Pjila'si: Community of practice for Mi'kmaw & Indigenous Social Workers

Closed space for Mi’kmaq & Indigenous social workers to discuss ethics, practice issues, & build connections for safer social work practice.

Mi’kmaw & other Indigenous social workers are invited to join colleagues from across Mi'kma'ki to connect, network, organize, & share resources. Providing spaces and resources for closed groups can create safe(R) spaces for social workers who have shared identities and lived experiences.

Communities of practice are wonderful opportunities for like-minded practitioners, or professionals engaged in similar areas of practice, to be able to gather and share ideas and best practices. They are an opportunity for networking, fellowship, resource sharing, and advocacy development. They can also help reduce burnout by reminding us that we are not alone, but rather part of a larger whole. Get together with your Mi’kmaw & other Indigenous colleagues to talk about what matters to you and build your professional network!

These sessions will happen once every three months and are intended to be a low-barrier and informal opportunity. There is no preparation required to attend these events, and you are encouraged to arrive as you are! Bring your lunch, something you want to talk about, or just show up.

Eligibility

This event is only for members of the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW) who identify as being Mi’kmaw and/or Indigenous. All active, associate, retired associate, and student members who are part of these communities are welcome to attend. There are no other prerequisites for this session.

This space is created to be a closed group that is not open to allies outside Mi’kmaw & Indigenous communities. If you are outside these communities and practicing allyship/solidarity you are invited and encouraged to join the main Community of Practice sessions which occur every three months.

Facilitator

Kendall Paul (They/Them), BA, BSW, MSW, RSW-C, Mental Health Counsellor, Indigenous Mental Health & Wellness Team, Wije’winen Mawi-Apoqnmatultinej

Kendall is a Two-Spirit and non-binary Mi’kmaw person who is a proud member of Membertou First Nation in Una’maki (Cape Breton). They currently work as the Mental Health Counsellor with the Indigenous Mental Health & Wellness Team, or Wije’winen mawi-apoqnmatultinej (Come with us, we’ll help each other, together) at the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre in Kjipuktuk (Halifax). Before being in this position, Kendall held the role of Housing Intensive Case Manager, working with high-acuity urban Indigenous people who were actively unhoused or facing housing insecurity. Kendall draws on both their lived experience as an Indigenous person; a Two-Spirit, non-binary person; a bisexual person; a person living with a disability; a social worker; and an intergenerational survivor of colonial violence; as well as their formal education to guide and inform their practice to be inclusive, culturally safe and trauma-informed.

Objectives

• Relational: Connect with other Mi’kmaq & other Indigenous social workers and build relationships that support professional social work identity and practice (Connect).
• Skill: Develop and implement self-reflective processes that support ethical social work practice (Apply).
• Knowledge: Identify and understand strategies and approaches to ethical social work practice used by other social workers in the Mi’kmaq & Indigenous Nova Scotian context (Analyze & Understand).
• Values: Examine and shift beliefs, worldviews, and ideologies contributing to ethical social work practice (Evaluate & Understand).

Foundations

The session is connected to several sections of the NSCSW Code of Ethics (2026):

Value 3: Pursuing Truth & Reconciliation

Value 4: Valuing Human Relationships

Value 7: Providing Competent Professional Services

• Guiding Principle 7.1: Social workers are committed to the ongoing development of their professional abilities and knowledge, aiming to ensure the delivery of culturally responsive professional services.
• Guiding Principle 7.2: Social workers practise within their level of competence and seek appropriate guidance when services required are beyond their competence.
• Guiding Principle 7.3: Social workers contribute to the ongoing development of the social work profession and current and future social workers.

Tracking professional development

For members of NSCSW who are eligible to join this session, your participation can be used to partially fulfil the annual requirement for professional development related to preventing or managing vicarious trauma & secondary stress. Members who have already fulfilled that requirement may choose to track this session as an informal self-care activity instead.

Visit nscsw.org/pd for more information about the updated professional development requirements for Nova Scotia social workers.

Questions?

If you have questions, please contact the College's Professional Development Consultant Tyler Colbourne, tyler.colbourne@nscsw.org