Indigenous children might have difficulty vocalizing the pain or hurt they are
experiencing due to the colonialism, oppression and trauma they have endured. Additionally, Indigenous children’s cultures might not define pain in the same way that the dominant culture does, which might make it hard to describe how they are feeling when seeking care from a professional who solely practices western medicine. As a social worker advocating fora de-colonial shift within a social service health program involves providing Indigenous children with alternative ways to self-express their pain, feeling or experiences.
The Aboriginal Children’s Hurt and Healing Initiative is a great role model as an organization for social workers such as myself to look up to because they are using a collaborative and culturally inclusive approach working with Indigenous communities and practitioners. Most importantly, ACHH Initiative uses traditional ways of Indigenous healing such as art and stories to guide children to be able to express the hurt and pain they feel which also contributes to a de-colonial shift. -Carley M.
