The community based participatory action research report is co-authored by four Ontario-based Black and Indigenous-led organizations (The African Community Wellness Initiative (ACWI), African Family Revival Organization (AFRO), Healing of the Seven Generations (H7G), and Kind Minds Family Wellness (KMFW)) using culturally anchored approaches to foster belonging, relatability, healing and community capacity building. They draw from their collective practice knowledge and the feedback of their larger community to propose a Black & Indigenous Youth Mental Health - Community Led Practice Model. This work was funded by OTF and supported by Camino Wellbeing + Mental Health.
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Waterloo Region’s Black & Indigenous Youth Mental Health - Practice Model
Publications · Thursday, Jan 22, 2026
Black and Indigenous youth in Canada face disproportionate mental health challenges rooted in systemic racism, colonialism, and socioeconomic inequity. Mainstream services often fail to address their cultural realities, due to lack of resonance, distrust, and unaddressed roots of inequity.
