How can educators and administrators cultivate more joyful learning and working environments? GetSomeJoy has a formula for prioritizing mental health at school through the lens of joy, making wellness engagement more accessible, relevant…soulful, even.

Through joy-infused mental health trainings, memorable keynotes, vibrant community-specific resources, and dynamic wellness experiences, GetSomeJoy supports school districts, universities, K12 institutions, and youth-serving organizations with practical tools and sustainable strategies for improving individual, role-related, and community wellness.

Here are some examples of how we bring joy to school.

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*A Mercer County Community College student holds a #GETSOMEJOY sign made by Educational Opportunity Fund students.*

GetSomeJoy@School Community Wellness Event

Mercer County Community College Educational Opportunity Fund

Overview:

GetSomeJoy@School Event / Literary Therapy Writing Program prompts / Joy Report Resource Newsletter

Student voices matter.

GetSomeJoy collaborated with Mercer County Community College’s Education Opportunity Fund on a mental health pep rally of sorts to make wellness engaging and collaborative.

In the GetSomeJoy@School Community Check-In, students were able to celebrate themselves and their peers, share about what’s bringing them joy + impacting their wellness, and access immediate support with barriers to thriving.

Students worked together to reflect on their learning experiences and collect and share insights around how educators + administrators could help cultivate a more joyful learning environment. They voiced their concerns + solutions around issues impacting collective thriving and enjoyment to campus leaders present in the room and received thoughtful responses with context, explanations, and guidance on next steps.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH COMMUNITY COOK-ALONG

Mercer County Community College + Georgian Court University

GetSomeJoy partnered with the MCCC and Georgian State University Educational Opportunity Funds to bring students a Black History Month Virtual Community Cook-along. While exchanging family food stories and traditions and reflecting on things bringing us joy, we made curry chicken, rice, and fried plantain together.

We prepared a Community Cook-along Workbook + Exploration Guide, providing the ingredient list and recipe a week in advance so attendees could prepare, modify as needed, or observe and share.

Mental Health First Aid, Youth mental health first aid, mental health first aid for higher education

Waukegan Public Schools, Howard University, The Juilliard School, NYC Department of Education

Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor Candidate Training [for Waukegan Public Schools]

In partnership with Mental Health First Aid USA and Waukegan Public Schools, Alex co-facilitated a three-day training educating, coaching, and evaluating 18 Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor Candidates. Together, we unpacked the curriculum and its guiding principles, explored and practiced trauma-informed facilitation skills, analyzed and anticipated cultural concerns, and demonstrated readiness to engage diverse audiences with varying needs.

Supporting MHFA USA’s goal of certifying four million new Mental Health First Aiders, those new Instructors will deliver trainings in their schools, communities, and across the country.

Mental Health First Aid for Higher Education [for Howard University Student Health + The Juilliard School]

In March 2024 and January 2025 GetSomeJoy supported over 75 Juilliard faculty and staff with Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid trainings. Attendees reported utilizing newly acquired skills to navigate challenging but important conversations soon after the training.

Howard University Director of Student Health Ebony Copeland, MD, contracted GetSomeJoy for a Mental Health First Aid training for 30 staff and campus leaders.

Mental Health First Aid National Trainer Crystal Fulwood, whose approach a participant described as “inclusive and respectful,” led the training.

Other participants highlighted “her combination of expertise, empathy, and engaging teaching style,” which made the class “not only informative but also enjoyable.”

Youth Mental Health First Aid [for New York City Department of Education + Thrive NYC]
As part of New York City’s Thrive NYC community wellness initiative, Alex trained over 400 educators, faculty, and staff across New York City’ schools a framework for (ALGEE) recognizing and responding to mental health and substance use challenges.

infusing joy into meetings with Community Mental Health Check-Ins

Alder Graduate School of Education

Overview:

Joy Report Newsletters for leadership and learners / Mental Health Check-Ins

GetSomeJoy collaborated with Alder Graduate School of Education to incorporate intentional moments of joy, connection, and reflection into work gatherings via bite-sized Community Mental Health Check-Ins.

Group sessions are supported with Joy Report Newsletters, highlighting key insights, offering ongoing support, resources, recipes, and opportunities for connection.

Writing about joy, mental health, and goals with Elementary students

Haldane Elementary School

Overview:

3 Creative Writing Workshops for 3 groups of fourth graders (60 total) / 60 Creative Writing Workbooks / Joy Report Resource Newsletter for teachers and staff

Alex worked with the administration at Haldane Elementary in Cold Spring, NY to cultivate a year-long joy-infused writing program that allowed students space to express themselves with aims of fostering comfort with and appreciation for using writing as a tool for mindfulness, stress relief, enjoyment, and growth.

The program entailed creative wellness resources for students, shared across three classroom visits to three classrooms of 20 students, tools for thriving and facilitating classroom reflection via The Joy Report, and a Literary Therapy for Educators session.

FOCUS Summer Learning Conference @ Buena Vista university

Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency (Storm Lake, Iowa)

Overview: Keynote / Breakout Session / Literary Therapy Wall / Blog post

Our redesigned Community Literary Therapy Wall (designed by Denae Patterson) made its debut in Storm Lake, Iowa at the gathering of educators and administrators, hosted by the Prairie Lakes Atrea Education Agency.

We offered attendees space to reflect and share on our Wall when they were most joyful at school and strategies for cultivating more joyful learning environments. Alex shared a presentation on joy-infused education and strategies for helping educators thrive amidst historic burnout, resignations, and global uncertainty.

They loved the fried chicken stickers.

We invited attendees to consider,

When are you most joyful at school? and

How can educators + administrators help cultivate more joyful learning environments?

see what they said

2023 Superintendent’s Day Conference

Binghamton University + Family Violence Prevention Council of Broome County, NY

Overview:

Keynote on Joy-Infused Education / Breakout session: Literary Therapy for Educators / Interactive Exhibit (Community Literary Therapy Wall) and resource table

We collaborated with the Family Violence Prevention Council of Broome County and Binghamton University to bring some joy to educators and administrators at the 16th Annual Superintendent’s Day Conference.

Attendees reflected on joy and strategies for thriving at school on our Community Literary Therapy Wall then collaborated on creative wellness toolkits in a Literary Therapy for Educators and Administrators breakout session.

GetSomeJoy co-founder Alex ended the day with a keynote presentation inviting attendees to consider how we can work together to cultivate more joyful learning and working environments.