In a world where 80% of cybersecurity breaches stem from human vulnerabilities—phishing, manipulation, and social engineering—our traditional frameworks are failing us. Built on Cold War logic and enterprise compliance, today’s cybersecurity systems are designed to protect infrastructure, not people.

This talk presents a new paradigm: Digital Resilience.

Drawing from original research and interviews with trauma-informed care specialists, cybersecurity leaders, educators, and gender justice advocates, I’ll introduce the Digital Resilience Framework (DRF)—a justice-centered, trauma-informed model rooted in the RISE pillars: Resilience, Inclusion, Safety, and Empowerment.

This session will explore:

Why awareness training rooted in fear, jargon, or shame doesn’t work

How digital safety education can be emotionally resonant and culturally grounded

What it means to co-create security with the people most harmed by digital systems—rather than designing for compliance

From community workshops with immigrant parents to trauma-informed digital literacy for youth, I’ll share insights from Cyber Collective’s fieldwork and my thesis research on how we can build frameworks that are accessible, flexible, and human-first.

The talk concludes with a facilitated discussion exploring practical strategies for designing safety training, awareness programs, and policy that center care over control—turning digital security into a site of healing, not just hardware defense.

This session is for educators, designers, technologists, community organizers, and funders who want to reimagine what safety looks like in the digital age—and for whom.