CASE STUDIES
Residents are evacuated out of the devastating flodos in Alberta . June 2013. Photo: Observer Staff published June 22, 2013. Source: https://www.theobserver.ca/2013/06/22/sarnia-lambton-residents-can-donate-to-alberta-flood-victims-through-canadian-red-cross
Following the experience of the 2013 Alberta High River Floods, there was growing concern about community disaster preparedness. In response, a concerned group of citizens designed, two academics, and an emergency manager developed WE'RE READY! to offer a hands-on and interactive educational (and fun) workshop.
The first WE'RE READY! pilot workshop was in High River, the municipality which had the most damage from the 2013 flood. The Day 1 workshop participants were the Filipino community who may have English as a second language. The Day 2 workshop was open to the general public in High River. In total, there were 33 participants and 6 organizers, including community volunteers and Carly Benson, the former emergency manager of High River.
In 2019, a second pilot WE'RE READY! workshop was adapted and implemented at the University of Alberta. Edmonton was not impacted by the 2013 flood but there was interest in hosting such a workshop. The workshop aimed to assist participants in designing disaster preparedness plans in the workplace, but participants were also encouraged to use this information for their neighbourhood and household preparation. Participants included a diverse group of faculty, staff, and students (n=15). Adam Conway, the Emergency Manager for the University of Alberta, co-facilitated this workshop along with Ashley Roszko. Read about the results of the first and second pilot WE'RE READY! workshops in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.
The third workshop took place in 2022. Dr. Evalyna Bogdan trained two social work students as part of their internships from the University of Calgary to adapt and implement the WE'RE READY! workshop for 6 community members in a neighbourhood in Edmonton. Adam Conway, the Emergency Manager for the University of Alberta, co-facilitated this workshop. Read the report here.
Two pilot online train-the-trainer (T3) workshops have been completed with the goal of training community leaders to adapt and implement WE'REA READY! workshops in their communities. The first T3 was in 2021 in collaboration with the Tamarack Institute Citizens and Emergency Preparedness Community of Practice. The second T3 took place in 2024 in collaboration with the City of Vaughan. The training involved two students from the Disaster and Emergency Management program at York University as well as emergency management staff and community resilience builders in the Greater Toronto Area to adapt and implement the workshop with diverse community groups.
The success of the WE'RE READY! workshops was assessed in two ways:
1. Completion of the intended tasks for each of the activities;
2. Pre-workshop and post-workshop surveys.
> Impact
FUNDERS
The first WE'RE READY! pilot workshop was in High River, the municipality which had the most damage from the 2013 flood. The Day 1 workshop participants were the Filipino community who may have English as a second language. The Day 2 workshop was open to the general public in High River. In total, there were 33 participants and 6 organizers, including community volunteers and Carly Benson, the former emergency manager of High River.
In 2019, a second pilot WE'RE READY! workshop was adapted and implemented at the University of Alberta. Edmonton was not impacted by the 2013 flood but there was interest in hosting such a workshop. The workshop aimed to assist participants in designing disaster preparedness plans in the workplace, but participants were also encouraged to use this information for their neighbourhood and household preparation. Participants included a diverse group of faculty, staff, and students (n=15). Adam Conway, the Emergency Manager for the University of Alberta, co-facilitated this workshop along with Ashley Roszko. Read about the results of the first and second pilot WE'RE READY! workshops in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.
The third workshop took place in 2022. Dr. Evalyna Bogdan trained two social work students as part of their internships from the University of Calgary to adapt and implement the WE'RE READY! workshop for 6 community members in a neighbourhood in Edmonton. Adam Conway, the Emergency Manager for the University of Alberta, co-facilitated this workshop. Read the report here.
Two pilot online train-the-trainer (T3) workshops have been completed with the goal of training community leaders to adapt and implement WE'REA READY! workshops in their communities. The first T3 was in 2021 in collaboration with the Tamarack Institute Citizens and Emergency Preparedness Community of Practice. The second T3 took place in 2024 in collaboration with the City of Vaughan. The training involved two students from the Disaster and Emergency Management program at York University as well as emergency management staff and community resilience builders in the Greater Toronto Area to adapt and implement the workshop with diverse community groups.
The success of the WE'RE READY! workshops was assessed in two ways:
1. Completion of the intended tasks for each of the activities;
2. Pre-workshop and post-workshop surveys.
> Impact
FUNDERS
- Mount Royal University Centre for Community Disaster Research
- Town of High River- In-kind staff and resource support
- Campus Sustainability Grant, University of Alberta
