitation program while being supported by medical and healthcare professionals
- To open a much-needed day facility in Vancouver that will act as a mirror of our online community
A letter from Angela, Project True’s President
Dear friends,
Disordered eating affects the majority of our society, from extreme cases of anorexia and obesity, to exercise addiction, to feelings of dissatisfaction with the size and shape of our bodies.
After leaving extra care at St. Paul’s Hospital six years ago, I promised to come back to address the lack of resources for individuals suffering from disordered eating. I went on my own personal quest for out-patient resources and found the services either did not exist, were too expensive to continue, were short term, did not fit the schedule of a “functioning” anorexic, or did not meet my needs at the time.
During my recovery I spent a lot of time in hospital libraries, psychologist waiting rooms, group counseling sessions, reading how-to guides, asking for referrals from my doctor, researching online and participating in every forum, meal support program, guided meditation, and speaker series I could find.
Knowledge was power, but I soon ran out of options. That is where Project True comes in.
The idea started six years ago and it is growing. While we may never live in a world free from fat-blasting diets, rail-thin images of beauty or fast food mania, we can try to achieve more balance and a healthier state of being.
That is the focus of True: to reach out and educate, support, help and embrace those along their journey to self love and acceptance.
True is transparent. True is real. True is your opportunity to find yourself and know that you don’t have to live a life of restriction and silence. True seeks to fill the void in recovery and provide the one-on-one and group resources we all need to heal and be at peace with our bodies.
Thank you,