YCDR began with a belief in the resilience and capacity of youth to help their communities heal and recover following an extreme weather-related disaster.
The goals of the initiative were to:
- advance understanding of how best to support youth recovery and resilience;
- improve how communities, governments and non-government organizations can support young adults;
- create a digital platform for youth creative expression as part of their post-disaster recovery.
YCDR research was conducted with youth in the following disaster-affected communities:
- Calgary, AB
- Canmore, AB
- Exshaw, AB
- High River, AB
- Slave Lake, AB
- Boulder, CO, USA
- Estes Park, CO, USA
- Fort Collins, CO, USA
- Greeley, CO, USA
- Joplin, MI, USA
Research began in each community with a participatory introductory orientation session for disaster-affected youth, which was followed by a series of experiential workshops and arts-based research activities.
The impacts of this initiative were:
- improved understanding of how to support youth recovery and resilience after a disaster;
- Information for communities, governments and non-government organizations to support young adults in the post-disaster period;
- the creation of digital platforms for youth creative expression as part of personal and community disaster recovery.