Building Community Resilience in New Hampshire

UNH Extension and the communities in Kearsarge, Mascoma and Haverhill areas are addressing barriers to health and helping individuals, families and communities thrive in the face of adversity.

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An aerial picture of Haverhill, NH area by Joseph Mitchell

Mascoma Area

Do you want to learn how you can help your community thrive?

The Building Community Resilience Toolkit is a resource that includes a step-by-step process to guide individuals and groups on how to create community change to improve the health of those who live, work, and play there. Within the toolkit you'll find real examples from NH communities who've used the process. Utilize included templates and tools to assist you in working together, looking at community data, prioritizing opportunities for action, action planning, and how to evaluate your work and tell your story. This toolkit was created as part of the FY 2020 Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program of National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA Grants #2020-46100-32839.

Resilience Toolkit

Feature

UNH Cooperative Extension Receives Nearly $400,000 to Build Resiliency in Rural NH Communities

UNH Cooperative Extension has received a two-year grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture

About the Effort

In the Fall of 2020, UNH Extension received a Rural Health and Safety Education Grant from USDA/NIFA. This grant supports efforts around building resilience in rural communities, focusing on three regions within Grafton and Merrimack counties: Kearsarge, Mascoma, and Haverhill Area. The UNH Extension project team will work to increase community collaboration in rural areas to address barriers to health and helping individuals and families thrive in light of challenges brought on by or deepened by COVID-19.

Project Components

Throughout the duration of this project, Extension staff will work closely with local community partners to provide tools and resources to help these rural NH communities “bounce back” in the face of adversity and move forward to improve outcomes for children, families, and communities. This will be accomplished through assisting communities with:

Identifying assets and challenges
Identifying which priorities are most feasible to address
Choosing relevant strategies and activating plan
Providing education and skill building around adversity and building resilience
Building connections across the 3 regions

Project Frameworks

The UNH Extension project team will be utilizing common frameworks within the 3 communities to help guide project activities.

"Like trees, in order for a community to thrive, there are necessary factors that contribute to the health and well-being of people who live, work, and play there,” Melissa Lee, project co-director and Youth and Family Resiliency Field Specialist for UNH Extension.

Pair of ACES

This model will be utilized to explore the relationship between Adverse Community Environments (“soil factors”) and Adverse Community Experiences.

a graphic explaining the community reactions to COVID-19 by Center for Community Resilience at The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health

by Center for Community Resilience at The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health

Soil Factors

The health of the soil in which a tree is planted determines the health of the tree. For example, a fruit tree may not bear fruit if the soil it is planted in does not include the nutrients it needs to grow and thrive.

Like trees, in order for a community to thrive, there are necessary factors that contribute to the health and well-being of people who live, work, and play there.

These factors in our community “soil” help people to be resilient to challenges and to thrive.

Community Change Cycle

This model will be utilized to inspire action at all levels.

Work Together
Assess Your Community
Set Your Priorities
Choose Your Strategies
Activate Your Plan
Measure Your Impact

Figure 2 - This model is developed by Well Connected Communities

Learn More

“Resilient Communities.” George Washington University.
“Community Change Cycle.” Well Connected Communities.

“Needs in the arena of personal, community and system health and well-being are immense, due to new and intensified adversities that act as barriers to health. We look forward to engaging in the community change cycle process, bringing together increased energy and ability to build community resilience to not only overcome but to thrive in the face of adversity.”

~Melissa Lee, project co-director and Youth and Family Resiliency Field Specialist for UNH Extension

How?

Each of the three regions will create their own unique action plan- led and identified by community members. Sustainable change requires community members to take the lead in identifying needs, setting priorities, and moving action forward to build thriving, resilient communities.

$10,000 is available for each community to implement an action plan and the UNH Extension project team will provide technical assistance and facilitation support to help communities identify where efforts can have the most impact.

Local coordinators in each of the 3 communities will provide local leadership and “boots on the ground” support for the project and will help manage activities within the community.