Episode 1: Preparing for Disasters vs Disruptions
Welcome to The Disruption Discussion! In this episode we introduce you to co-hosts Aaron Titus and Shayle Sabo to discuss ways on being a stronger community, together. We start this series with the foundation of overcoming adversity - addressing disruptions. We also let you in on a little secret - what if the best way to prepare for disasters isn't by preparing for disasters themselves at all?
Episode 2: What Does Resilience Mean?
Resilience has become one of those new sparkly buzzwords, especially in the government world. But what does this word even mean, and why is it important? Aaron chats with Shayle about the Larimer Connects Program and how vital it is to begin building resilience at the most local level - with the community.
Episode 3: Building Resilience by Basic Neighboring
There is a shift happening in our world today - one that is changing from being more collective, to more individual. We pull down our blinds when we get home after a long day of work, and our communication is more behind screens than face to face anymore. How do we build community in a society like this? Aaron sits down with former Community Leader, Katherine Bailey to discuss how Fort Collins' Neighborhood Services Program is building these connections by teaching how to simply be a good neighbor.
Episode 4: Resilient Brains: Mental & Emotional Coping Strategies
Not all disasters are hurricanes, tornadoes, or mass destruction. Matter of fact, many of us face personal disasters or adversity on any given day. This does not mean that just because they are smaller scale that they can be any less impactful or disruptive in our lives. This is particularly true when connecting personal disruptions to mental health. In this episode, Aaron sits down with Laurie Stolen, Larimer County Behavioral Health Services Director, to discuss mental health resilience and how to support one another.
Episode 5: Grassroots Action & Community Hubs
We believe resilience action is most impactful and long-lasting at the most local level. That is why we chose to highlight several instances of grassroots action happening in our area. In this episode, Shayle sits down with Darlene Kilpatrick and John Parker to discuss how their experience during the High Park Wildfire motivated them to find ways to strengthen their community and help their neighbors. They were instrumental in developing the N40 Mountain Alliance Hub system, which works to unite mountain communities & build resilience in a wildfire-prone landscape.
Episode 6: The Importance of Identity in Community Recovery
Can we truly help a community impacted by a major disruption or adversity if we don't make an effort to understand what is most important to them? Of course not! In this episode, Shayle speaks with Teri Dyer, former United Way 2-1-1 Community Liaison to discuss a neighboring community devastated by the 2013 Floods and how lilac bushes where the key to bringing back hope and jump-starting recovery.
Episode 7: Building Equity - Understanding Culture
If we ignore the culture of the community we are working with, not only can this cause significant distrust, but it can impede the community from being able to move forward after disruption. In this episode, Aaron sits down with Aimee Voth Siebert, the Behavioral Health and Inclusion Worklead with the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment to discuss her experience responding to the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and how vital understanding local burial practices were in stopping the spread.
Episode 8: Resilience is For All
It is not enough to just understand a language spoken other than English when trying to build Whole Community Resilience. If we disregard the importance of cultural intelligence and inclusion, we alienate many members of our community from coming to the table. In this episode, Aaron sits down with Marta Loachamin who was instrumental in the Resiliencia para todos initiative in Boulder County which sought to find strategies to make community planning and resilience strategies more inclusive and culturally meaningful - for all.
Episode 9: Grassroots Action - Watershed Coalitions
In our next example of grassroots action, we look at the intersection of natural resources management and how complicated it is. There are multiple entities involved including private landowners, the State, Federal, and more! After the High Park Fire and 2013 Floods, our river systems experienced significant disruptions, but it was community members who stood up to restore them back to what they needed to be. In this episode, Shayle meets with members of local watershed coalitions and the development of their organizations.
Episode 10: Grassroots Action - The Perspective of a Local Citizen
We hear it time and time again - If we want to see change happen or make a difference in our community, it is imperative to get involved. But what does that actually look like, and how can one go about doing it? In this episode, Aaron sits down with Janice Lynn, a Fort Collins citizen who participated in our Resilient Communities Workshop and an actively involved community member to discuss what inspires her to take grassroots action, and why she finds it so important to do so.
Episode 11: Building Community by Breaking Taboos
Finances are one of those things that we are told to steer clear of when it comes to conversation. But what if these imposed taboos that we have built in our communities are actually furthering isolation? Financial insecurity can create massive disruption in our communities, but what if this is yet another way in which we can support our friends and neighbors? In this episode, Aaron sits down with Will Hutchinson from the Financial Literacy Campaign to talk about how to make financial education more accessible for everyone.
Episode 12: How You Can Help in Emergency Management
We have emphasized this concept many times in this series - that resilience begins at the grassroots level. This means that you have a role to play not only during or after a disruption, but in all phases of the Emergency Management cycle. In this episode, Shayle sits down with Lori Hodges, Director of the Larimer County Office of Emergency Management to discuss how you can help your community when it is needed most.
Episode 13: Going Beyond the Call of Duty & Doing the Right Thing
Sometimes we get stuck in our roles. But what if it is the role we have itself that makes us the most unlikely, but best able, hero? In this episode, Shayle sits down with Michael Durkin from Poudre Fire Authority to discuss how a smoke installation campaign became an avenue to help members of our community with some of the biggest struggles, regardless of whether these struggles were connected to fire safety.
Episode 14: Hidden Disaster Heroes: Volunteers
A beautiful aspect of human nature is our sense of wanting to help others when experiencing significant adversity. A community going through disaster is no exception. In this episode, Shayle sits down with members of the many volunteer organizations that provide relief to survivors of disaster. People who work long, grueling hours, conducting critical and important work, all without being paid a dime, but instead out of the love of their hearts!
Episode 15: Where it All Begins, with a Conversation
There is no doubt that our ablity to communicate is experiencing great shifts in today's world. The use of technology makes it easier for disagreements to turn hostile, as we can say negative things behind the comfort of a keyboard. But what if it was conversation itself that can be the key to alleviating wicked problems? In this final episode, Shayle sits down with Dr. Martin Carcasson, founder and Director of the Center for Public Deliberation at Colorado State University to discuss this very concept.
