PREPARING OUR HOME AT ADAPTATION 2020

Building Resilience in Indigenous communities: Youth Stepping Up to Lead Before the Storm

Amber MacLean-Hawes, Devin Naveau, Casey Gabriel, Lilia Yumagulova delivered a Preparing Our Home workshop at the Adaptation Canada 2020, Canada’s national conference on climate change adaptation.

Indigenous communities are faced with disproportionate risk of disasters and climate change and are at the forefront of adaptation. Organized by the Preparing Our Home program, this session includes three inspiring stories of building community resilience:

• The Xet̓ólacw Community School, Lil’wat Nation, developed Canada’s first Preparing Our Home community resilience curriculum. Drawing on Traditional Knowledge, this program combines youth-led hazard mapping, firefighting and lifesaving skills.
• The Mattagami First Nation has been working hard to fight back against changing conditions. With a great team, youth leadership and hard work, Mattagami has been able to implement a community-wide “Master Emergency Response Plan.”
• The Emergency Preparedness in Mi’kmaw Communities in Nova Scotia project focuses on using a holistic approach in determining community strengths, weakness and gaps for emergency preparedness, climate change adaptation and health. Youth action can increase community preparedness and lead the way in hopes of establishing lasting community impacts.

Session link: https://www.adaptationcanada2020.ca/cgi/page.cgi?aid=671&_id=1657&zine=show