● About
WHAT IS THE JOY RESISTANCE NETWORK?
Joy is an act of resistance, not a substitute for resistance.
At the Joy Resistance Network, we believe that joy makes resistance necessary, and that joy makes resistance possible. Joy fills our lives with love, laughter and kindness; joy reminds us of what we live for and what we will fight to protect. To fight for the people and things we love is to resist the systems that seek to harm them, but you cannot survive a life of resistance, and live joyfully alone. Resistance requires joy to sustain itself.
● Our Mission & Philosophy
welcome to the Joy Resistance Network, found at the intersection of our three pillars:
●
JOY
The people, activities and art that make us come alive.
●
RESISTANCE
The awareness of injustices in our community, and skills necessary to address them.
●
NETWORK
A community and coalition aligned in valued and connected in action.
Problem Statement:Everyday, we lose activists, educators and advocates to exhaustion, emotional distress, and the very real pressure to pay the bills. There is a never-ending list of issues and causes to care about, to learn about, to do something about. Too frequently, we are simply pouring from empty cups, and wondering why we are running dry.
so HOW DO WE MAKE THIS WORK SUSTAINABLE?
By infusing joy into all forms of resistance.
Without resistance, we risk the people and things in this world that give us joy. Without joy, resistance movements crumble.
We’re here to help you resist—joyfully, sustainably, and often. The Joy Resistance Network is for any person, business or organization that believes that joy is an act of resistance but knows, too, that joy alone is not sufficient. We provide provide the resistance education and the joyful community that all activists, educators, and organizations need to stay in the fight without losing themselves.
Welcome to the Joy Resistance Network. We’re happy you’re here.
● Our Founder
MEET HAYLEY
Raised in a small California town, Hayley found her way into activism early — attending her first protest at 13, interning with a global nonprofit in high school, and later producing an award-winning refugee advocacy documentary in college. Her path eventually led her to earn a Master’s in Global Policy from the LBJ School, where she deepened her work across advocacy, international affairs, and public service.
But after years of caring deeply, working hard, and watching activists burn out around her, Hayley began asking a different kind of question: what if learning, action, and resistance didn’t have to run on guilt and exhaustion? Joy Resistance Network was born from that question — and from Hayley’s belief that we can stay firm in our values, flexible in our approach, and make activism feel more human, creative, and sustainable.