Donate

Our Work

The Resilience Institute was born from the passion of a number of social and natural scientists who felt there were huge disconnects between climate science, communication, and action on climate change. That passion drove us to create a registered charity that today is focused on minimizing suffering caused by climate impacts. Taking a transdisciplinary approach, our initiatives aim to weave together multiple ways of knowing to foster innovative solutions and transformative change to the converging climate and biodiversity crises.

Our Approach

While our work is interconnected, we can think of the things we do as falling into four areas:

Thematic Engagement

Applied Research

Knowledge Sharing

Adaptation in Action

Applied Research

Our initiatives employ transdisciplinary approaches, weaving together diverse knowledge systems to partner on applied research initiatives. We work closely with partners to integrate good practices in climate adaptation research, ensuring our initiatives are both practical and impactful. Our applied research efforts focus on real-world applications, developing and testing new methods and strategies to address climate challenges effectively. This collaborative approach advances climate science and empowers communities to adopt sustainable practices, ultimately contributing to global climate change solutions. 

Learn More:

Applied Research

Participatory Informed Education

The Resilience Institute team and its network of subject matter experts develop accessible and relevant learning programs and resources that address gaps in knowledge and advance strategic action towards climate safe futures. For example, practical short courses that address gaps in knowledge, podcasts, storymaps, and educational briefs on topics that advance action on climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction. 

Learn More:

Thematic Engagement
Knowledge Hub

Weaving Knowledge Systems

By bringing together scientific, local, and Indigenous knowledge, we create a holistic understanding of climate issues. By fostering a dynamic exchange of knowledge and practices, The Resilience Institute seeks to build resilient communities capable of thriving in the face of complex challenges. We emphasize the fusion of scientific research with local and Indigenous knowledge, creating robust pathways for the implementation of community-supported good practices. Our initiatives focus on empowering communities to implement context-specific solutions, fostering collaboration and innovation for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Through these efforts, we aim to create adaptive strategies that address immediate climate challenges and build long-term resilience. 

Learn More:

Adaptation in Action
Climate Risk Assessments

Inspiring Transformative Change

Global-to-Local / Local-to-Global Pathways – Our team creates and maintains strong pathways for sharing knowledge that will advance transformative change. Our initiatives aim to create a ripple effect, where local innovations can inform global strategies and global advancements can be adapted to local contexts. 

Initiative Highlights

Click on the logos below to read more:

Check out our most recent Impact Report here

STORIES OF RESILIENCE

A single story has the power to change our hearts and our minds. Our collective stories, if shared, have the potential to change the future. We want to shine a light on personal and collective Stories of Resilience to raise awareness, build connections, and seize climate adaptation learning opportunities.

In this activity, narratives and photos are collected, then participants are engaged in a discovery of what makes us resilient and how these attributes can prepare us for a changing climate. Our goal is to assemble a network of stories and amplify them with our resources for storytelling, networking, and collaboration.

FIRE & ICE

The Fire & Ice program is a creative process for engaging citizens in dialogue and learning on disaster risk reduction. Participants learn about various climate change and knowledge sharing topics, including glaciers and environmental change, community engagement, photography, wildfire, and writing about change.

In May 2016, residents of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo experienced a serious wildfire, named the Horse River Fire. The region was then hit hard in 2020 by significant ice jam flooding and the COVID-19 pandemic. To aid in recovery of the region and its resilience building, the Canadian Red Cross supported a series of workshops and engagement activities, including the Fire & Ice program, that brought together a small cohort from the social profit sector who embarked on a creative learning journey filled with dialogue on topics about resilience and disaster risk reduction.

During the Fire & Ice program, participants learned about ice jams, glaciology, and wildfire, while gaining new skills in writing and photography through a series of expert workshops. Following the workshop series, participants reflected on their learnings and completed individual written pieces. A public exhibition highlighted the learnings of the program and showcased the outstanding work of some of the diverse voices in the 2022 Fire & Ice cohort. The aim of the exhibition was to inspire the surrounding community to embark on their own reflective learning journey.