We’ve been thinking a lot about the word “resilience” lately.
It’s a term that gets thrown around a lot in the water, climate, and conservation spaces––and it can mean different things to different people.
For some, it is a helpful shorthand that encompasses preparation, community-building, and perseverance in the face of challenges. For others, it’s a platitude that demands too much of underresourced communities in times of crisis.
As a communications shop, we try to break down terms like resilience to better understand what they mean and how they land. In fact, we’re doing some research into that very topic right now –– and we’ll have more to share about that soon.
In the meantime, with the political winds shifting, reflection couldn’t be more timely.
With that in mind, I asked each member of our team to reflect on what “resilience” means to them at this time of political and environmental uncertainty. See what they shared below.
Lastly, building community is more important than ever right now. Below are two upcoming opportunities to gather as a water movement, learn from each other, and plan for the days ahead.
Webinar: Lessons on water infrastructure storytelling
Earlier this year, we launched our Just Infrastructure campaign to communicate a story of progress, possibility, and accountability around water infrastructure spending in the U.S.
In our upcoming webinar, we’ll share the results of that campaign, along with our lessons learned about how to communicate technical subjects using stories and art to help further the goals of the water movement even as we face an uncertain policy future.
Join us on Friday, December 6 at 11am PST / 2pm EST.
Register for a post-election debrief webinar
What do the 2024 election results mean for water policy, water equity, and environmental justice?
The Water Equity & Climate Resilience (WECR) Caucus, Clean Water for All Coalition, and River Network are co-hosting a 90-minute webinar to debrief and discuss.
Join on Thursday, November 14 at 12pm PST / 3pm EST. Registration is required.
Team reflections: What does resilience mean to you at a time of political and environmental uncertainty?
Briana Flin, Content Producer and Strategist
“Remember what you love. Remember what loves you. Remember in this tide of hate what love is. The pain you feel is because of what you love.” – Rebecca Solnit
Jessica Jewell, Digital Director
Seeing the heaviness of grief as the twin for the depth of my love is a reminder of what we’re fighting for. “I tell you this to break your heart by which I mean only that it break open and never close again to the rest of the world.” -Mary Oliver
José Aranda, Senior Relationships Manager
Resilience these days reminds me of “The Neverending Story.” There seems to be a mysterious dark force that engulfs people and places and leaves nothingness. But just like Atreyu, we can find our true selves, fight negativity, create new meanings, and acknowledge our power and rename our story—even if we fail at every turn. Giving up? Future generations count on us, so no thank you.
Nicole Lampe, Managing Director
On dark days, I take comfort in the idea of fractals from adrienne maree brown’s Emergent Strategy, where she reminds us that “what we practice at a small scale can reverberate to the largest scale.” Over the next four years, we can practice love and accountability, we can practice turning towards each other, and we can practice working from the ground up in a way that honors the wisdom of local leaders.
Sarah Bucci, Director of Strategic Communications
Someone please assign me an emotion. Exhausted, angry, steadfast, joyful despite the challenge ahead — I’m not feeling in touch with emotions at the moment. Pragmatically, I believe solutions, strategies and storytelling rooted in values and the vision of the world we want to build together will always be a guiding light leading us in the right direction. That’s what resilience means to me.
Sussan García, Relationships Associate
Resilience is a biological condition for life. We have been resilient, and as expected, have to continue to be resilient as we build a better world for the future. Justice work is the work of generations and lifetimes. I’m focused on the yamas and niyamas to further ground myself after wrapping my trauma-informed 200-hour yoga teacher training focused on social justice.
Zakiyaa Taylor, Communications Manager
To me, resilience is the act and practice of navigating uncertainty. In a world that thrives on our disconnection, to be resilient is to ground ourselves in a communal embrace, making a conscious choice to set love and care as our compass. As Toni Morrison says, “Love is divine only and difficult always.” We can’t control the chaos around us, but we can always choose to embody the love and peace of the world we continue to fight for.