Utilizing a community based participatory approach to building community resilience and achieving impacts in Gulf Coast communities

This session will focus on novel and innovative methods and approaches utilized to enhance community resilience, build and strengthen networks, translate research findings and engage communities in the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama region as part of the University of Florida led Healthy Gulf Healthy Communities research consortium. Approaches taken are based in CPBR and CBSM, and include multisite technology driven regional forums, joint NGO/Cooperative Extension trainings, translation of research findings framed within risk communications context and community capacity building and fostering of consensus decision-making.  This presentation will focus on the consortium’s work with community partners and its community advisory committee, who have served as opinion leaders representing boundary spanning organizations that are working  together to build resilience to current and future natural and man made disasters while addressing ongoing economic recovery and workforce diversity issues. New methods of enhancing these organizations’ capacity to achieve goals and create impacts will be highlighted, including technology based approaches to risk communication. The participatory nature of research and engagement approaches and how that has influenced the project will be discussed.