In a post in c/Canada earlier today someone asked about what they could do to prepare for difficult times ahead. As an old guy who has been around the block a time or two and also worked in emergency medicine, backcountry/high angle rescue and search and rescue along with an extensive background in food preparation and homesteading, I delved into the answer a little bit from my perspective. Others have chimed in and I have added their thoughts to the list as well.

There is always something we can do that helps educate others or ourselves that will be helpful in the coming months and years. Becoming knowledgable in an area you are comfortable with and volunteering within your community will help bring you closer to your community and also assist with the mental health challenges of constantly negative news by getting you out in public and working toward a goal.

Here is a list of tasks and learning experiences that you can take part in to help grow a civil defence force and resistance movement:

First aid.

Drone operation or building

PAL for firearms.

Cooking classes.

How to grow, forage, harvest foods.

Food storage. Canning, dehydrating, fermenting, curing, root cellars, refrigeration.

Train on HAM Radio and find trusted independent alternate media sources and follow CBC and open source social media for news and organizing.

Fitness of all kinds including self defense.

Survival or wilderness experience.

Learn to drive a standard transmission or a large truck or operate a piece of heavy equipment or large farm equipment.

Small engine repair or basic construction skills.

Those with medical training update your trauma training.

Consider joining the reserves.

Learn how to operate a chainsaw.

Search and Rescue training.

High angle and confined space rescue training.

Swimming lessons, diving lessons, boating course.

Computer programming, design and 3D printing.

Classes on the manipulation tactics of social media and news media.

Create permanent personal media backups of important information including but not limited to Wikipedia, entertainment, and Foss based software that can operate free of internet connections or obscure your location and personal information to the best of your ability.

Volunteer at a local mutual aid org (food banks, search and rescue, volunteer fire or ambulance, community gardens, drop in centers, youth training programs, libraries, municipal rec departments etc.)

Contact your MLA, MP, Mayor and Council about starting a civil defense League and leaving social media sites from American oligarchs and organizing new official areas to contact Canadians free of foreign interference and corporate greed.

And most of all organize. Talk to your neighbors and friends about what they are doing to prepare. Help one another. There are so many things we can do to educate ourselves and find like minded community members to start organizing. Organizing and meeting people is what makes us stronger. The rest is just a bonus.

I will continue to update this list as others make valuable suggestions.

Stay safe out there.