Black-led · Halifax, Nova Scotia · Est. 2025

What was disrupted
can be restored.

Sankofa Collective strengthens the conditions for social participation, for people navigating justice, health, housing, and education systems in African Nova Scotian and Black communities.

Our primary commitment is to African Nova Scotian and Black communities. We are open to serving all people who face systemic barriers to participation, across health, justice, housing, and education.

Who we are

The conditions matter
as much as the services.

The name Sankofa comes from an Adinkra symbol with deep roots in West African and African Nova Scotian culture. It means: it is not wrong to go back and fetch what you forgot. That principle shapes everything we build.

Sankofa was built on a consistent observation: across health, justice, housing, and education, the services often exist. But the conditions that allow people to meaningfully access and benefit from them often do not. Trust has been fractured. Social roles have been disrupted. Agency has been eroded. Belonging has been severed. We address those underlying conditions directly.

Incorporated under the Nova Scotia Societies Act (Registry ID: 4685402). Charitable status application in progress.

Restorative Navigation Framework

Our practice model names five interconnected conditions of social participation: Trust, Social Role, Agency, Belonging, and Opportunity. The Framework is the foundation of everything Sankofa builds. We develop it, teach it, and build tools that bring it to life across health, justice, housing, and education contexts.

Community Education

Workshops, presentations, and public education grounded in Afri-centric principles and restorative values. We bring the RN Framework to practitioners, organizations, and communities working across sectors, building shared language and capacity for restorative approaches to participation.

Network Administration

Sankofa serves as the administrative home of the African Nova Scotian Coordinated Justice Network, a practitioner space for Black professionals working across the Nova Scotia justice ecosystem. We support coordination, convening, and capacity across the Network.

52 Roots

A mobile companion app that puts the Restorative Navigation Framework directly in the hands of the people it serves. Named for the 52 historic Black communities of Nova Scotia, the app is currently in pilot. Public launch coming soon.

Contact

Get in touch

Whether you are a funder, a community partner, a researcher, or someone who wants to learn more about our work, we would like to hear from you.

Thank you. We will be in touch soon.

Or reach us directly: matthew.dixon@sankofacollective.ca

Restorative Navigation Framework

What needs to be true
for healing to take root.

A practice model built from direct work with people navigating systems that were not designed to support them. It names what needs to be present for people to heal, connect, and participate fully.

The five conditions

Social participation
requires these conditions.

The Restorative Navigation Framework identifies five interconnected conditions of social participation. These are not steps in a sequence. They are simultaneous, mutually reinforcing realities. The Framework applies across health, justice, housing, and education. It is not a checklist. It is a lens.

Trust
The ability to engage with institutions and services without fear of harm or exclusion.
Social Role
Holding meaningful roles in family, community, and broader society.
Agency
The capacity to make decisions and exercise genuine autonomy over one's own life.
Belonging
Connection to community, culture, and relationships that affirm dignity.
Opportunity
Access to housing, employment, education, and participation in community life.

How it works

A framework for practitioners
and communities.

The RN Framework was developed from over a decade of direct practice, observing what actually happens when people try to access services, navigate systems, and rebuild stability. It names three forms of disruption that block participation: institutional disruption (failures in systems and structures), relational disruption (breakdowns in relationships and trust), and opportunity disruption (loss of access and resources).

Practitioners trained in the Framework work across five areas: relational engagement, collaborative planning, systems bridging, advocacy, and opportunity brokering. Together, these practices address the conditions that make meaningful participation possible.

The Framework underpins Sankofa's community education work, informs the 52 Roots app, and is the basis for the ANSCJN's approach to cross-sector coordination. It is authored by Matthew Dixon and owned by Ashanti Nova, licensed to Sankofa Collective for community delivery. Trademark application in progress.

African Nova Scotian Coordinated Justice Network · Est. 2019

The peer infrastructure Black justice professionals have been missing.

A Black-only practitioner space for African Nova Scotian and Black professionals whose work touches the justice system, in courts, in community, and in the institutions in between.

About the network

Built by Black practitioners,
for Black practitioners.

Doing this work inside institutions that were not built for us is isolating. The ANSCJN exists because the peer infrastructure other professionals take for granted has been missing for us. This is that infrastructure.

Founded in 2019, the Network brings together professionals working in legal, corrections, social work, navigation, mental health, and advocacy, as well as the operational and administrative roles that hold these spaces together. Administrative support is provided by Sankofa Collective. The Network itself is independent, co-chaired by community practitioners.

2019
Year founded
183
2023 conference attendees
100%
Gained new insights at 2023 conference

Membership

What membership includes.

The Network has four membership tiers. The founding membership year (April 2026 – March 2027) is free for Practitioner Members and Partner Organizations. A sliding scale is available, no questions asked.

Tier Who it's for Annual fee Voting Founding year
Practitioner Member Black and ANS individuals whose work intersects with justice: lawyers, social workers, navigators, corrections professionals, mental health practitioners, researchers, and adjacent staff. $75
Sliding scale to $0. Sustaining rate $150.		 Yes Free
Partner Organization Organizations whose core mandate is Black and ANS justice work, operating at peer level alongside the Network. $750 – $1,500
Based on org size.		 1 per org Free
Allied Institution Government bodies, universities, law societies, and larger institutions whose engagement is institutional rather than peer-practitioner. $3,000
No founding year waiver.		 Observer only No
Honorary / Elder Co-founders and long-standing community members recognized for significant contributions to the Network or ANS justice work. Waived Chair discretion Yes

Membership year: April 1 – March 31. Members joining after October 1 are pro-rated at half the annual fee (Practitioner and Partner tiers). Fees administered through Sankofa Collective.

Express interest

Is this the room
you have been looking for?

If you are a Black or African Nova Scotian professional doing work that touches the justice system, this Network is for you.

Fill out the form and the Chair will be in touch. Membership conversations happen one at a time, with care.

  • Peer support on real cases: IRCAs, court letters, conditions, navigation
  • Resources historically gatekept from Black practitioners
  • Mentorship across the field, in both directions
  • Space to raise systemic concerns from inside the work
  • Cross-sector coordination when issues demand it
  • Member directory and peer referrals
  • Network meetings every 8 weeks
  • Annual conference
Free for Year 1 · April 2026 – March 2027

Prefer to write directly? anscjn@gmail.com

Thank you. The Chair will be in touch with you directly.

2023 Justice Conference

From Strategy to Action.

In October 2023, the ANSCJN convened 183 community members, practitioners, researchers, and justice leaders at Saint Mary's University in Halifax for a two-day conference, the first of its kind in Nova Scotia. Voices from across the justice ecosystem came together to present work, surface challenges, and advance solutions toward a fair and accessible justice system for people of African descent in the province.

92% of respondents strongly agreed they enjoyed the conference. 100% said they gained new insights or knowledge.

Download Conference Report (PDF)

Support

Support the network

A financial contribution supports the ANSCJN's convening, capacity-building, and community action work. Donations do not confer membership, voting rights, or institutional standing. Contributions are received and administered through Sankofa Collective.

Donation widget coming soon.

In pilot · Public launch coming soon 52 Roots

52 Roots

Named for the 52 historic Black communities of Nova Scotia

A personal navigation companion that puts the Restorative Navigation Framework directly in the hands of the people it serves.

Your journal. Your circle. Your resources. In one place, grounded in culture, designed for real life. Participants own their own data and their own journey.

Journal
A private space to reflect and process, with an AI conversation partner that understands your context and your community.
Your Circle
Keep your support network close. Add the people in your corner: family, advocates, navigators, community.
Resources
Find and save services, programs, and supports relevant to your situation, without starting from scratch every time.
My Card
Keep your essential information organized and ready. Built for people who have to share their story more than once.

52 Roots is owned by Ashanti Nova and licensed to Sankofa Collective for community delivery.

52 Roots Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2026

52 Roots is not a crisis service. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For urgent mental health support, call 988 or 211 Nova Scotia.

Our Privacy Promise

Your story matters. 52 Roots was built to protect dignity, not create more surveillance. We aim to collect only what is necessary, protect what you choose to share, and give you meaningful control over your own information. Support should feel safe. Not monitored. Not managed. Not used against you. Privacy is part of restorative navigation.

Who We Are

52 Roots is a mobile companion app developed by Sankofa Collective, a nonprofit based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We are committed to handling personal information responsibly, respectfully, and in accordance with applicable Canadian privacy laws, including PIPEDA.

What Information We Collect

We collect only what is reasonably necessary to provide the app experience. This may include:

What We Do Not Collect

We do not collect phone contacts, GPS location tracking, private text messages, private social media activity, or information from employers, landlords, government systems, or third parties unless you choose to provide it. We do not use surveillance-based technology as part of normal operations.

How We Use Your Information

Your information is used solely to provide the 52 Roots service: enabling your journal, saving your progress, supporting your Circle, and delivering reflection tools. We may use anonymized, aggregated data to support nonprofit reporting and program evaluation. We do not use personal information for commercial marketing.

Journal Privacy

Journal entries are treated as private participant reflections. There is no in-app feature for agencies, employees, or external partners to access your private journal entries. Your writing remains your private space unless access is required for necessary legal, safety, or security circumstances.

Who Can Access Your Information

Access is limited to authorized personnel who require it for participant support, platform operations, or legal compliance. Ambassadors, agencies, and external partners do not have access to your private journal entries through normal platform use. Support should never feel like surveillance.

Your Access and Controls

You may update, remove, or manage your information through your account settings. You may request account deletion through the app or by contacting us directly. Leaving should not mean losing your story.

Data Storage and Security

We use secure third-party infrastructure including Supabase. Reasonable safeguards include encryption in transit and at rest, secure authentication, role-based access controls, and periodic review. No digital platform can guarantee absolute security. Users are responsible for protecting access to their own devices and passwords.

AI Features

52 Roots uses AI-supported tools to provide affirmations, guided reflections, and personalized reflection support. AI features do not provide legal advice, medical care, therapy, crisis intervention, or emergency response. AI is used for reflection support, not judgment. Only content you choose to submit is processed.

Youth Privacy

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children where prohibited by law or without required consent. Additional safeguards may be implemented for youth participation where necessary.

Important Boundaries

52 Roots is a supportive reflection, navigation, and participation tool. It is not legal advice, medical care, therapy, crisis intervention, or emergency response. Users remain responsible for their own safety decisions and emergency support needs.

Policy Updates

This policy may be updated from time to time. Updated versions will be posted within the app with the revised effective date.

Contact

Sankofa Collective
hello@sankofacollective.ca

52 Roots is not a crisis service. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For urgent mental health support, call 988 or 211 Nova Scotia.