Resilience is the ability of individuals, groups, and communities to adapt to and recover from adversity, tragedy, and trauma. One’s ability to be resilient is not solely dependent on an individual’s characteristics nor their social environments. Rather, resilience is a result of the interaction between both individual and environmental factors.

Some communities, children, and youth show greater capacities for resilience after experiencing a disaster. Taking the time to learn and understand what characteristics and factors contribute to resilience will help build capacity to support children, youth, and their communities in their ability to adapt, recovery and become stronger post-flood in Southern Alberta.