Connect and Prepare at NSCR

In the wake of an emergency, your neighbours will often be the first on the scene. Research into acute emergencies and chronic stressors tells us – connected and prepared communities experience better outcomes, more positive recoveries, and long term resilience. Recent intensifying climate events, such as heatwaves, flooding, forest fires, and extreme cold, has set the stage for more community based, resident driven emergency response.

Connect & Prepare is a free community program delivered by North Shore Community Resources with support from the City of North Vancouver and North Shore Emergency Management, with collaboration from Silver Harbour Seniors Activity Centre and Lionsview Seniors Planning Society. It’s a workshop based program that reimagines the way we think about emergency response –  building community connectivity, promoting resilience, collaboration, and preparedness. We’ve been working with multi-unit buildings in North Vancouver improving emergency response and collective resilience in our community!

Some amazing projects have come out of the Connect & Prepare cohort – neighbour emergency buddy systems, emergency kit building parties, neighbour walking groups, shared resource libraries, and more! Together with our community partners we are proud to work alongside so many inspiring community champions   As a resident driven program, Connect & Prepare empowers groups of neighbours to work together to learn, adapt, and improve the collective safety of the building!

*Connect and Prepare is a program of Building Resilient Neighbourhoods, a non-profit based out of Victoria, BC.