At The Human Resilience Project, our mission is to explore and enrich human wellbeing in a dynamic global environment.

We are explorers of the human spirit. Each year, our teams set out on 3–4 expeditions to some of the most remote and challenging places on Earth. From equatorial rainforests to Arctic ice, from windswept deserts to storm-battered coastlines, we live and work alongside Indigenous and remote communities to uncover how people face trauma, adapt to climate upheaval, and cultivate resilience. Ours is one of the most dynamic and far-reaching initiatives ever undertaken by a private consortium—part science, part adventure—all in service of human wellbeing.

Our Approach

We are storytellers with boots in the mud, sand, and snow. Every expedition blends Indigenous knowledge with cutting-edge, transdisciplinary research, steeped in the practices of reciprocity and sharing. This co-creation of knowledge allows us to develop mental health solutions that are culturally rooted, scientifically rigorous, and globally relevant. Reciprocity is central: we don’t just document resilience, we help build it, working side by side with local partners to design or uncover practices that strengthen communities from within.

Why It Matters

Without mental health, people don’t act. Climate change may alter landscapes, but despair can immobilize entire societies. Our work investigates the vital connections between trauma, resilience, and action, illuminating the mental and emotional strength required to meet the greatest challenges of our time. By uncovering how communities thrive under extreme pressure, we generate insights that can be applied worldwide.

Beyond Discovery

Exploration doesn’t end when the expedition comes home. We train leaders, co-design educational programs, and create cross-cultural exchanges that carry resilience practices across borders. Every journey leaves behind stronger communities and adds to a global network of knowledge.

What’s Next

We field 3–4 expeditions each year. Upcoming destinations in 2026 include:

• Indonesia (Sumatra) | Batak | Indigenous communities, conservationists, and rangers confronting forest decimation and fighting for orangutan conservation amid persistent deforestation
• Alaska | Iñupiaq | Arctic peoples navigating radical environmental transformation
• Israel | Examining Jewish indigeneity, desert agriculture innovation, and resilience amid ongoing conflict
• Paraguay | Guaraní | Indigenous rainforest peoples defending ancestral lands and traditional ways of life

Training the Next Generation

In affiliation with the California Institute for Human Science (CIHS), we also guide graduate students eager to carry this work forward. Students with a passion for global mental health and resilience, especially those seeking to uplift their own communities, can engage directly with our fieldwork through CIHS.

Child sharing lunch in the Amazon, Ecuador