Planning for a Network of Resilience Hubs for Community Preparedness in Connecticut

Wednesday, April 30, 2025
10 am – 3:00 pm
Swift Factory
10 Love Lane, Hartford, CT 06112

CIRCA logo No title
Through the Resilient Connecticut project, CIRCA is partnering with municipalities, COGs, state agencies, technical planning teams, and community stakeholders to develop innovative solutions to local and regional climate challenges. With funding from the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, we invite you to join us for a workshop at the Swift Factory to:
  • Understand the concept and importance of Resilience Hubs
  • Learn from experts and case studies on starting and operating resilience hubs
  • Foster networking and partnership-building among participants
  • Collaboratively design resilience hub strategies adapted to local needs

Workshop Agenda

9:30-10:00 Arrival, Registration, Coffee
10:00-10:15 Welcome & Opening Remarks
  • Speaker: John Truscinski, Director of Resilience Planning, CIRCA
  • Topic: Overview of CIRCA’s mission, work and the resilient hub concept.
10:15-10:45 Keynote Presentation
  • Speaker: Erica Pinket, Climate and Resilience Planner, City of Baltimore
  • Topic: Establishing a Resilient Hub Network in Maryland
10:45-11:15 Presentation
  • Speaker: Eleanor Shoreman-Ouimet, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, UConn DISASTER Team
  • Topic: Addressing Disaster Preparedness-Disparity in Connecticut: Cultivating trust and increasing resilience through effective and equitable risk communication
11:15-12:15 Panel
  • Facilitator: Ashley Stewart, CT GreenBank
  • Panelists:
    • Brenda Watson, Executive Director, North Hartford Partnership
    • Maisa Tisdale, President and CEO, The Mary & Eliza Freeman Center for History and Community
    • Kathy Fay, Director of Community Sustainability, Neighborhood Housing Services in New Haven
  • Topic: What does your community need to establish a resilient hub? What challenges are you encountering?
12:15-1:00 Lunch
1:00-1:05 Overview of the Afternoon session
1:05-2:05 Interactive Activity - Resilience Hub Design Challenge
  • Facilitators: CIRCA staff, GreenBank
  • Objective: In small groups, design a Resilience Hub for a specific community scenario (urban, rural, coastal, environmental justice community, or geographically Bridgeport vs Hartford)

Address questions like: What are the ways to structure a resilience hub, what are some of the issues in CT that come up, what should be considered for site selection, what services should be
2:05 -2:50

Report back ideas from the breakout sessions, Q and A/Open Discussion
2:50 – 3:00 Closing remarks, thanks, and next steps

 

 

Presenter

Presentation Materials

Funding for this workshop is provided by CT DEEP

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