Exploring Resilience

EXPLORING RESILIENCE

Through the viewing of videos and a cooperative activity, participants are led to reflect on how they can contribute to building resilient spaces and communities.

USEFUL FOR
Volunteers and operators in the organisations

TYPE OF TOOL
Video
Role-play

DURATION
2-3 hours

MAIN FIELD OF ACTION
Sustainability

RELATED SDG
11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities

 

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DESCRIPTION

This activity can be proposed in a training module for volunteers and operators of Fair Trade organisations. It allows the concept of resilience to be explored and put into practice and consists of two parts:

The first one consists of watching some videos made thanks to the Erasmus+ project BfR - Breakthrough for Resilience. The videos show experiences of people, places and communities that represent good examples of resilience. The viewing of the videos is followed by a discussion led by the facilitator who can ask participants if they know of other experiences of resilient places and communities.

This is followed by the second part of the activity, in which participants collaborate to develop action plans supporting neighbouring villages affected by disasters. They assess their own community's resources and infrastructure and brainstorm ways to assist. Through group discussions and mapping out ideas with sticky notes, they explore effective response strategies, emphasising local resource utilisation. This activity fosters collaboration, critical thinking, and empathy in addressing disaster challenges.

Implementation:

  1. The facilitator sets the scenario: a nearby village faces disaster, prompting residents to seek refuge in another village. They stress the need to use existing resources effectively (5 minutes)
  2. The participants discuss their village's resources, infrastructure, and services, guided by specific questions (5 minutes)
  3. Small groups brainstorm action plans leveraging available resources, considering housing, services, and social support (5 minutes)
  4. The groups use sticky notes to illustrate their plans on a village map, presenting each action briefly (15 minutes)
  5. The groups present their plans, with time for questions and feedback (10 minutes)
  6. A facilitated group discussion identifies commonalities between plans, integrating ideas into a comprehensive response plan. Challenges are discussed, and strategies to overcome them are brainstormed (10 minutes)
  7. Reflection and discussion session led by the facilitator, focusing on lessons learned and insights gained (10 minutes)

The following materials are needed for this second part of the activity: large sheets of paper, sticky notes, markers, drawing materials.

Expected outcomes of this activity: heightened consciousness and comprehension regarding the significance of local resources in fostering resilience and extending assistance to neighbouring communities amidst crises.