The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health joined Indigenous scholars, community leaders and practitioners from around the world at the 7th International Indigenous Voices in Social Work Conference in August at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.
The gathering brought together students, researchers, policy advocates and cultural practitioners committed to advancing Indigenous approaches to social work. The program featured cultural learning, intergenerational dialogue and strategic discussions on justice and well-being, guided by the University of Calgary’s Indigenous Strategy, iiʻtaaʻpohʻtoʻp (in the Blackfoot language, meaning “a place to rejuvenate and re-energize during a journey”).
Uplifting Pacific perspectives
For UH Mānoa, the convening carried special significance. Nearly two decades ago, the Thompson School hosted the 2007 Indigenous Voices in Social Work conference in Mākaha, Oʻahu, a milestone in the growing international movement.
Indigenous social work is not just about practice, but about walking parallel paths of healing, justice, and community well-being.
—Aimee Chung
“This is more than a conference—it is a movement,” said Aimee Chung, junior specialist in the Department of Social Work. “It reminds us that Indigenous social work is not just about practice, but about walking parallel paths of healing, justice, and community well-being. Building pilina with colleagues from around the world strengthens our own commitment to social work practice in Hawaiʻi.”
Thompson School leaders emphasized the importance of ensuring Pacific experiences are part of global conversations.
“Engaging in this seventh convening reinforces our responsibility to uplift Pacific voices, share regional innovations, and bring back knowledge that supports our students and communities,“ said Theresa Kreif, director of Pacific Partnerships & Workforce Development Initiatives.
Chung and Kreif were joined by Loea Lynette Paglinawan. They presented their work Weaving Professional Social Work and Indigenous Kanaka Maoli Identities: A Pedagogical Genealogy of the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health, with appreciation to the many hands that helped draft and support the presentation.
Spiritual connections across place
Paglinawan noted the gathering highlighted spiritual and cultural resonances that connect Indigenous peoples across place. “Oiaʻio was with our group through the whole conference. On the plane ride home we were accompanied by a rainbow on a cirrus cloud for a good number of miles. It meant we would arrive in Honolulu safely. Mahalo to the Spiritual Powers for a safe journey.”
