Decolonizing social services through community development: an Anishinaabe experience

• Published in: Community Development Journal
• Main Authors: Niigaaniin, Mamaweswen, MacNeill, Timothy, Ramos-Cortez, Carola
• Other Authors: Indigenous Services Canada
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press (OUP) 2021
• Subjects: Development; anishina*; First Nations
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsab033; https://academic.oup.com/cdj/article-pdf/58/2/225/50060186/bsab033.pdf

Abstract This article is a case study of a community review of an income assistance (IA) program from the perspectives of Anishinaabe First Nations communities that interact with Niigaaniin—an Indigenous-run social assistance program. Using a decolonial methodological approach, the review process revealed that the priority of achieving clients’ wellbeing involves engaging in community wellness and development from an Indigenous community-scale perspective. This participatory review of the program of IA enabled a continued decolonization of social services and community development processes, re-signifying the idea of individual-based social services towards a more Indigenous community-oriented focus. This process suggests that decolonization requires that these separate fields be unified into one participatory, community-centred, and practice.