Alberta Resilient Communities Project

Robin Cox et al. received funds from Alberta Health’s Collaborative Research and Innovation Opportunities for a transdisciplinary study of resiliency in children and youth to catastrophic events.

The 2013 Alberta flood resulted in devastating impacts affecting social, economic, environmental, and political infrastructures. Children and youth are particularly resilient and powerful ‘catalysts for change’ post-disaster, yet their influence, capacity, and ability to contribute to disaster recovery and resiliency efforts are often overlooked. The goal of this applied research program was to better understand the social, economic, political, cultural, spiritual, and personal factors that contribute to resiliency among children and youth while simultaneously building a network of academics, government stakeholders, and child- and youth-focused community and non-governmental organizations as partners in research and knowledge mobilization. The collaborative leads brought extensive knowledge and expertise in participatory, child/youth centered resilience research and well established partners and community connections in Southern Alberta. A community-based, child and youth-centred participatory research approach was adopted to create new knowledge for disaster risk reduction and population resiliency.

As part of the research, the team launched the Alberta Resilient Communities Network (ARC-N) with a transdisciplinary, applied research focus, a commitment to knowledge sharing, and the goal of promoting effective policies and practices to support resilient communities and protect child and youth rights.

The research involved child and youth-centred research approaches that enabled the lived realities of children, youth, and their communities to inform the research with the goal of strengthening child and youth mental health and enhancing communities’ disaster preparedness, disaster risk reduction, and resilience in Southern Alberta. The research used creative approaches to research to build capacity among diverse stakeholders and advance Alberta’s programs, public policy, and infrastructure for population resiliency in short and long-term disaster recovery. In so doing, the outputs Increased the multi-directional mobilization of knowledge through child- and youth-generated media/knowledge products and other innovative means.
Cox led the youth-focused stream of the ARC project, working with youth (13-25 years) (inclusive of urban Aboriginal people) in flood-affected Southern Alberta, particularly those marginalized due to multiple intersecting barriers (e.g., poverty, gender, health status). The ARC-Youth-stream contributed to the development of innovative youth informed resources, tools, guides, and frameworks through the use of arts-based research methods, the integration of design thinking and storytelling, approaches and other creative methods. Participating youth designed resilience initiatives that addressed disaster and climate change-related problems relevant to themselves and their communities. These initiatives created space for youth to meaningfully and creatively share their perspectives, drive positive change to their environment, encourage ethical consumer habits, foster critical thinking skills, and deepen their ability to respond and communicate in the face of disaster. To maximize their reach and strengthen their projects, youth partnered with adult allies and local thought-leaders to further develop and mobilize knowledge and awareness of their projects in community spaces.

Outputs of the project included user-friendly, child- and youth-centered curriculum for creative youth engagement; examples of community-centered youth resilience projects; a well-delineated, participatory protocol for defining impact and assessing outcomes; and initiatives to influence relevant policy and practices. Evidence produced from this program contributed to enhancing population resiliency in flood-affected communities and informing readiness planning for future natural disasters and other catastrophic events.