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. There are varying kinds. Pick one that you are comfortable with. If you love it get as much training as you can. Work up to EMT or better. Personally I would avoid St John Ambulance due to their ties with Zionist Israel and their current Genocide/Holocaust of the Palestinian people.

Drone operation or building.

PAL for firearms. Shooting classes and/or range time.

Cooking classes. Learn scratch food preparation and how to make “something from nothing”. Kids too. They love to eat what they cook.

How to grow, forage, harvest foods. This could be a container on your deck or your entire yard converted to garden, animals and life. You could be picking berries by a city park or learning to hunt wild game.

If you live in an HOA or a city that doesn’t allow it, go to council meetings and flood them with people who want gardens in their yards and chickens for eggs. Frame it around food security. People have been fighting for this in towns and cities all over the country. Lend your voice.

Learn food storage. Canning, dehydrating, fermenting, curing, root cellars, refrigeration.

Search out local small farms and stores to purchase from. Ask about other places in the community the operators are aware of that you could check out as well.

Hit up an ethnic food event at the local community center, city park or place of worship. Oh man the food and people can be amazing at these things. Seek out people who are different then you and interact with them especially by sharing food. You will make new friends , find great food and open doors to places you didn’t even know existed in your own community. You might even have fun.

Learn water filtration methods and purchase a reusable water filter, chemical water treatment or learn how to make a water filter if necessary.

Join a youth program as a leader, such as 4H, YMCA, boys and girls clubs, LGBTQ+ groups and other community service groups to help teach kids your skills.

Train on HAM Radio and other alternative communication devices.

Find trusted independent alternate media sources. Follow CBC News website and open source social media for news and organizing. Find trusted sources of media and know who owns them. Many news organizations in Canada are American owned and many Canadian owned news organizations are controlled by oligarch owners that align themselves with similar political viewpoints to those south of us or wish to exert control over us to further their own family wealth.

Get your data off American services. Start with your email, aka your access credentials to the internet. There are several European providers with varying features such as Posteo and Mailbox (both German). This applies especially if you are engaged in any activism. Do not do that on any service the US authorities have direct access to or can get access via surveillance treaties. The latter are changing almost daily as the US makes more and more enemies, so stay informed.

Fitness of all kinds including self defense. The kids too. They love this stuff and it’s never too young or old, to learn about staying fit and being able to protect yourself.

Survival or wilderness experience. If you plan to volunteer in any capacity should there be combat, you should make sure this is a part of your education with first aid and weapons training. If you plan to stay in the rear watch some videos. Know some skills, have supplies and practice lighting a fire. Kids also love learning to light campfires. Get some marshmallows and make it fun. Work up to boiling water and maybe cooking something.

Learn protest tactics and police responses. Including how to avoid facial recognition, what to do about electronics, how to respond to police actions etc.

Join a union or strike with one.

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 and consider purchasing a personal kit.

Consider joining the reserves.

Learn how to operate a chainsaw safely and efficiently.

Search and Rescue training this can also include High angle and confined space rescue training or each can be taken individually.

Swimming lessons, diving lessons, boating course.

Computer programming and networking, design and 3D printing. Learn how to create local networks and self host email, entertainment, information and open source social instances for places like Lemmy and how to share these with your community and country. Learn to build a PC or program a raspberry pie to do different tasks. Learn about uses and programming for old devices like cell phones, tablets and media players.

Take or offer 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, diy plans and Foss based software that can operate free of internet connections or obscure your location and personal information to the best of your ability.

Stock first aid supplies that do not expire and make sure your personal kit is overstocked for your family. Bandages, trauma dressings, iv drip sets, iv catheders. I have a seperate post in my profile that speaks to trauma first aid kits specifically. Don’t forget fire extinguishers too.

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.