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Stage 0
Introduction and Overview

Our lives are a series of heroic journeys made up of similar stages. At this Stage, our hero is introduced to the stages and the program components, meets their fellow companions, and contributes to collectively creating agreements for all the participants and Guides.

Stages of the Heroic Journey
Stage 0: Introduction 
Stage 1: The Call to Adventure
Stage 2: Meeting Allies and Ogres
Stage 3: The Initiation of Change
Stage 4: The Road of Trials
Stage 5: Finding the Key
Stage 6: Sharing the Treasure
Stage 7: Celebration and Recognition

Overview

The Heroic Journey: Rite of Passage Program is the ideal year-long program to help guide adolescents in the transition from childhood to adulthood. The lessons, activities, rituals, and ceremonies apply to every step of the adolescent journey and beyond

 

The structure of this program is based on the stages (left) of world renown author and social scientist, Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. He noticed universal patterns found in the human experience across cultures and wrote about this powerful archetypal adventure of transformation in The Hero with a Thousand Faces, his seminal work on how mythology, philosophy, and art inform and guide the developmental journey of every human.

Purpose

We believe that our lives are a series of hero’s journeys. Each phase of transition comes with challenges, learnings, letting go, transformation and a new beginning. Although a person doesn’t always need to go through every stage in a linear order during their “travels”, this program is designed for those at the beginning of the journey from adolescence to adulthood when a traditional rite of passage would normally take place.

 

There is a built-in human need for some kind of process to mark the shift from childhood to adulthood. While traditional cultures almost always provided this process, contemporary society often does not provide a community supported and adult guided formal rite of passage. The content and experiences in this program are designed to meet their need and help integrate Social, Physical, Psychological, Intellectual, Moral/Ethical development in the adolescent.

Key Components of the Heroic Journey Curriculum

 

Discovery: A content lesson and relevant activities. The 60 minute lesson includes content presentation time and group activity.​

 

Journeywork: Learning and experiences that occur outside of the classroom time and then shared in a future class period.

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Exploration: Involves a deeper dive into content and experiential learning. Explorations take one or more class periods and may need additional time outside of class.

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Challenge Activity: Culminating events that takes place following each stage of the Heroic Journey. Involves a student led presentation and personal reflection or work accomplished prior to the activity.

Outcomes

The Heroic Journey: A Rite of Passage Program brings students, teachers, facilitators, administrators, parents, and community members into a collaborative collective of support to guide adolescents. It uses fun, meaningful, and proven approaches to develop the agency and autonomy needed to navigate the path to adulthood in healthy, positive, and confident ways.

 

Students and their respective learning communities have benefitted from the program for decades with increased school attendance, improved behavior, cooperative learning, parent engagement, and community support. When adolescents build confidence, responsibility and a sense of belonging, it affects not only the development of students, but the creation of a culture of togetherness and well-being throughout the entire school community, youth development program, and the many environments in which we learn and live.

Stage 0
 

Objectives:

  • Introduce the stages and the various components of the program.

  • Meet their fellow companions.

  • Co-create the “Rules of the Road” agreements.

  • Increase self-awareness.

Outcomes:

  • Students build and sense of community and shared commitment by reaching consensus on group rules and guidelines.

  • Develop an appreciation for diversity of cultures, traditions, strengths, values, and other similarities and differences.

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