Aboriginal Community Healing Processes In Canada.

Source: (2005) Paper presented at “The Next Step: Building Restorative Communities”, IIRP 7th International Conference on Conferencing, Circles and other Restorative Practices, 9-11 November, Manchester, England, UK. Downloaded 9 December 2005.

Issues of abuse within families and particularly Aboriginal families have been brought to
the surface in Canada over the last decade. In response, a growing number of Aboriginal
communities are developing holistic models of treatment for Aboriginal victims,
offenders, families and the community as a whole. The approach taken is one that
addresses the root causes of criminal activity and proactively engages offenders, victims
and families to break the cycle of abuse. These initiatives work within the current
criminal justice system while bringing a unique alternative to imprisonment that can lead
to stronger and safer communities. Communities engaged in these healing approaches
have seen benefits in terms of significantly reduced criminal activity and several other
social benefits.
There is not one universally recognized definition of community healing. Some have
described healing as being “about collective approaches to change that enhance
Aboriginal cultural identity. It is about family and community crisis intervention,
integrated human services, political cooperation and public participation in processes of
planned change and institution building.”i The Four Worlds Centre for Development
Education concludes that healing “ may therefore be strategically described as a process
of removing barriers and building the capacity of people and communities to address the
determinants of health.(excerpt)