Building Resilience in Rural Communities

This is a link to Learning for Sustainability's Toolkit for "Building Resilience in Rural Communities." There is a discussion of 11 core "Resilience" Principles. Not suprisingly, the first principle involves "Social Networks and Support." Thus PlacerSustain's interest in Community Sustainability Networks as the framework for being stewards of our future. Here is an excerpt from the materials:

Resilience Concepts Explained

What is resilience?

Resilience refers to the capacity of an individual or

community to cope with stress, overcome adversity

or adapt positively to change. The ability to ‘bounce

back’ from negative experiences may reflect the innate

qualities of individuals or be the result of learning and

experience. Regardless of the origin of resilience, there

is evidence to suggest that it can be developed and

enhanced to promote greater wellbeing. Resilience

is not regarded as a quality that is either present or

absent in a person or group but rather a process which

may vary across circumstances and time.

What is a resilience concept?

The 11 resilience concepts contained within the toolkit

incorporate the factors most commonly reported to

enhance community and individual resilience. They

were drawn from the results of interviews undertaken

within the Stanthorpe community and a review of

previous literature. Within psychology, these resilience

concepts are sometimes referred to as ‘protective

factors’ as they are thought to protect individuals from

developing serious problems as a result of exposure

to stress or adversity, known as ‘risk factors’.

Many researchers now believe that enhancing a person’s

level of resilience may be a more effective way of

preventing problems and improving wellbeing than

trying to modify individual risk factors. Some risk

factors, such as drought, unemployment, or a lack of

services, may exist at a community-wide level. There

may be a need or an opportunity to offer communitywide resilience

programs to improve the wellbeing of community members.

PlacerSustain: Voices of Placer County's Sustainability Community