Dates: Friday, August 14th to Sunday, August 16th, 2026
Location: Barrier Lake Field Station, Kananaskis, AB T0L 1N0
Registration Date: March 26th at 9am MT
Spots Available: 22
Cost: $595 (includes taxes, accommodations, all meals, and all facilitated sessions). Limited subsidies available.
Open to: All educators
Location details: Barrier Lake Field Station, located in the heart of Kananaskis Country, offers a peaceful mountain setting surrounded by forests, alpine peaks, and the clear waters of Barrier Lake. Set along the lakeshore and framed by sweeping views of the Rocky Mountains, the site provides easy access to trails, open skies, and quiet natural spaces that invite rest, reflection, and connection with the land.
Operating year-round as a research, teaching, and gathering space, the Field Station supports learning, community, and stewardship - an environment that aligns deeply with the intention of this retreat: to slow down, reconnect, and nurture personal and collective well-being in nature.
We gratefully acknowledge that we will be gathering in Kananaskis Country, on the traditional territories of the Treaty 7 Nations in Southern Alberta, which includes the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda First Nation. This land is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III. We honour the enduring relationships these Nations have with this land and waters, and we commit to gathering here with respect, gratitude, and care.
Accommodation details: Participants will stay in dormitory-style accommodations, sharing a room with 1–2 other adults. Rooms are available as single-gender or mixed-gender, depending on your preference. Travelling with a friend or colleague? You’re welcome to request to share a room together by indicating this on your registration form.
Washroom and Facilities: All gender group washrooms are available throughout the field station, including shared bathrooms with showers in each of the dormitory buildings.
Food: Meals will be provided from Friday dinner through to Sunday lunch. Dietary restrictions provided ahead of time will be accommodated; however, last-minute requests and preferences may not be able to be met.
Accessibility: Barrier Lake Field Station is located in a natural, outdoor setting in Kananaskis Country. While the Forestry Lodge where participants will stay is wheelchair accessible, some outdoor spaces, trails, and activity areas may include uneven terrain or natural pathways that could present challenges for some mobility needs.
If you have accessibility questions or would like to discuss your needs, please don’t hesitate to reach out prior to registering.
Getting there: Barrier Lake Field Station is located in Kananaskis Country, approximately a 45-minute drive from Calgary and just over an hour from Canmore and Banff. The scenic drive through the foothills and mountains is part of the experience, with easy access by car and on-site parking available. Please note: Participants are responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from the retreat venue.
Suggested Packing List: Prior to the retreat, a suggested packing list of what you might want to bring will be provided!
What to Expect: This document will also be emailed to everyone who registers and will cover all the details for the Retreat, including directions, community guidelines, wifi access/cell service, etc.
Partners: We’re very thankful to be partnering with our friends at the Global, Environmental, and Outdoor Education Council (GEOEC) for this Retreat!
Please feel free to email us at info@takemeoutside.ca if you have any questions or requests for support!
Dr. Astrid Kendrick
Before taking on her current role of Director, Field Experience (Community-Based Pathway), at the Werklund School of Education, Dr. Astrid Kendrick was a K-12 classroom teacher for nineteen years specializing in Physical Education and English/Language Arts. She has two main research areas: compassion fatigue, burnout, and emotional labour in educational workers, and developing effective interventions and tools to improve educator wellbeing. She was the recipient of the 2020 Online Teaching Award from the Werklund School of Education as well as an Emerging Scholar Award from The Learner research network in 2019.
Jeff Mah
Jeff is a well-respected mainstay in the Alberta yoga scene with 20+ years of experience. A self-described Yogic Explorer, he lives at the intersection of art, science and spirit. His practice is informed by sound alignment principles and tools to live a long and meaningful life.
Realizing that yoga can move beyond the mat, Jeff is also an elected official on Canmore town council. He has a deep concern for social issues, the environment and helping shape the Bow Valley to be a more inclusive place.
Beverly Kinley
Beverly di waayu. Ts’msyen nüüyu. Ganhada di pteegu. Kitsukalum di wil waatgu.
Beverly Kinley is Ts’msyen First Nations of the Ganhada clan from Kitsumkalum. She is also of Gitxan and mixed European ancestry. Beverly works as an Education Specialist with the Calgary Board of Education’s Indigenous Education Team, with a focus on mobilizing holistic approaches for improving the well-being and achievement of Indigenous students. As a Ts’msyen person, Sm’algyax language learner and educator, Beverly is passionate about advancing Truth and
Reconciliation and creating and holding space for Indigenous values, language, land connection and culture through her work.
Shane Spriggs
Shane Spriggs is a proud member of the Métis Nation of Alberta and resides as a guest in Mohkinstsis (Calgary). On his paternal side, his father is a member of the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan with ancestral ties to the Red River. On his maternal side, his mother is from Aotearoa (New Zealand) with settler ancestry from England. Shane is originally from Treaty 6 territory (Duck Lake and Prince Albert), where he spent most of his childhood, though he also lived in Aotearoa for seven years.
Shane has been an educator with the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) for over 15 years and currently serves as a Learning Specialist with the CBE Indigenous Education Team. Grounded in the teachings of Treaty 7 Elders and guided by the Indigenous Education Holistic Lifelong Learning Framework, Shane’s work is rooted in relationship, reciprocity, and community. He supports schools in creating culturally grounded spaces where Indigenous students and families feel a strong sense of belonging. One key aspect of his work involves guiding schools in hosting Commūn-I-Tea gatherings—spaces that invite shared voice, foster connection, and bring Indigenous Education commitments to life.
Dr. Sarah Meade
Dr. Sarah Meade (she/her) is an educator of mixed ancestry (Northern Irish & Mikmaw) currently residing in Mohkintsis (Calgary, Alberta). She grew up in Southern Ontario on the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinabek, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, Ojibway/Chippewa, and Métis peoples.
She has taught for over 17 years including on a remote fly-in Anishnaabe community, an independent school for youth- at risk in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia and for the last decade in the Calgary Board of Education. She received her Doctor of Education degree from the University of Calgary in 2023 focusing on how practicing teachers are engaging in decolonizing education. Sarah’s passions include Land Based Learning and culturally responsive education.
The Sample Schedule below shows an example of what the Retreat schedule could look like. The exact Retreat schedule is currently being confirmed and will be shared soon. Participants will have a chance to build their own customized, spacious schedule before the Retreat weekend by choosing which morning and afternoon sessions they would like to participate in each day.
One optional add on will be a massage, which participants will have the opportunity to book directly with an on-site massage therapist for an additional fee.
Promoting educator wellbeing is a priority and this retreat will provide attendees with the information and resources necessary to relax while investigating the school, system, individual, professional, and educational worker interventions necessary for positive mental health.
On each day, we will spend time outdoors while developing actionable strategies and practices related to improving your workplace wellbeing. Not only will participants imagine ways to improve their own health and wellness, they will explore actionable strategies to support collective well-being.
Registration will open at 9am MT on March 26th! At that time, a button to the registration form will appear here.
Registration cost will be $595. This registration fee includes accommodations, all meals, all facilitated sessions, and taxes.
We are committed to supporting educators from underserved or underrepresented communities to attend our retreats. If you face financial barriers and/or identify as Black, Indigenous, a Person Of Colour, have lived experience with a disability, are part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community or a member of another marginalized group, please feel free to reach out to info@takemeoutside.ca for the potential of a subsidized registration or to request other types of support to attend this Retreat.
Cancellation Policy: Please notify us as soon as possible at info@takemeoutside.ca if you need to cancel your registration. Cancellations made at least 30 days before the date of the Retreat are fully refundable. In the case that Take Me Outside had to cancel an Educator Wellness Retreat, every effort would be made to notify participants at least 30 days before the event and all registration fees would be fully refunded.