Our Work
The Resilience Institute is a globally recognized charity that works to minimize suffering caused by climate impacts. Our work is focused on two complementary goals:
- Strengthening the resilience of rural, and Indigenous communities to current- and near-future consequences of climate change
- Addressing the root causes of vulnerabilities to climate change and creating the conditions that enable equitable and just climate adaptation
Over the past 10 years we have proudly established ourselves as a trusted Canadian charity working at the nexus of climate science, local, and Indigenous knowledge, and creativity to strengthen resilience.
Bridging complex goals with local realities has led to a strong track record of partnering with rural, and Indigenous communities, academia, NGOs, and governments on co-developing initiatives that advance adaptive capacity.
We’ve learned a few things along the way that have inspired our approach to programming:
- Thematic learning, deep engagement and creativity coupled with participatory action can help break down systemic silos and reduce barriers to climate action.
- Weaving together scientific, local, and Indigenous ways of knowing helps define and redefine the scope of climate risks and strategies to address the risks.
- Facilitating relational, land-based and experiential learning is critical to unlocking new approaches to climate change.
- Providing meaningful opportunities for young scholars to apply their skills on community-based initiatives is essential to cultivate resilient futures.
Our Approach
Our initiatives are designed with a holistic, interconnected approach that is aimed at strengthening the kind of capabilities and agency required to compassionately and adequately respond to a world in climate chaos.
Diverse representation is essential for robust, community-relevant adaptation and disaster risk responses. We strive to ensure that multiple values, insights, and perspectives are included from the planning to implementation stages of our initiatives.
Knowledge gleaned through our work is shared in multiple ways including:
- StoryMap Features
- Quarterly Newsletter called The Resilience Report
- Virtual Short-Courses
- Guidance Documents & White Papers
- Panels and Workshops
- Customized Learning Journeys
- Social Media
For details see our
Knowledge Hub
Core Programs
Stories of Resilience
Reciprocal learning journey that brings people together to explore the attributes that enable strength, innovation, and compassion to build climate resilient futures.
Signs of Change in a Warming World
Multimodal process for learning about local climate risks framed around the way people experience them.
Complementary to technical risk assessments, this program helps increase local understanding and momentum on adaptive planning.
Transformative Adaptation Learning Lab (TALL)
Advancing transformative climate adaptation through collaborative research and action for a climate-resilient future.
Check out our most recent Impact Report here
Program Examples
Stories of Resilience – Voices from across British Columbia's Interior
Explored diverse notions of climate resilience following the recovery efforts of the 2017 wildfires across British Columbia. Nearly 10 years later, what has changed?
Strengthening Climate Resilience with the Piikani Nation
A long-term program featuring multiple activities aimed at strengthening momentum and capacity for climate resilience in the Piikani Nation, southern Alberta.
Nature Based Solutions as Pathways to Resilience
Applied research to develop understanding on the gaps in knowledge about Nature Based Solutions in rural, and Indigenous communities across Canada.
Voices from Jasper Year 1
Honouring lived experiences through story, art, and connection, one year after the fire.
Métis Nation within Alberta Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment
A deeply collaborative effort to develop a province-wide climate risk and vulnerability assessment with the Otipemisiwak Métis Government of the Métis Nation within Alberta
Fire With Fire Building Regional Capacity for Climate Adaptation
Fire with Fire was a multi-year initiative supported by Natural Resources Canada aimed at building capacity for climate adaptation by braiding Indigenous, local, and scientific knowledge.
Stories of Resilience: Water – Indigenous Women across the Prairies
Celebrating and learning from Indigenous women’s deep connections to water across the prairies.
The Potential of Sweetgrass in Prairie Grasslands Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity
Evaluated the ecological role of Sweetgrass and its potential to mitigate climate change.
Town of Hinton Community Climate Resilience
A multipronged initiative including a Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment, Intergenerational Stories of Resilience journey, and a Community Climate Resilience Plan and implementation of an early adaptation action
Special Initiatives
Adaptation Action Fund
TRI is growing a pool of funds to support the communities we partner with in implementing community-identified, evidence-based adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies without delay.
Roots for Resilience
Roots for Resilience is a pan-Canadian program developed and delivered by The Resilience Institute and the Canadian Red Cross in a unique partnership aimed at inspiring an ecosystem of change in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
Canadians and the Global Goal on Adaptation
Bridging Scales of Action: Canadians and the Global Goal on Adaptation
