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Child Welfare and Indigenous Tourism Research
Collaborating with unlikely partners in building healthier communities that thrive.

In January of 2019, Social Root Consulting had the privilege of presenting preliminary research on exploring the intersection of child welfare and Indigenous tourism in Canada at the Tourism4SGD Conference in Auckland, New Zealand. This project is an extension of the research presented at the conference.
The Indigenous tourism sector is one of the fastest growing sectors within tourism, while at the same time, Indigenous children are overrepresented in the child welfare system as a result of the impacts of Canada's colonial history.
How do we tackle these challenging social issues?
We believe that innovative partnerships with unlikely partners can lead to positive changes. A partnership grounded in respect and reciprocation such as collaboration between the Indigenous tourism and the child welfare system can lead to changes that can support a better future for children.
Why does this matter?
The Indigenous tourism sector is growing rapidly and as a result, there are potential risks as well as benefits that can impact children. Through Indigenous tourism's focus on holistically developing the community, the benefits of tourism can be used to ensure that children are safe and thriving.

With Johnny Edmonds of the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance at the Tourism4SDGs Conference in 2019.
Our Publication
We are thrilled that our research has recently been published in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism. The article titled "From unlikely to likely partnerships for change - child welfare and Indigenous tourism in Canada" was published on September 14, 2020 (DOI 10.1080/09669582.2020.1817047).
Abstract
The Indigenous tourism sector in Canada is rapidly developing. However, Indigenous communities are challenged by the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in the child welfare system. This multidisciplinary paper explores the intersection of child welfare and Indigenous tourism in Canada, specifically, by examining the role of Indigenous tourism in contributing to the welfare of Indigenous children in their communities. This paper reviewed grey Canadian tourism literature and analysed whether the industry is publicly acknowledging child welfare in their public discourse. Results indicate that Canadian tourism associations are not addressing child welfare in their public facing documents. Applying complexity theory as a lens, this paper discusses how this unlikely partnership between the child welfare and Indigenous tourism industry is critical in increasing the benefits of tourism, while intentionally finding ways to reduce the risks, particularly to children. This article concludes with recommendations on how this unlikely partnership can be fostered to become a likely partnership.
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