Decolonizing social services through community development: an Anishinaabe experience.

This article presents a case study of the participatory review and redesign of Niigaaniin, an Indigenous-run social assistance program serving seven Anishinaabe First Nations within the North Shore Tribal Council (NSTC) in Ontario, Canada. Using a decolonial methodological approach grounded in Indigenous worldviews—particularly the Medicine Wheel and the concept of Nii'kinaaganaa ("all my relations")—the review emphasized shifting social services from an individualistic, Western model toward a holistic, community-centered framework integrating social assistance with Indigenous cultural, spiritual, and community development priorities. The participatory process involved extensive consultations with clients and community members, revealing that wellness is understood as interconnected physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health embedded in community relations, with priorities including cultural revitalization, mental health, food security, and employment creation. The study concludes that decolonizing social services requires unifying social work and community development into a single, Indigenous-led, participatory practice that challenges colonial structures and supports Indigenous self-determination.