Words Drive Action: Storytelling for Resilient Communities

Planners tend to lean on facts and analysis, but as humans, we’re wired to seek out stories. Stories help us make sense of the world around us. They personalize and frame important issues that our communities need to know about. In the realm of climate action and resilience, which can be so politically charged, stories are a way to communicate about disaster risk and resilience in ways that feel relatable. They can bring hope, energize a community, and provide an avenue to talk about disaster risk in people-focused and inclusive ways.

FEMA and the Resilient Nation Partnership Network have been using storytelling to drive the conversation about reducing disaster risk through their Stories of Resilience Program. This presentation shares stories and explains why it’s important to use stories and, more importantly, how to tell stories in inclusive, culturally contextual ways. Participants have the opportunity to practice storytelling skills with each other and share their stories with the FEMA and Resilient Nation Partnership Network team.

NPC Peer Reviewers assigned this presentation a learning level of Advanced. For more on learning-level descriptions, visit our General Information Page.