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Ready, Set, Resilience Offers Critical Support to Western NC

A group of people stand and sit in a library all looking at a speaker
Photo courtesy of Ready, Set, Resilience

In September of last year, Hurricane Helene hit the southeastern U.S., causing significant destruction. One of the areas most affected was western North Carolina. Official estimates indicate that North Carolina suffered almost $60 billion worth of damage. This level of destruction was devastating in countless ways, but disruptions to education were especially damaging. Students from pre-K through college were out of school for weeks and in many cases returned to classes in trailers or other temporary structures. Students and teachers alike were displaced in the aftermath of the storm and are still working hard to rebuild their communities.

In response to Hurricane Helene, NRF issued a grant to support Ready, Set, Resilience, a holistic curriculum designed to help students better understand ecological resilience in the wake of disturbance and boost their own personal resilience along the way. The curriculum includes a book of nature-based fables that tell stories of resilience from the perspectives of plants and animals, a facilitation guide for somatic activities designed to help young people ground themselves, and a set of standards-aligned lesson plans that merge themes of resilience with language arts, science, and art.

A group of educators gather around a board with pieces of paper stuck to it
Photo courtesy of Ready, Set, Resilience

Ready, Set, Resilience emerged out of a partnership between the Duke Marine Lab Community Science Initiative and the NC State Environmental Education Lab and was initially designed to help teachers in districts on the North Carolina coast following Hurricanes Florence and Dorian. When teachers from western North Carolina were looking for resources and support as they headed back to school in October and November of 2024, they reached out to teachers on the coast who had more experience with hurricanes. Those teachers knew that Ready, Set, Resilience had something valuable to offer. With the support of NRF and other funders, teachers, staff, and faculty working on the project were able to expand the curriculum to several new school districts in western North Carolina through free workshops. In some cases, teachers from the coast drove almost seven hours across the state to help facilitate Ready, Set, Resilience workshops and support teachers in the mountains as they prepared to go back to school. 

People sit at a table, looking at a person speaking
Photo courtesy of Ready, Set, Resilience

Ready, Set, Resilience served almost fifty educators in western North Carolina through two workshops held at the end of 2024. A third workshop is planned for February 2025 to reach additional teachers. Attending a workshop is only the beginning of the relationship between a teacher and Ready, Set, Resilience. Teachers who incorporate the curriculum in their classrooms receive resources like books and project supplies, as well as ongoing support through check-ins and additional training opportunities. Critically, all teachers who participate in Ready, Set, Resilience are paid for their time and expertise as educators. Teachers work in partnership with faculty and staff from Duke and NC State to co-produce resources that support the needs and goals of their local schools and communities.

As storms increase in frequency and intensity due to climate change, young people need access to tools to develop resiliency. NRF was able to offer funding to a community-driven program at a critical time for North Carolina, and we’re proud to be part of the effort to boost resilience in the wake of natural disasters.