Last summer, I completed a community-based participatory action research project on the topic of Resilience Hubs (a full description of the project and its findings can be found here). As a university student, I was given the opportunity to spend the summer with MNIPL learning about climate justice organizing work, all the while conducting research for them on Resilience Hubs under the guidance of a professor. According to the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, Resilience Hubs are physical centers, led by the community, that focus on developing community resilience and independence during everyday life, disruption periods due to climate crises or other emergencies, and recovery periods.

What Can We Learn from Resilience Hubs?

My study aimed to address the following questions for MNIPL: 

• What are the bridges (opportunities, assets, ect.) and barriers to becoming a flourishing Resilience Hub?​
• What ought Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light (MNIPL) do to best support their community partners?

I worked with four of MNIPL’s community partners: First Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Redeemer Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Judson Memorial Baptist Church in Minneapolis and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth (UUCD) in Duluth​. In collaboration with MNIPL I created interview questions and then conducted a total of nine interviews across the four sites. Interview participants signed informed consent forms, and participated in audio-recorded interviews that lasted approximately 30-60 minutes in length. I then transcribed the recordings by hand and engaged in qualitative coding to analyze the interview content and form conclusions. It is important to note that, while my findings may present a clear picture of the four research sites, these findings cannot be applied to all emerging Resilience Hubs. However, they may highlight some common assets and concerns. 

Bridges for Resilience Hubs

Given my findings, I concluded that the following “bridges” (opportunities, assets, ect.) could be helpful in building Resilience Hubs:

• Partnerships that the community organization had with other groups that they share space with (examples include Meals on Wheels and preschools)
• Interfaith partnerships that the community organization had already established
• A professed welcoming and loving culture at the community organization
• A strong volunteer culture already in place at the community organization
• A sense among participants that the Resilience Hub concept aligned with their community organization’s mission
• Physical assets (such as solar panels, kitchens, and elevators)

Barriers for Resilience Hubs

I also learned that the following could be “barriers” to building Resilience Hubs:

• Limitations of the physical sites (such as building maintenance needs)
• A lack of connection/crossover between community organization members and those in the surrounding neighborhood
• A focus by interview participants on the “disaster phase” of Resilience Hubs
  • And a lack of awareness or understanding about the “everyday” and “recovery” periods for Resilience Hubs
• Concerns about having adequate staffing numbers to support a Resilience Hub

Opportunities for Further Support

Participants then requested the following support from MNIPL:

• Support with applying to grants
• Technical assistance (such as obtaining and installing backup batteries)
• Assistance with communication (explaining the concept of Resilience Hubs to their larger community)

Lastly, some other considerations that were brought up are listed here:

• Resilience Hubs may be used in non-climate-related emergencies
• There are questions surrounding how to reach people who can’t physically be at the Hub

Conclusion

While these interviews were part of a research project based in methodology and conducted for a specific aim, they also gave way to productive and fruitful conversations. Participants wondered aloud about how they might take advantage of certain assets or tackle certain challenges. As a first-time undergraduate researcher, I learned that interviews are not only an important research tool – they can also be the basis for brainstorming and idea generation. I spent the past summer learning about the impending crises that climate change will bring, but I also learned how much genius is waiting to be leveraged at the community level. Genius and compassion and power are present in communities – now what’s left is for community organizers to channel that genius into resilience building. 

Anya Stupar is a sophomore at the University of St. Thomas majoring in English. Since her internship in Summer 2025, she has joined MNIPL as part-time staff assisting the Community of Practice in our Resilience Hub work.