Stories of Resilience: Voices from Indigenous Youth in Northern Alberta 

What is Stories of Resilience – Voices from Indigenous Youth in Northern Alberta?

Stories of Resilience – Voices from Indigenous Youth in Northern Alberta is an initiative by The Resilience Institute, in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross. It is a creative program that promotes what it means to be resilient (or not) – spiritually, physically, culturally. The engagement activities, centered around thematic learning, have proven to strengthen community momentum for longer-term climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies.  

This Stories of Resilience initiative aims to engage Indigenous youth in Northern Alberta around the theme of regrowth’ following the 2023 wildfire season in the region. Through this initiative, youth will have the opportunity to learn about climate-related risks, risk reduction strategies, adaptation, and resilience-building. They will also be supported to share their stories of regrowth and resilience, thereby contributing to community risk reduction and climate change adaptation efforts. This approach aims to transform passive awareness into active participation and not only enhances individual and community resilience, but also fosters a culture of proactive, collaborative problem-solving. 

How can I get updates & more info?

Questions? We’d love to hear from you! 

Reach us at: stories@resilienceinstitute.ca 

Laura Stewart

Board Member

Laura Stewart is the Community Wildfire Resilience Coordinator with Forsite Fire, supporting communities across Canada with wildfire risk assessments, mitigation planning, and program delivery. She has more than a decade of experience advancing wildfire resilience at Indigenous, municipal, provincial/territorial, and national levels. Previously, Laura served nearly eleven years as Alberta’s Provincial FireSmart Specialist, leading community, WUI, neighbourhood, and Home Ignition Zone programs, coordinating funding, and partnering with communities and fire services across the province. She has also served as Board Chair with both the Partners in Protection Association (FireSmart Canada) and the Community Wildfire Resilience Association of Alberta.

 

Sara Walsh, PhD

Board Member

Sara Walsh, PhD, is a disaster risk reduction and climate resilience specialist with more than 15 years of experience spanning Canada, Nepal, the Middle East, and North Africa. Until November 2025, she served as Thematic Lead for Climate and Resilience with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), where she supported Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to strengthen their climate and risk reduction work across the region. Sara currently works as a freelance consultant with the United Nations, governments, and humanitarian organizations on recovery, risk governance, and community-based resilience. She teaches at a Canadian university and holds a PhD in Disaster Risk Reduction. Her work emphasizes anticipatory action, equity, and bridging research with practice to shape more resilient and sustainable futures.

Alison Criscitiello

Board Member

Alison Criscitiello, PhD, is an ice core scientist and high-altitude mountaineer who explores the history of climate and sea ice in polar and high-alpine regions using ice core chemistry. Alison’s work also focuses on environmental contaminant histories in ice cores from the Canadian high Arctic and the water towers of the Canadian Rockies. In 2010, she led the first all-women’s ascent of Lingsarmo, a 22,818-foot peak in the Indian Himalaya. Alison has earned three American Alpine Club (AAC) climbing awards, the John Lauchlan and Mugs Stump alpine climbing awards, as well as the first Ph.D. in Glaciology ever conferred by MIT. She is an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Canadian Ice Core Lab at the University of Alberta. She is the co-founder of Girls on Ice Canada.