The Bennington County Conservation District (BCCD) is developing a county-wide Community Resilience Workshop Series to connect municipalities, commissions, and organizations with resources, technical assistance, and above all, one another. 

The first workshop will take place in Pownal, VT, in March or April 2026. It will focus on using the Community Resilience Assessment as a framework for measuring local progress and defining success. This effort builds on the BCCD’s recent community resilience work, including findings from the First Annual Community Resilience Forum, and aligns with broader regional and state goals for sustainable development and community-driven planning.  This workshop is the first step in a county-wide effort to connect municipalities, commissions, and organizations with shared knowledge and coordinated action.

Intrigued? We would love to hear from you!

Resilience? Why? 

Community resilience connects the past, present, and future. We have to learn from the past, understand the current situation, and act now to minimize negative impacts (from disasters, pandemics, climate change impacts, and other disruptive events) in the future. During a crisis, any community’s vulnerabilities and strengths are in the spotlight, and illuminate opportunities for greater resilience.  Whether in a time of crisis or not, building resilience benefits all of us, and creates safer, more connected communities. (CROs, 2024)

 What is the Community Resilience Assessment?

The Community Resilience Assessment is a tool created by the Community Resilience Organization to: 

(1) Highlight vulnerabilities and strengths, (2) demonstrate the many intertwined factors of resilience , (3) help towns track progress in building community resilience across sectors and over time, (4) collect data about community perceptions of resilience , and (5) create opportunities for action on local priorities.

The Community Resilience Assessment is NOT designed to give a quantitative score or to make comparisons between communities.  (CROs, 2024)