IRES Celebrates 4 Years of Community and Resilience

The Indigenous Resilience Center marked its 4th anniversary with students, staff, faculty, and the IRES community during an event filled with music, laughter and connection. 

On September 19th, 2025, IRES gathered to honor its work and accomplishments, and proudly announced two new community resources: The Community Tool Kit and The IRES Library.

In his remarks,  Assistant Director of IRES,  Daniel Sestiaga Jr. reflected on the journey of IRES and reiterated the importance of reciprocity, reminding us that community is at the very core of IRES’s work: 

“Community is not just a term, it's not just a buzzword. It's not just the name of an event, but truly, it is the reason why we do what we do. It's the reason for waking up every morning and challenging ourselves to do some good in this world. It's knowing that we have a responsibility to each other. It's understanding the respect that we have for one another. It's kindling the relationship between one another that really grounds us to be better relatives.” 

Carrying this message forward, IRes announced the Community tool-kit, a new digital platform that connects communities, researchers, and partners to advance Indigenous-led resilience in food, water, energy, and environmental health. The IRes Library features books by and about Native & Indigenous communities. This includes picture books, novels, non-fiction, and much more. 

Closing the evening out with music provided by T.O. Mumsigo celebrating 4 years of community and resilience.