This is a continuation of a series I’ve been writing about resilience that is based on THE RESILIENCE WE WANT, A Guide to Making Your Community Space into a Hub for Local Resilience and Mutual Aid.
I’m writing about that guide because it explains why Mutual Aid is the way to respond to disasters and also a way to improve conditions in our communities now. And to show how these things are being implemented by my Mutual Aid community. I hope that you might begin your own Mutual Aid community. The guide lays out exactly how you can go about doing that.
In a crisis, neighbors are almost always the first responders
Within 72 hours after a natural disaster, most government agencies are able to restore basic services like power and water. However, after Hurricane Maria, federal authorities were slow to act. In fact, in some parts of the island, soldiers came and seized water, fuel, and essential goods. Almost two years later, the island is still without power in some places. And on July 23rd, 2019, after reports of the governor’s corrupt administration, people called a general strike and 500,000 marched in San Juan, leading to his resignation.
We expect government to provide public services, but this is not always easy or possible.
For years, Puerto Rico has been negatively impacted by foreign debt in everything from education and health care to energy and infrastructure. Hurricane Maria showed just how deep the problems were. But even in cities that are stable and self-sufficient, government agencies respond to disasters with top-down, military-style operations.
Several factors make it easy for neighbors to act more effectively, compared to government agencies:
- Faster responses – neighbors are more motivated to act immediately and to follow through.
- Better coordination – neighbors have a more up-to-date understanding of each other’s needs.
- Deeper trust – neighbors who may be strangers can bond and build more collectively.
THE RESILIENCE WE WANT, A Guide to Making Your Community Space into a Hub for Local Resilience and Mutual Aid.
One of my Mutual Aid community’s (Des Moines Mutual Aid DMMA) Points of Unity relates to that.
We believe in community autonomy.
We believe that the communities we live and organize in have been largely excluded from state social services, but intensely surveilled and policed by the state repressive apparatus. Capitalism is fundamentally unable to meet people’s needs. We want to build self-sustaining communities that are independent of the capitalist state, both materially and ideologically, and can resist its repression.” Des Moines Mutual Aid
In her white paper on resilience hubs, Kristen Baja of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network describes how community spaces can meet basic needs. Baja organized with Baltimore residents to “leverage established, trusted, and community-managed facilities” for services and resource distribution during emergencies. And in order to be responsive, adaptive, and equitable, Baja says resilience hubs “are intended to be supported by local government and other partners… instead of being led by local government.”
Further experimentation with AI generated images. (I was a serious runner. I had to be in order to live without a car.)
Resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.
A number of factors contribute to how well people adapt to adversities, predominant among them:
- the ways in which individuals view and engage with the world
- the availability and quality of social resources
- specific coping strategies
Psychological research demonstrates that the resources and skills associated with more positive adaptation (i.e., greater resilience) can be cultivated and practiced.
Signs of Resilience
Resilient people often have a number of different characteristics that help them weather life’s challenges. Some of the signs of resilience include:
- A survivor mentality: When people are resilient, they view themselves as survivors. They know that even when things are difficult, they can keep going until they make it through.
- Effective emotional regulation: Resilience is marked by an ability to manage emotions in the face of stress.2 This doesn’t mean that resilient people don’t experience strong emotions such as anger, sadness, or fear. It means that they recognize those feelings are temporary and can be managed until they pass.
- Feeling in control: Resilient people tend to have a strong internal locus of control and feel that their actions can play a part in determining the outcome of events.
- Problem-solving skills: When problems arise, resilient people look at the situation rationally and try to come up with solutions that will make a difference.
- Self-compassion: Another sign of resilience is showing self-acceptance and self-compassion. Resilient people treat themselves with kindness, especially when things are hard.
- Social support: Having a solid network of supportive people is another sign of resilience. Resilient people recognize the importance of support and knowing when they need to ask for help.
How Resilience Helps You Cope With Life’s Challenges. Learn how to boost your ability to bounce back from hardship by Kendra Cherry, Very Well Mind, May 03, 2023
Polycrisis Center 