The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Resilient Nation Partnership Network (RNPN) is set to host its eighth forum in collaboration with the Sundance Institute in April 2024.
The event, themed “Stories of Resilience: Voices That Inspire,” aims to highlight the power of storytelling in building resilience against natural hazards.
Scheduled to take place online across Thursdays in April, from 1-3 p.m., the forum will feature panel discussions focusing on resilience challenges and the collaborative efforts required to address them.
Victoria Salinas, FEMA Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator for Resilience, emphasized the significance of the partnership: “FEMA’s Resilient Nation Partnership Network and Sundance Institute collaboration is a powerful opportunity to showcase community-led resilience building in action.
“As FEMA launches 2024 as its Year of Resilience, partnerships such as these allow our agency to reach broader audiences that are critical to increasing resilience across our nation.
“By hearing the stories of communities who are often left out of the conversation, we cultivate new spaces and ways to build trust with communities, promote equity, and increase resilience.”
The collaboration between FEMA and the Sundance Institute underscores the crucial role of storytelling in understanding and advancing climate justice.
Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs, Sundance Institute’s Director of Artist Accelerator and Women at Sundance, highlighted the importance of this partnership: “We are very excited to team up with FEMA and the RNPN.
“Storytelling is key to understanding climate justice, and these kinds of partnerships help us imagine a stronger future.
“Sundance has a long history of lifting up the voices that tell gripping climate stories.
“These stories take us into communities, get local activists involved, and shed light on our shared concerns.
“Collaborations like this are essential: widening our audience, educating them, and motivating all of us to act. It’s all about building a resilient climate future for everyone.”
The forum promises a lineup of diverse speakers who will discuss and inspire community-led resilience efforts.
Open registration ensures that the event is accessible to all interested parties.
The Resilient Nation Partnership Network represents a broad coalition of organizations committed to enhancing community resilience to natural disasters and climate-related events.
From its inception as a small group of like-minded individuals, the RNPN has grown to represent over 1,600 organizations.
Its mission is to inform, educate, and motivate communities to protect themselves from the impact of natural hazards.
The Sundance Institute, known for its support of independent storytelling, provides a platform for artists across various media to create and thrive.
With a history of supporting impactful climate narratives, the Institute’s collaboration with FEMA and the RNPN for the April forum is a testament to the power of partnership in building a resilient future.
