Democracy & Outdoor Fear

Democracy grows stronger when people feel rooted in the land and connected to one another.

The Balance of Democracy and the Roots of Outdoor Fear

Democracy, Leadership & Dismantling Fear in the Outdoors is a threeday, traumainformed outdoor leadership and empowerment workshop designed to support healing, strengthen community resilience, and dismantle inherited fear in natural spaces. Rooted in the understanding that many communities, especially BIPOC communities, have endured centuries of collective trauma — including historical exclusion from land, public space, and environmental decisionmaking — this program creates a pathway for participants to reclaim belonging, build confidence, and experience joy in the outdoors.

“When we step outside, we step into shared responsibility. The outdoors becomes a classroom for courage, dialogue, and collective leadership.”

Developed by Love Is King, Democracy, Leadership & Dismantling Fear in the Outdoors integrates community dialogue, democratic leadership principles, and handson outdoor skillbuilding to address the emotional, psychological, and historical factors that shape how people navigate outdoor environments. The workshop centers healing, by exploring the science of fear, the impacts of generational trauma, and the ways environmental cues can trigger inherited responses to threat. Through guided conversations, reflection circles, and shared learning, participants process these experiences collectively while building supportive relationships rooted in care and cultural safety.

Physical wellbeing is woven throughout the program through light hiking, fire craft, shelter building, land navigation, fly fishing, and water purification. These activities are intentionally designed to rebuild trust in the body, strengthen selfefficacy, and cultivate a sense of grounding in nature. Each skill becomes a tool for healing, confidence, and agency.

“A just democracy begins with every voice feeling safe, seen, and free to belong—both in our communities and on our public lands.”

Democracy serves as a core framework for understanding shared power, civic belonging, and community advocacy. Participants examine how access to land, outdoor recreation, and environmental decisionmaking are deeply tied to democratic rights and systems that have historically excluded many communities. Through storytelling, leadership exercises, and facilitated dialogue, participants explore how reclaiming outdoor spaces can become an act of resistance, empowerment, and collective healing.

Democracy, Leadership & Dismantling Fear in the Outdoors is a holistic intervention that supports themental, emotional, and physical wellbeing of participants, while fostering communitydriven care. By combining traumainformed education, outdoor skillbuilding, and democratic leadership development, the program strengthens resilience, nurtures joy and equips participants with tools to advocate for systems that prioritize healing and safety. This workshop directly aligns with Ink Build’s commitment to addressing social and environmental justice issues, expanding access to opportunities to learn about and advocate for these issues, and commitment to investing in communityled approachesthat uplift the resilience and health of communities across the state.

“The outdoors reminds us that we are part of something larger. Democracy works the same way—interdependent, diverse, and shaped by how we show up for each other.”

Workshop Series Specifics

The Balance of Democracy and the Roots of Outdoor Fear

The Balance of Democracy and the Roots of Outdoor Fearis a threepart community workshop series designed to deepen understanding, spark dialogue, and build collective power around equity in outdoor spaces. Led by Love Is King facilitators and Dr. Lisa, the series explores how history, psychology, and community storytelling intersect to shape who feels safe, welcome, and free in nature. Each session builds toward a shared vision of an outdoor democracy where all people—especially communities of color—can experience belonging, joy, and liberation on public lands.

Workshop 1 — The Roots of Outdoor Fear

This opening session invites community members, particularly people of color and allies, to examine the historical and generational forces that have shaped fear in outdoor spaces. Through guided dialogue, participants explore how exclusion, racial violence, and cultural memory continue to influence those who feels safe in nature today. By understanding these roots, the group begins to uncover the gap between democratic ideals and lived experiences on public lands.

Workshop 2 — The Psychology of Safety and Threat

This session focuses on the mental and emotional dimensions of outdoor fear. Dr. Lisa leads a conversation on how the brain encodes threat, how trauma is transmitted across generations, and why many people fear people—not nature—when entering outdoor spaces. Participants build emotional literacy and shared understanding as a foundation for creating safer, more inclusive outdoor environments.

Workshop 3 — Reclaiming Belonging and Democracy in the Outdoors

The final gathering centers on community storytelling, collective visioning, and strategies for reclaiming agency in outdoor spaces. Participants imagine what true freedom, safety, and belonging could look like in Oregon’s natural landscapes. Facilitated by Love Is King leaders and Dr. Lisa, the session transforms insight into action and reinforces the democratic principle that public spaces must be accessible and welcoming to all.

Program Overview

This workshop is designed for professionals and companies, business, nonprofits and government agencies working in conservation, outdoor recreation or other environmentally focused disciplines. It can be delivered as a 1.5-day intensive experience for deeper engagement, or spread out in 3 shorter workshop sessions, not meant to exceed 2 weeks between each workshop.