The Eugene Preparedness and Resilience Conference
Welcome to the information page for the Eugene Preparedness and Resilience Conference!
The Eugene Preparedness and Resilience Conference [EPRC] will be by invitation. Here is the mission statement -
"The EPRC will bring together individuals, agencies and organizations in the Eugene area with interest in preparedness and resilience to meet and compare notes so they can help creating a more prepared and resilient community."
Question - What are we preparing for?
Answer - Any kind of disruption to normal life - food, transportation, water, communications,,,,,,, whether from natural or human cause. Time frames ranging from days to months.
Primary Goals of the Conference
1] Become better acquainted - Area groups with interest in community preparedness and resilience to become better acquainted with each other to bring about new collaborations and greater productivity.
2] Meet Neighborhood Leaders and Associations - To better acquaint preparedness entities with the city's neighborhood leaders and associations and vice versa. The neighborhood associations are in a perfect community position to become much more involved with preparedness and resilience
3] Green Preparedness - To better acquaint preparedness entities and neighborhood leaders with "green preparedness," the ideal of taking care of more basic needs closer to home such as food, energy, water and to reduce one's eco footprint. Green preparedness is as much social as it is hands on.
4] Outcomes - The Conference to produce tangible results such a speakers bureau, improved media relations, new partnerships and networks, various community outreach projects/events such as a series of educational presentation to the public, green site tours and more.
5] Allies, Assets, Actions - Overall, for participants to know better the "allies, assets and actions" already existing - city programs and agencies, non profits, that can more effectively promote and bring about a more prepared and resilient community. For example Map Your Neighborhood + Neighborhood Watch + Green Preparedness = exciting new ways [and collaborations] to motivate and empower citizen initiative for becoming more prepared and resilient.
Speakers and Panels - Draft
1] COAD - What is COAD and what is it doing?
2] What City of Eugene programs exist that, either by design or capability, encourage preparedness and resilience?
3] Neighborhood Associations - What are they and how can they play a greater role in preparedness and resilience?
4] Local Food Security - What is being done in the southern Willamette Valley to produce more grain, beans, fruit and vegetables?
5] Green Preparedness - What is it and what benefits does it offer? How can green preparedness strategies integrate with more "traditional" approaches to preparedness to enhance both approaches?
Working Groups
The EPRC will include two time periods for working groups to meet, discuss and start to plan community outreach initiatives.
Participating groups will be invited to describe projects they are working on so they are better able to identify common interests so they may better collaborate with each other. The two periods for working groups will provide a point of departure for those collaborations.
The EPRC will invite participating groups to have show and tell table top displays. The program will include casual mix and mingle time to meet other participants and to visit the table top displays.
Outcomes
1] Create a Preparedness and Resilience Speakers Bureau
2] Neighborhood Associations [NAs] could plan [or geographically collaborate with other NAs or groups] to produce a preparedness/resilience/skill share event[s], open to the community.
3] Neighborhood Associations develop an on line resource tool for preparedness. [In]Formal NA preparedness working group.
4] Overall intentions to better involve various parts of the community such as communities of faith and under represented groups.
5] Public outreach/educational events such as a series of preparedness presentations at the Library
6] NAs organize green bike tours and site visits around town 1] for participants 2] NAs for their respective neighborhoods and general public
7] Cultivate media contacts that can promote resilience/preparedness
8] Overall - create new friendships and working relations and a greater sense of community cohesion and common cause.
Draft Schedule for the Conference
8:30 Bagels; Mix, mingle, visit table displays and information
9:00 Welcome/orientation
9:15 COAD
9:35 City Programs
9:55 Neighborhood Associations
10:15 Local Food Security
10:35 Green Preparedness
10:55 Introduce Working Groups
12:00 Lunch, mix & mingle, visit tables
1:00 Working Groups – two 20 minute sessions, facilitated discussions about action items
2:00 Closing assessment
2:30 Mix and mingle, visit tables
3:00 End