Outdoor Learning Conference 2026

Join Astrid Kendrick and TIKA for our final keynotes on Health and Wellbeing and finish strong as Elder Ann Fox closes the learning circle for us.

Joy as a Practice of Resistance: Emotional Literacy in a Time of Collective Burnout

In a time marked by urgency, systemic pressure, and collective overwhelm, many of us are navigating not only our own experiences, but the emotional weight of the communities we serve. Joy, in this context, is often deprioritized — seen as secondary to the work, or disconnected from the realities we face.
But what if joy is not a distraction from the work — but a necessary part of it?

In this closing keynote, Academy Award–winning composer and cultural strategist TIKA offers a grounded and embodied exploration of joy as a practice of resistance. Drawing from her work through The Cost of Silence, she examines how burnout, emotional suppression, and vicarious trauma are not just personal challenges, but systemic conditions — and how reconnecting to joy can become a form of restoration, clarity, and sustained engagement.

Blending storytelling, sound, and reflection, this experience invites participants to return to the body as a site of awareness and agency. Rather than offering quick fixes, it creates space for a deeper, more honest engagement with what it means to feel, to rest, and to remain connected in the midst of ongoing demands.
Participants will leave with a renewed understanding of emotional literacy, and a framework for integrating joy not as escape, but as a steady, intentional practice that supports both personal wellbeing and collective change.