According to the Cornell Empowerment Group, they define empowerment as an "intentional ongoing process centered in the local community, involving mutual respect, critical reflection, caring, group participation, through which people lacking unequal share of valued resources gain greater access to and control over those resources (p. 97)" I believe that as mayor of a small town exposed to various natural disasters I should promote this concept of empowerment to the community. Through the promotion of this concept of empowerment we can spread "resilience" throughout the community. This definition of empowerment goes hand in hand with Nan Henderson's "Resilience Wheel" which was emphasized in the "How Resilience Happens?" clip. According to Nan Henderson, you can implement these concepts into all social levels from family, schools, and communities. As mayor I would implement these concepts into my community so that the citizens may be able to "bounce back" or become resilient to the recent natural disasters.

The Resilience Wheel emphasizes "caring and support" as its foundation to its concept. From this central concept the wheel moves on to emphasize participation, opportunities, positive social bonds, and the teaching of life skills. As mayor I believe that the concepts emphasized in the Resilience Wheel promotes empowerment of the community because it promotes the citizens of my community to "cope" with the adversity at hand and to form "protective factors" within the community as emphasized by Nan Henderson.

Specifically I would utilize such resources as the "Elements of Resilience; Essential Elements for Building Community Resilience Website" in order to implement useful knowledge into my practice. Prior to the natural disasters I would stress the importance of "preparedness" throughout the community through promotion at school, work, business, and political organizations.  

I would invest in funding to support workshops such as "Resilience Camp 2006" which will help children build social support and empowerment through feelings of care and support within the camp. I would educate leaders and professionals of such concepts as the Resilience Wheel so that they may be able to successfully connect with the community in building Community resilience to adversity. I would also work at a higher ecological level in order to work with non-profit organizations to help provide valued resources to the community so that we can help the community "bounce back."

According to Elements of Resilience; Essential Elements for Building Community Resilience Website, it is important to utilize the media in order to broadcast my intended message. I may have provided the community with sufficient funding and resources but the next problem would be making it known to the entire community that such resources are available. I would utilize the media in spreading the information in tools such as the newspaper, television, Internet, schools, public health services, and the radio so that all citizens may be properly taken care of.

            I believe that more importantly, as mayor it is my responsibility to prepare the community for such disasters before they actually occur. According to the material it is important to stray away from the mindset of "it can't happen to me" but rather to expect and prepare in order to build resilience. The promotion of preparation for such disasters will prove to be more effective than intervention that lacks prevention. I believe we can apply lessons learned in the previous lecture such that it is cheaper to prevent than it is to provide intervention. I believe that by preventing and promoting such concepts as the resilience wheel through community activities, compassionate leaders, parents, and professionals we may build a resilient and empowered community who hold the ability to "bounce back" at times of adversity. Through the implementation of protective factors we may be able to mitigate the impacts of the natural disaster and help to adapt to the situation. According to the definition of resilience, we must be able to adapt to the changes forced upon by adversity. By promoting these concepts we may become empowered and resilient to various natural disasters.

Empower is defined as "both the processes and outcomes occur  at various levels of analysis.  Its about obtaining, producing or enabling power and can happen at individual, group or community level" (pg 97). If I were a mayor of a small community I the first thing that I would do is to make sure that I had some form of a plan worked out first before any thing could happen so then if anything did happen my community could bounce back as quickly as possible.  When a disaster has happened I would act immediately and put my plans into action.  There would be no waiting to see what else could possible happen.  I would also stay in contact with groups that I know would be affected by the disaster.  I would also stay connected with organizations that could bring help in and give advice to those who were affected by the disaster.  

    I would gather information from resources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, and the American Psychological Association.  Any resources they have could be used to help families deal with the trauma or groups like schools or churches that need extra help can get the help they need.  I would implement help other communities or states who could bring jobs after the disaster is over to get people back on their feet or house families who are homeless due to the disaster.  I would leaders from different sectors to participate in community programs and sponsor programs on resilience in the community.  I would identify disaster related funding, and learn about federal plans for preparedness and response.  I would also make sure that sector leaders have any and all help that they will need to make sure everyone can get back on their feet.  All school should be prepared to give help to any of the students who are feeling stressed by what happened and to give advice to parents on how to help their children.

    I would also stay in contact with the media so that when new information so that anything that the public needs to know they can get it as soon as possible.  I would also make sure that the media and public know of any possible danger so that they can prepare themselves.  I would make sure that all first responders know of the many different roles that will need to be taken on during and after the disaster and to teach them how to increase the resources they have.  I would also greatly encourage people to talk and help each other out and rely on each other.

    I would increase community trust with their leaders.  I would identify the roles that they leaders, agencies, and organization will need to take on before the disaster happens.  I think it would also be important to set up some common area for people to gather for support, to have fun, relieve stress or just so they can have others to talk about who are going through the same thing.  After the disaster is over and all danger is gone I would look at what worked what did not work and what was iffy and make changes to my plans so that the next time something happens the plans could move quicker and smoother and everyone can bounce back even quicker.

If I was elected mayor that was exposed to a natural disaster I would develop resilience and empowerment throughout my community. According to the text empowerment is described as focusing on the significance of providing opportunities for the community to show their willpower and strengths in order to reach their intervention. In order to do this, I must look at the different levels of analysis through the individual, organizational, community, and societal level. This way I can reach out to everyone because some people will feel empowered in one position and others won't. To be empowered is the chance and capability to change your future course in life. Some people think they cannot make a difference and that they are just one person. What my community needs to realize is that, together, as a community, we do have power to change anything. Keeping a positive attitude is extremely important and needs to be the full main theme throughout and action, ideas, or planning that takes place. It will also help people in their intervention in a psychological aspect. As a leader myself, I need to use my power to help others. As the text says, "… community psychologists should always consider and acknowledge their relative power and privilege in any environment in which they work," (p.372). I could only imagine that this would qualify for anyone in a position of power.

In order for this intervention to take place and for people to equally feel empowered, I need to demonstrate and put into effect resilience in my community. The text uses a good example that community members have the ability to empower themselves and use the resources to get through hurdles in their lives and come out strong with a changed life. Resilience means basically the same thing; although struggles and challenges can face one's life they can overcome it and function normally physically and psychologically. In the videos, they all mentioned how resilience can lead to a better community, individual, or just a smile. It leads to a happier and healthier life. It needs to be based in all communities.

With all that said, I would like to approach my town through one of the websites that listed the elements of resilience; connectedness, commitment and shared values/ participation/ structure, roles, and responsibility/ support and nurturance/ critical reflection and skill building/ resources/ and communication. Through connectedness, commitment and shared values I will show my increase in trust to my community. I will ask them their ideas and views and what we can do to make the community better and also express my opinion with feedback from the community. They need to know that I am there for them and that I show my commitment in our town. I will do my best to avoid all conflict between me and any members in the community, and work solely on addressing the conflicts so that they do not arise again. I will increase the sense of belonging through a positive relationship between children and families so that they as well can feel committed and connected to the community. Through participation I will encourage all members of the community to actively partake in any ideas, values, or plans they might have to contribute to the event of the natural disaster. I want to make them feel their contributions means something and that by doing that they can make a difference. Through structure, roles and responsibility we will create a disaster awareness plan. In the disaster awareness plan, each member in the town will have a responsibility to help make our town whole again. If the members in the community decide to rotate responsibilities, than that is fine with me. I want them to feel like they have the power to take control too. I will provide everyone knowledge and about the structure and responsibilities that need to be utilized and let families know what they can do to help the community. Through support and nurturance I will help reestablish the town by creating new ideas for recreational activities (such as parks, amusement/water parks, indoor recreation center), new businesses to create more jobs, new schools that are improved, and restore a common area in the city where everyone feels like a community, so they feel and now that I am addressing improvements that can be made and my commitment to restoring the town. After proposing and putting into action I will ask for feedback, concerns and ideas from the community about the different projects. Through critical reflection and skill building I will review myself as well as feedback from the community on what things have been successful, need improvement, unexpected problems, challenges in the past that have delayed success, and solutions. By analyzing and critiquing these areas I will find a solution and hope to bring success to myself and the community. Through resources I will have the community feel empowered to take on anything they need in a fair manner. I will make sure all resources are being used effectively and ask families for feedback on any other needs or improvements that need to be made. I will also make available back-up resources in case it need be. Each resource makes a unique contribution to the community. Last, through communication, which is extremely important (nothing can be solved without communication), I will demonstrate narratives of empowerment and resilience. I will have local members of the town, no matter what age, speak to the community in way that they feel they have been empowered or felt resilience. It is important for the community to not only hear the leader, but other members of the community as well. I will also display messages through different Medias that address the same issues in different ways (such as joining to help build the indoor recreational center through a billboard, TV commercial, or ads). As well, I will have teachers educate children in school of the events going on right now so that they do not feel scared and alone and can discuss it in class on possible solutions. Throughout everything I do I will always encourage families to tell me their needs, perception, and concerns in any way that can help our community. It is a high priority for communication to be consistent.

I believe that through these key points I will be able to reestablish and even more strongly connect the community we had and pass through the natural disaster that has occurred. We will achieve resilience.



Resilience has proved to be not only important attribute to community survival, but also a necessary one. Leaders have to be able to realize and apply actions ahead of time, so that way they are able to react to adversity in a healthy and reestablish consistency and steadiness after dreadful events occur. Now that you know what you would do to develop resilience among members within a community, what do you forsee your community looking like after resilience has been implemented? And why is it important to have resilience within a community?

According to video 1, a resilient system has 3 properties (1) being able to withstand shock without losing its basic function (2) being able to adapt to changing circumstances (3) being able to transform to a different way of life when the current life is no longer feasbile. People are faced with adversities every single day and in order for a community to be resilient they have to be able to integrate the 3 properties as described above.  Based on your knowledge of Resiliency, do you think there is a strong connection/relationship between resilience, prevention and empowerment?

"Please imagine that you are elected as a mayor of a small town that is exposed to various natural disasters.    Based on what you have learned from the recommended videos and readings what would you do to develop resilience among members of this community?"

If I was mayor of a small town that was exposed to various natural disasters, there are a number of things that I would do to develop resilience among the members in the community. Resiliency is the ability of people to be able to cope with stress and bounce back from them. It also helps develop skills to be able to cope with future stress and catastrophe. In the video labeled, "What is Resilience?" they talked about the three different properties of resilience which are being able to withstand shock without losing basic functions, adapting to changing circumstances, and transforming to a different way of life when the current way of life is no longer feasible. Resiliency is a really important thing to have in any community so that the community survives and stays strong.

 I believe that in order to have resiliency in my small town there first needs to be an empowered community. Empowerment is "an intentional ongoing process centered in the local community, involving mutual respect, critical reflection, caring, and group participation, through which people lacking an equal share of valued resources gain greater access to and control over those resources. "(p. 97) If I help my citizens to be more empowered then they will help the community become more empowered, then the community will give back to the individuals and make them more empowered. In the book it talks about many things that can be done to empower an individual and a community. So what I would do to empower individuals is train them in critical thinking. This way they will be able to make their own conscious decisions. I would help mentor some of my citizens so they could have someone to look up to and they would give back to the community by mentoring others in need. And I would also provide work, job and personal life based training to individuals so that they can have a since of control in their lives. If these few things were implemented in a community, then the individuals who received this help would feel more obligated to help others and the community will be able to take care of each other.

 An empowered community will be able to help build resiliency throughout the community. I would implement the "Resiliency Wheel" that was talked about in the video about how resiliency happens. This wheel was implemented to help people bounce back from hard times in their life and do really well in life. This wheel is about the protective traits that allow people to develop their own skills needed to deal with their stress and to be able to protect them from future stresses and the environmental support that they would need to cope. Also I could teach them other tips on how to build resiliency that are on the, Resilience: Build skills to endure hardship website so that my town can be well prepared for any kind of stresses that they may encounter. Some of these tips include staying connected with family and friends, finding purpose in your life, and learning to work towards a goal.

 I believe that in order to help my town bounce back after a natural disaster there needs to be a lot of preventative work that needs to get done before anything even happens. If I prepare my town with the tools they will need to cope then they will be able to come back as a community. An empowered and resilient community would be able to adapt to the sudden changes and create a new and better environment and become stronger because of it.

The first step in creating resilience amongst a community of people who just recently experienced a natural disaster is assessing their needs.  When people feel that they are protected in some way then it will be easier for them to "bounce back."  If I were selected mayor of a small town in this situation I would first evaluate the town's disaster on a societal level then on a personal level.  In the organization and planning of overcoming devastating situations like a natural disaster empowerment and resilience are two very important factors to include.  The book talks about empowerment as the importance of the community's willpower and strength through the intervention process.  In order to become empowered one must focus changing their future for the positive.

In Building Community Resilience for Children and Families, the authors explain the risks that children face after disaster.  They may experience sleeping or eating disturbances, problems with schoolwork, irritability, anger, headaches, or stomachaches, and/or various behavior problems.  They also talk about children's responses to disasters and what influences them.  These are: extent of exposure to the disaster, family distress, loss of loved ones and/or property, available support systems, disruption of school programs, and the community's response to the event (pg. 2).  Through empowerment and resilience these possible risks in children and families can be avoided or overcome. 

In my action plan for developing resilience among members of the community I would incorporate community leaders, sponsors, and organizations based on individual's religion and/or culture.  It is very important to be aware of community member's ethnic background and cultural needs because it creates a "cushioned" environment for them and they will be more comfortable.  I thought the "Resilience Camp of 2006" was a great tool for younger kids to overcome disaster and connect on different levels.  It was also a great way for older community members to get involved and promote leadership. 

I thought that the "resiliency wheel" was a very interesting tool in helping a child or young adult "bounce back" from a disastrous event or situation.  The wheel includes environmental protective factors that help an individual bounce back from adversity.  They include: Caring and support, teaching "life skills", setting clear, consistent boundaries, increasing prosocial bonding, providing opportunities for meaningful participation, and setting high expectations for the child.  The risks and stresses must also be removed from the situation for a certain amount of time, but not permanently.  The goal is not to make the individual "immune" to tragic situations, but to prepare them for the future.  I would include the concept of environmental protective factor and the resiliency wheel in developing resilience among members of this particular community. 

Lastly, I would make sure to include family (such as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, etc.) into the process of resilience.  If the individual has as much support as possible they will be more likely to bounce back and change their life direction.  It is very important for individuals to be supported, not only through their community, but through their loved ones as well.

"Please imagine that you are elected as a mayor of a small town that is exposed to various natural disasters.    Based on what you have learned from the recommended videos and readings what would you do to develop resilience among members of this community?"

Resilience is defined as 'rolling with the punches' (Mayoclinic.com, 2009). Tragedy in life occurs, but the latest research states that it is the attitude and connections that you have in place which help individuals overcome diversity (Video, 2 with Nan Henderson, MSW). There are protective environmental factors which allow others to survive and adapt to high stress environments. Key concepts can strengthen the resiliency role of individuals, especially children. These are defined as part of the resiliency wheel (Nan Henderson). The foundation of the resiliency wheel is the caring a support, followed by high expectations of the individual, with opportunities to participate in meaningful ways.

Others (video 4) state that as social animals, animals exhibit a distress to loss or deprivation. The fact that relationships are important to humanity and to all people, rejection or death will be followed by a biological response. The argument is that while these natural feelings of hopelessness, despair, anger and mourning should not be suppressed, genetic pathways should be recognized as an increase protective or increased risk factor (video 4). Therefore, identifying the strength in a community of resiliency, this adaptation to change should be strengthened to increase the transformation when the current way of life is no longer feasible (video 1).

The CDC (2004) has a step by step instruction guide which should be initiated prior to a natural disaster. The disaster plan includes making community contacts with healthcare professionals, mental health professionals, first responders, and community leaders of spiritual organizations. Practice drills would be implemented on a biyearly basis. The cost of the time and effort to coordinate efforts would be included as a part of planning in the budget. Because the small town experiences disasters regularly, high focus would be on the disaster at hand. The current past disaster should be reflected upon in a town hall meeting involving the people, committees, and community leaders involved. The town meeting would outline various ideas from the community on what could be improved and what was done well. The suggestions would then be disbursed to different organizations who might be involved. A task force of one person from each organization would make up the disaster drill.

A task force leader would be in contact with the various members to synchronize a team effort. On the day of the biannual disaster drill, leaders would be prepared well in advance of how to handle the various aspects. Prevention and practice are key concepts in dealing with the disasters. Disasters also need to be mediated ahead of time to deal with donated items and where to store them. Specifically mental health providers should have strong relationships prior to a disaster so they can be ready on the scene and in the rehabilitation phase to recognize children and families in distress and to help strengthen the coping mechanism of the family. Other things can be done in the community to increase resiliency when things are in a stable condition. These things are 'laughing, getting connected with others, finding meaning, keeping a journal, remaining hopeful, accepting and anticipating change' (Mayoclinic.com, 2009). The stigma of mental health should be eliminated and healthcare professionals should lead the way by example. Mental health programs should be implemented and promoted for death, disability, and dealing with loss (CDC, 2004).

Center for Disease and Control & Terrorism and Disaster Center of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (2004). Building Community Resilence for Families and Children.

Resilence: Build Skills to endure hardships (2009). Retrieved on 14 July 2010 from Mayoclinic.com

According to the video "What is resilience?" resilience has three properties. The first property is a "system that can withstand shock without losing its basic functions. Another property of resilience is that a system might be able to adapt to changing circumstances. And a third property is that a resilient system is able to transform to a different way of life when the current way of life is no longer feasible." Now knowing what resilience is, I would develop it among members of the community through empowerment. The Cornell Empowerment Group defines empowerment as "an intentional ongoing process centered in the local community, involving, mutual respect, critical reflection, caring, and group participation, through which people lacking an equal share of valued resources gain greater access to and control over those resources," (p. 97). I would provide programs that focus on the communities' strength in order to "obtain, produce, and enable power," (p. 97).

           According to the video, "How resiliency happens," Nan Henderson states that "to understand how resiliency happens we need to understand one key concept and it's the concept of protective factors." She further defines protective factors as qualities that an individual has as well as environmental supports that help someone "bounce back from an adversity," (Nan Henderson, 2010). I would create programs that assist people to "bounce back."

            There is also a "resiliency wheel," which contains the six protective factors. The basis of the wheel is "caring and support," (Nan Henderson, 2010).This coincides with the foundation of what a "sense of community" is. In essence the programs I would create would be on the foundation of a "sense of community."

In response to post #6, I strongly believe that resilence is developed over time and is not a one time occurance. Riddled with drug abuse in my family, year after year I grew to cope with my childhood life. While others were out playing and having sleep overs, I was taking care of my family member. What specifically made me resilent was not a particular person, although I could name a few, but a network of professionals and spiritual leaders who nurtured my development.

With their help, I was able to succeed and to succeed with flying colors. Happily there is a nice ending in that my family member is off of drugs and is now a loving and caring associated grandparent, so to say. I remember the social worker recognizing my lack of social development and enrolling me in peer mediation as a mediator. Specific role development supports like this helped me cope. My neighbor,  a spiritual leader, always told me 'Jesus loves you'; this was a messege of hope and courage. Mentoring is a strong part of developing individuals to be resilent. I had peers who would would study with me late and offer lending ears and hugs.

Today, I am a Registered Nurse, an alumnae scholar, a Honor Society Member, affiliated with the Arizona Geriatrics Society, affiliated with the American Nurses Association, and have achieved the Deans list in 2002 2008 and 2009. Insights with my psychology minor have enlightened me towards behaviors and effective personal coping skills. I also am a spirited and loving wife and mother of a two year old. I lovingly and sometimes inpatiently take care of my husbands parents who are a 'pillar of strength' for the example and family that I never experienced. The circle has come around fully and I spend time mentoring a fellow church member with an abusive past.   Resilency is a way to take something that is hard and to turn it into something that is soft, productive and useful in society, sort of like an Elmer's Glue.

Shoemake, Larry

Forum 6

Please imagine that you are elected as a mayor of a small town that is exposed to various natural disasters.  Based on what you have learned from the recommended videos and readings what would you do to develop resilience among members of the community?

First I would like to define natural disasters and its effects as explained in the paper on Elements of Resilience.  I think it lays the groundwork for this forum discussion.  It states "disaster refers to an event that impacts the entire community and has the potential to overwhelm local resources.  The duration of a disaster is generally protracted and most, if not all, residents are distressed by the event.  A disaster can take a toll on residents' sense of safety and security, on their emotional well being, and on their trust in community leaders to effectively help the community recover."  Now let's define resilience as described in the same paper mentioned above.  This will then let us discuss how we would go about developing resilience among members of the community.  Resilience is defined as "the capacity to bounce back.  For a community to be resilient, its members must put into practice early and effective actions, so that they can respond to adversity in a healthy manner.  If residents, agencies, and organizations take meaningful and intentional actions before an event, they can help the community reestablish stability after the event.  Resilience implies that after an event, a community may not only be able to cope and recover, but that it may also change to reflect different priorities arising from the disaster."

As a community leader I have to take natural disasters seriously and as well as the likelihood that they will occur.  This will keep me sharp and keep it on the forefront of my mind as well as keep it consistent on my agenda of preparing the community for disaster.  This will not only prepare people, but also give the community a better chance of overcoming the disaster successfully.  I would also remind everyone that we need to unite and that we need to be prepared, because in the face of disaster we might have to act in a different role that we are accustomed to.  I would also want to make sure that I tend to my own family and personal well being in the face of disaster, because if I can't be resilient myself it will take away from my ability to lead the community.  I feel that I would have to lead by example.  How can I expect to the rest of the community to be resilient if I can't be myself.

As a newly elected official I would need to educate myself on all facets of natural disasters.  I need to know about different types, distribution and location of resources both material and human, government guidelines both state and federal, policies, procedures, roles and responsibilities.  Again, how can I expect my community to unite and follow my lead if I don't educate myself on what to do in the event that a disaster actually occurs?  After educating myself I would also want to analyze everything I learned and determine if there are any changes that can be made for the better of the community in the event of a disaster.  I would also want to meet with leaders in other sectors of the community, experts in the field or heads of disaster related volunteer organizations, as well as the media, to get their input as well.  Sometimes policies and procedures haven't been updated in a while or their might be some good input from the experience of other recent natural disasters.  I believe it would be my responsibility to the community to surround myself with people who know more than me and tap into their knowledge and resources in an attempt to create the best possible outcome if a natural disaster were to strike.

Everything I described above is a summary of what is to be done before, during, and after a natural disaster occurs.  This summary is to be seen as an umbrella to all the different scenarios that can and will occur without having to list them all.  I think the biggest thing with resiliency is that it breeds confidence.  Lead by example and resiliency will duplicate and perpetuate itself.  As seen in the study guide and said by Stephen R. Covey, "An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success." 

Marzec, Sara  Forum 6

            If I was mayor of a small town I would administer various public programs in order to establish a common sense of resilience within the demographic.  I would make sure that all of areas of my city were covered from the youngest of children to the oldest members of the community.  I would make sure that there were no division of classes in order to shorten the gap between the classes and ensure one common affinity across the entire population.  In the first video from blackboard, "what is resilience?" the man describes there being three important points in order to ensure a resilient population.  The first important point that he mentioned was that whatever system is deployed needs to be able to withstand a shock.  This means that the first step to a resilient community in my town would be to fully and completely compare them for any disaster that may be possible the town. 

            The second point in Video 1, that was mentioned was that the community must be able to adapt to changing circumstances.   This ties into having to be extra "prepared" for any natural disasters that may occur within the community even if the first plan fails or needs some extra help.  This would include establishing certain social and psychological services for members of the community that are affected from such a negative event.  It would be important to establish various plans in order to export and import certain services in the case that most emergency of cases.  For example, it should not have taken 5 days for help to come to the super dome when there could have been other emergency plans available to deploy in case such a disaster was to occur.   The main downfall was the lack of preparedness established.

             The third factor of helping establish a resilient community would be to allow for a plan of "preparedness" which allows for drastic changes and adaptation at the same instance.  According to Speer (2002), empowerment requires a balance between the processes and outcomes of empowerment which essentially produces an opportunity towards power.  If the community believes itself to be empowered it would allow for "improved quality of life, enhanced health and well-being, improved access to services and enable a more diverse" entity to allow successes within that societal structure (p. 99).

Champion, Jennifer - Forum 6

In order to help a community that is exposed to natural disasters, the community has to be empowered to encourage resilience. The text defines empowerment as the perceived and actual control over one's life and stresses the importance of providing opportunities to obtain, produce, or enable power. This process can happen on any of the three levels; individual community and social. 

First and most importantly, for a community to be empowered and thus resilient, the citizens of that community must participate in order for the intervention to be successful. According to the article Building Community Resilience for Children and Families, families are more willing to participate if they believe that their contributions and ideas are valued by community leaders. As a community leader I would make sure that the members of the community see the benefit of being involved not only for themselves but for the community as a whole. According to the Cornell Empowerment Group, empowerment is "an intentional ongoing process centered in the local community, involving mutual respect, critical reflection, caring and group participation, through which people lacking an equal share of valued resources gain great access to and control over those resources." 

As a way to gain the resources and actively participate, a community needs structure and support for the members. The book suggests that when members are able to "rotate in their roles and to engage in a variety of tasks" and only through this organization combined with experiences can empowerment be achieved. After a natural disaster, the community can come together through organization, and with support from each other, overcome the losses by acquiring resources and changing their lives. We saw an example of this in Video #5 regarding the children in the resilience camp. The children had a miniature "amazing race" in which tasks have to be completed as a group in order to move forward in the game. This not only taught them how to participate with each other, but gave them a sense of structure resulting in a support system. They had to be able to count on each other to finish the tasks at hand.

In the article Resilience: Build Skills to Endure Hardship, they describe resilience as being able to adapt, which contradicts the typical view of "grin and bear it." Not being able to be flexible can lead to dwelling on problems, a constant feeling of being overwhelmed, and feeling victimized. If this issue isn't addressed, it has the potential for leading to mental health problems and unhealthy coping skills. 

As mayor I would make sure my community had all four components of resilience: participation; organization; support and nurturance; and skill building. If effective the community will become more resilient from past disasters while also learning how to utilize protective factors to prevent future ones.

If I were the mayor??? Doc is attached....

I believe the first step that is necessary to promoting resilience and empowerment in my community would be to assess the needs of my constituents.  After experiencing natural disasters, many people are going to be on edge and looking for leadership.  With the privilege of mayorship comes the responsibility of keeping the other members of the community healthy and happy.

Once the needs/wants of the community are accounted for, I think steps should be taken to ensure the protective factors described in Video 3.  A protective factor is defined as a variable in one's life that contributes to the ability of the individual to maintain resilience in the face of negativity.  For example, a child has parents that have both been diagnosed with Depression and they live in low income housing in a dangerous part of town.  The child hasn't been diagnosed with Depression herself, due to her participation in extracurricular activities at school and her strong bond with her coaches.  The self esteem she gains by participating and excelling in her activities, along with the a healthy role model she can emulate allow her to completely bypass a diagnosis of Depression.

 Emphasizing protective factors in my community is a form of prevention that I think is critical.  It is important to keep in mind that, sometimes, simply removing stressors from someone's life isn't sufficient.  Often, there are stressors that no one has control over.  This is the case with the natural disasters my town experiences.  In these instances, it is important to realize that if you can't remove the negatives, it is extremely vital to introduce more positives.

 According to the video, the most important aspect of a cohesive community, is a universal feeling of caring and support.  Everyone can attest to the fact that they feel better and more valued in a situation where they feel care and compassion.  This is the exact feeling that I would want to instill in the members of the community.  From this, the other protective factors can emerge.  Having high expectations encourages people to rise to the occasion and overcome obsacles.  Once overcome, high rates of self esteem lead people to become happier and healthier people to be around which is also considered another protective factor.  As I mentioned before, the members of the community would all need to have their needs and opinions heard and taken into consideration.  Contributing to the group, while having clear and healthy boundaries, would help the city feel a part of something and encourage them to WANT to get past situations like natural disasters.  

 I really enjoyed Jennifer Champions comments on the prompt.  She spoke of the importance of individual participation and cooperation.  I believe this is a running theme throughout this class.  One person alone can rarely make a dramatic difference, but working together towards a common goal often gets the job done.  Jennifer goes on to make the very astute point that having the inability to adapt leads to feelings of being overwhelmed and victimized.  These negative traits would surely lead to the downfall of my city, so I must create an environment that works to prevent these feelings from surfacing.

If I were elected to be mayor of a small town experiencing numerous natural disasters I would do my best to project calmness as well as a level of confidence for the people. I would reach out to the community and my team to figure out where the most important problem exist. I felt that the article "Elements of Resilience; Essential Elements for Building Community Resilience" did a great job highlight the key performance indicators used to build resilience in a community.  

You start with the people. You uncover what factors are striking down the success of the community and then you realize you need to utilize every piece of the puzzle that creates your community. The article mentioned earlier recognized the community sectors which are vital for our communities; such as health care, business, media, leadership, etc. All of these pieces need to work together to help a community bounce back from a disaster. There needs to be strong leadership because people will be looking for strength, wisdom and solutions from people who are responsible for leading the community. A good leader will delegate and empower their community so that everyone feels taken care of and works together.

People will find strength from various sources including other community members, their religion, family and neighbors. In moments like this, it is most important people become selfless and work hard for the greater whole. Devastating factors already have the tendency to bring a community together. A good example is Hurricane Katrina or the 9-11 Terrorist attacks. A good leader will recognize this reaction and encourage the behavior people are already practicing.

A community will be stronger if there are already precautionary measures taken to prevent/anticipate a disaster. This allows the community to already have a background plan or understanding of the situation. All of the pieces of the puzzle, stated earlier, need to be in place as well to help a community have resilience. This way, all of these pieces are working together, as one, to deliver a message of security, knowledge, and positivity through difficult times.

If i was elected mayor of a small town, there are many things i would do to develop resilience among members of the community.  One of the most important things to create resilience in so many people that want to give up is to give them hope.  As mayor of a small town, i would be someone that all of the members of the community turn to when things go terribly wrong.  When all eyes are on a person, you not only have to be strong for yourself but for everyone else as well.  That is part of the job when one is elected for such a position. 

After giving the members of the community hope, i will instill will power and reassurance in them.  By doing this i will have the members of the community on my side and we will be able to be strong as a team. 

As the person spoke in video 1, he defined resilience as "how can things change yet persist at the same time".  In other words how can we as a community change our town in a manner so that we will be more prepared for future natural disasters while at the same time picking up the pieces of the current crisis before us.  We can do so by putting a plan into effect that not only reinforces the vulnerabilities of our town but makes them stronger as well.  Doing so will give the members of the community hope and piece of mind which will create resilience and enable them to move forward with their lives. 

Another comment from the video that i am in support of is being able to create a system that if it were to take a major blow, the basic functions will still be in tact.  I like this because by designing this kind of a system, even with the worst strike from mother nature, the town and basic life needs will still be fully functional. 

I feel that Jaclyn Stenger and i had similar ideas which is why i was in support of what she had to say.  She said that the first thing you do in the aftermath of a natural disaster is bring a calmness to the people as well as instill confidence in them.  Those comments are along the same lines of what i said which is instill hope into the members of the community.  Both of our goals were about putting inner strength in to the people and once that is achieved, everyone can be resilient and work together to improve the vulnerabilities and weak points in the infrastructure of our communities.

If I was ever to be elected as a mayor of a small town that is exposed to various natural disasters I will definitely explore the needs and wants of the people of the town. This will allow the people to feel they can rely on their authorities.  The first step for the town to be successful in overcoming their adversity is for the town to be empowered to have resilience. Empowerment is about obtaining, creating and enforcing power (pg. 97). What the book tries to explain by defining empowerment in this form is that empowerment is a process that in order to happen, a balance must happen between research and action on empowering processes and empowered outcomes.

 As a mayor of a town people automatically look up to you when a disaster happens. Empowering resilience will help the town understand that a positive attitude and persistence needs to be used in times of adversity. Video one explains that resilience is the answer to the question; how can things change & persist at the same time? If people learn how to stay calm and expect the best out of things, things will always run more smoothly and will create an atmosphere of accomplishment.  As the mayor I will also use the resiliency wheel. Using the resiliency wheel will allow me to provide environmental factors that will help someone succeed (video 3). Promoting the positive outcomes of what the future holds will allow the town to adapt to adversity in a healthier way. As a mayor, if I promote resilience, this will create more leaders with in the community that will help support one another through the disaster. Mayoclinic.com explains that if we focus on having resilience when adversity comes, it will help us step away from dwelling in our problems and focusing more on how we can overcome them. This will help my town not become depress or anxious because of the disaster.

 As a Mayor of the town I will also help the community come together to figure out how we can reach out to different organizations that will help the town financially and emotionally. ResilienceNet is a program that, as their website explains, helps children and families overcome adversities. Last thing I will do as a mayor will be to help the community understand that with resilience they will be able to transfer to a new way of living.

To reference to the question about which was my favorite post of this topic; I will have to say I enjoyed reading April Vikery's post. She provided information that helped me understand more of resilience and empowerment. She presented the material in a way that was easy to understand providing references to the book and videos.

            Resilience is the "human capacity and ability to face, overcome, be strengthened by, and even be transformed by experiences of adversity" (ResilienceNet). Resilience is not achieved instantly. People have to be exposed to adversity in order to find healthy ways to cope with it. There are several factors that are involved with resiliency, such as optimism, flexibility, determination, connectedness, balance, diversity, and sustainability. When a community is able to develop resiliency it is important to also develop a sense of empowerment. Empowerment "refers to perceived and actual control over one's life and empowering interventions are those that enhance participants' control over their lives" (Nelson & Prilleltensky, 2005). When a community achieves empowerment quality of life is improved, there is enhanced health and well-being, there is improved access to services, there are coalitions for well-being, and there is a tolerance of diversity.

            If I were elected as a mayor of a small town that was exposed to various natural disasters would be to discover the protective factors of the community. Even with multiple risk factors, having a few protective factors can build up resiliency. One of the factors could be the strong communication throughout the community. The people should feel that there is a support system that they can rely on whenever a disaster occurs. I would let them know that it is ok to be upset after a disaster, but dwelling on the problem will not fix it. I would try to develop a sense of optimism and that there is always a light at the end of a tunnel. Another thing to express is being prepared for any type of disaster, whether it is big or small. I would also emphasize how everyone plays an important part in the community because having that sense of empowerment will keep the community strong and create resiliency. The people will also feel safer knowing that there will be someone to catch them when they fall. The tsunami that hit Japan demonstrates how people can become resilient after a natural disaster, and the millions of people that came to their aid show that sense of empowerment.

            In my opinion I thought that Sara Marzec had an effective solution. She mentioned how she would administer various programs to establish a sense of resilience and how she would eliminate a division of classes. She also expressed how she would establish social and psychological services to those affected by the negative events. Another solution that she would implement is emergency plans to install that sense of empowerment. Her solutions would provide the resiliency and empowerment that a community needs in order to thrive after natural disasters.            

Amber Brasington made a lot of good point in her comment. She used the definition of resilience as "rolling with the punches." I think there is something very key in that definition. It shows that you can't always prevent bad things from happening, sometimes you just have to be ready for them and respond in the best way possible. She also mentions the idea of the resiliency wheel which consists of the basic idea of environmental conditions to strengthen the resilience of children in particular. These 6 factor from the video "How Resiliency happens" include caring and support, high expectations, listening to ideas, positive bonding, clear boundaries, and life skills. Amber also had a really good plan outlined from the CDC that included making contacts, planning, conducting meetings, and having drills. This plan also incorporated the use of a task leader to help lead everyone through the drills. I very strongly agree with her ideas that mental health providers should have a relationship with community members before a disaster strikes. By building up a relationship, people in stressed situations would be more willing to open up and talk about what is going on and how they are feeling. They would also be more receptive to receiving help because they would already have a foundation of trust.

Building a community in an area with frequent natural disasters would not be an easy task. Insuring that the community can work withstand a shock in the first step. This is done with both the infrastructure and the mental health of the community. Understanding the disaster and preparing the buildings and roads to best withstand it is key. Aside from that, community members need to be prepared to withstand the shock and adapt to change. This resiliency can be achieved by following the steps of the resiliency wheel. Showing the community what we are doing to plan and help with disasters will let them know that the community leaders care about them and are going to support them. Making it clear that we have expectation of them as community members will give them increased confidence in themselves. Providing the community will many activities to positively bond them to each other will increase the sense of community. It is very important to listen to the ideas of the community members about preparedness, emergency response, and relief efforts. Setting boundaries and clear roles helps people feel more safe when a disaster happens. They know what they are suppose to do and they know the function of others. Education and life skills are also important. This makes sure that everyone is capable of functioning in a disaster situation and can assist in rebuilding afterward. Having these resiliency skills will help people be able to cope if the community must transform to a different way of life. It empowers community members and empowerment is a key factor in resiliency.

According to the first video, "What is Resilience?", resilience is defined as an answer to the question, how things change and persist at the same time (video, What is Resilience)?  In the video three properties are addressed. The first property is that a resilient system could withstand a shock without losing its basic function. Second, a system may be able to change and adapt to changing circumstances. Third, a system may be able to transform and change to a different way of life because the previous or current life no longer exists (video, What is Resilience). 

If I were elected mayor of a town that was prone to natural disasters I would be sure to lay down a foundation of plans to save the town and make sure we could continue living our own lives no matter how big the disaster is, I would be sure to follow all three properties of resilience. I would make sure that our town would have a foundation of basic function to lean back on after a disaster occurred. I would be sure that if the disaster was bigger than we anticipated that we are able to adapt to changes that need to take place to clean up the mess. Lastly I would make sure that we had an ultimate back up plan, if by chance we needed to change our entire way of life.

 Using the idea of empowerment would allow me to make all of these plans reality. Empowerment is defined as a process; the mechanism by which people, organizations and communities gain mastery over their own lives (Nelson & Prilleltensky). I would makes sure as the mayor that my town understands what it means to be empowered. I would use this concept to teach my citizens, that being empowered doesn't just mean for themselves but to work as a community. I would tell them that they can be empowered to fight and get through any type of disaster that comes their way. 

Along with utilizing the three properties of resilience and instilling the idea of empowerment, I would also make sure that people had a sense of calmness and order in case something were to catch us off guard. I feel it is important to well organized and have all of the bases covered so when something does happen we will be prepared. This idea of preparation brings me back to laying down a foundation of basic plans and ways of operating to lean back on when disaster strikes. Having a foundation can be compared to having a family or support system. No matter what happens you can always lean back on the people you care for or the foundation you created for yourself.  By instilling calmness, the three properties of resilience, preaching empowerment and being prepared, I feel I could lead this town through anything that comes our way.

"An analogy of resilience is a rubber bar. When hit by an object, rubber may be stressed (bent), but it can bounce back to its original shape and position.  Over time, rubber can also be molded to change its original shape and position, keeping some aspects and improving others" (Gurwitch, et. al., 2004). 

First, we must discuss what exactly is resilience.  Resilience is the act of "bouncing back" from a disaster or something that negatively changes our state of being for a period of time.  In the assigned study guide for this section of the class, we watched a few clips about resilience.  As we watched the clip with the baby, we learn that resilience should begin at an early age; i.e. being able to bounce back from the trauma of the children's' parents leaving the room.  When a parent leaves the same room of a small child, a negative result for child could be for them not to be able to bounce back from their initial "trauma" of the sense of being alone. 

A disaster is usually an event that impacts entire communities and overwhelms local resources.  A disaster can interrupt "normalness" in people's lives; i.e. mental and physical states of well being.  Safety, security, and emotional well being are aspects that community leaders need to focus on to help the community recover effectively.  Sometimes in an disastrous event, the community has a hard time in confiding within their leaders because the emotional belief in them sometimes withers away. 

If I were the mayor elect of a small community who recently experienced various natural disasters, I would definitely need to think hard and fast about how to cope with these unfortunate occurrences.  I would definitely organize support groups for those who take longer to cope with a disaster, as well as organize separate groups with homework help and fun activities for children.  In disasters I think children suffer from the consequences more than the adults mentally because they're still developing and don't necessary know how to cope, express their feelings, or have the reasoning capabilities as adults do.  Also, I would assist with crisis planning for the community and schools.  Holding press interviews is very important because it helps the people know you understand what is going on and that you care.  Getting the people of the community involved with programs and assisting is really important because they also have a voice on the situation and may have great ideas and strategies to develop resilience and solutions to this problem (Gurwitch, et. al., 2004).

My response is attached

After having viewed the videos on resilience I noticed one important factor that was repeatedly being brought up: preparedness. Whether preparedness was in the form of "protective factors" or "coping mechanisms" it was all about developing ways to build resilience through positive reinforcement. Through preparedness, individuals develop strategies to handle life's hardships and discover ways to prepare themselves for such hardships.

There is a current commercial for Nationwide - a popular American insurance company that mentions a familiar tagline I'm sure we have all heard: "Life comes at you fast." Having been a student at ASU for the past six years, this tagline has become somewhat of a credo for me and other college students at Arizona State. In a recent article by the Mayo Clinic regarding adult health, Mayo staff suggested: "Resilience is the ability to roll with the punches. It means that although you encounter stress, adversity, trauma or tragedy, you keep functioning, both psychologically and physically" I feel that resilience is rooted in the idea of being able to bounce back from tragedy or hardship through determination and willpower. There have been several tragedies that have hurt the United States in the past decade beginning with the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11^th, 2001.

Our text states that power is actually a combination of "ability and opportunity to influence a course of events" (pg. 108) I feel that after the events on September 11^th, political leaders such as Rudy Giuliani managed to use their power in order to unify, not only Americans living in New York, but Americans across the United States. He, as well as other influential leaders, created a resiliency within Americans that allowed us to cope with the tragedy and keep functioning as a country, as a community, as families and as individuals.

There are many countries around the world that are plagued with hardships on a daily basis. Famine, hunger and disease are some of the worst, but most common issues in impoverished nations. However, regardless of the countless obstacles countries such as Ethiopia, Niger and Liberia face regularly, their citizens have built a resilience that keeps them pressing forward. Though it seems meager, there is still a strong sense of resilience in the countries. The Mayo Clinic states:

"Resilience won't make your problems go away. But resilience can give you the ability to see past them, find enjoyment in life and handle stress better. If you aren't as resilient as you'd like to be, you can develop skills to become more resilient."

I feel that there is resilience in these countries still. It may seem inadequate and even non-existent but it does exist.

If I were a leader (Mayor) of town that experienced several natural disasters over the course of a short period of time, I would need to create ways to bring out the resilience within the citizens of my town. As stated in the video regarding "protective factors," We all have an innate drive, or resilience, within us that comes out when faced with hardships. We have a strong will within us that keeps us driving, but it is limited. I would be sure to maintain positivity in my demeanor at all times. This can help to build a positive resilience within the community. Coping mechanisms must be created to help citizens maintain any normalcy that is salvageable. By coping mechanisms, I do not mean mental coping mechanisms to help a person avert their attention and focus from the disaster, itself. Rather, I use the term coping mechanism in the sense of creating ways to rebuild normalcy. An example would be to create some sort of community safe haven where people would be able to find shelter, food, water and other necessities in order to provide basic living conditions for people. One final focus would be utilizing media in order to request help from different states, organizations and governments to aid our efforts in rebuilding our community.