Hero’s Journey Program

• This unique leadership and volunteer program gives older students a chance to support and mentor younger students. For example: 9th graders supporting 7th graders or 8th graders supporting 6th graders.
• Hero’s training gives the volunteer student the ability to discover and develop vital life skills, including those that will allow them to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others.
• The program takes an initial evaluation of influencing factors in the lives of children in your specific communities and what skills volunteers and mentees need to be successful.
• Heroes gain confidence through their experiences speaking in small groups and working with others 1-on-1.
• Primary school students will arrive unannounced to the Heroes, giving them the opportunity to experience a truly authentic leadership experience and feel more prepared to support younger children in their own communities, outside of school.
• Resources are provided to Heroes to allow them to experience volunteerism in a variety of ways; tutoring, mentoring, running assemblies or after school events, etc.

• Students transfer their skills to volunteering in school and become more aware of the chance to have the same sort of impact in their own communities.
• Development of collaboration and communication skills.
• True leadership experience – Instead of just talking about being a leader, they are given the chance to actually take on a leadership role.
• 6th & 7th Graders are given a positive role model that they can look up and go to for support.
• Heroes develop vital life-skills and marketable experience increase attractiveness to future employers.

“By setting the scene and introducing the ‘heroes journey’, they look to inspire as many young people as possible to sign up and submit an application to become a hero. Everyone who applies is accepted. In their first year with us, with a little encouragement and targeted conversations, every disadvantaged student in the year group signed up to become a hero. Hero training challenges the young person to get out of their comfort zone, providing opportunities for self-reflection, growth and development. At this point we really started to see a difference in our young people.”

– Stephen Tierney, Former CEO, Blessed Edward Bamber Catholic Multi Academy Trust