At the Hub, we know that decolonizing systems and practices requires a multi-faceted approach, and one that engages Indigenous knowledge and leadership.

One of the ways in which the Hub has acted on our commitment to honour Indigenous knowledge is by developing the Indigenous Inclusion Lens – a resource for teams across Canada who are seeking to advance mental health and wellness promotion with Indigenous peoples and communities. This tool aims to mitigate Indigenous erasure by providing a framework for intentionally including Indigenous peoples, perspectives and contexts in project or organizational planning and development.

We also recently added a new resource category to help contextualize the Indigenous Lens. These multi-media resources provide information about colonial history and impacts, the need for decolonization, as well as ongoing legislative efforts to promote Indigenous rights. This set of resources is by no means a complete or definitive list. In the spirit of inclusivity around all ways of knowing, we invite you to share resources that may help round out the existing set.

Another way in which we hope to contribute to decolonization is by mobilizing existing expertise and knowledge to inform culturally safe practices. Our website contains a collection of annotated resources aimed at helping teams plan and implement projects and programs that are culturally informed and appropriate. These include:

• The First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework
• Considerations for Indigenous child and youth population mental health promotion in Canada
• Strengths-Based Approaches to Indigenous Research and the Development of Well-Being Indicators
• First Nations Principles of Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession (OCAP®)

 

Glossary of key terms:

Decolonization: Decolonization is the dismantling of the process by which one nation asserts and establishes its domination and control over another nation’s land, people and culture.

Reconciliation: Establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in this country. In order for that to happen, there has to be awareness of the past, acknowledgement of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes, and action to change behaviour.

Indigenous inclusion lens: A lens is another set of eyes or perspectives to help us see what we normally do not. An Indigenous inclusion lens is a guide to seeing something inclusively of Indigenous peoples.