Our work seeks to create change to individuals. Our coaching work unlocks the potential of people caught in the justice system.
Hero’s Journey™ and one-to-one life coaching
Hero’s Journey™ is our award-winning life coaching programme for young men (aged 15 to 25) in prison. Based on Joseph Campbell’s famous book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, we’ve created a structured life coaching programme that enables young men in prison to move away from crime.
The programme consists of group workshops in prison and then one-to-one coaching sessions with a life coach. During the group workshops, our life coaches support young men to identify what they want in life and how they can achieve their goals, using our adapted Hero’s Journey™ model. After the workshops, young men can choose to receive one-to-one life coaching sessions that can start in prison, and can continue on their release if they are near the end of their sentences.
Our experienced life coaches don’t tell the young people what to do, but instead empower them to make different life choices, by giving them the tools they need to change their circumstances.
Hero’s Journey™ from a Black Perspective
Adapted from our Hero’s Journey™ programme, and co-designed with young Black men with lived experience, Hero’s Journey from a Black Perspective addresses the specific experiences of young Black men in the prison system, who are over-represented.
During group workshops, which are followed by one-to-one coaching sessions, specially trained professional life coaches provide a safe space and support young Black men to engage with the topic of Black identity, and the experiences and attitudes linked to the individual’s view of themselves as a member of the Black male community.
The 2020 pilot in HMPYOI Isis was paused due to the outbreak of Covid-19, but we will continue the delivery of the pilot and its evaluation as soon as possible.
Partnerships
We are currently delivering the Hero’s Journey™ in prisons in London and the South-East, with plans to expand our reach into the rest of the country, working in partnership with values-aligned organisations in the regions.
We began our very first partnership in 2021 with Lincolnshire Action Trust, who are piloting the delivery of Hero’s Journey™ to young men at HMP Lincoln, which will be evaluated, in the hope to establish the programme.
In addition, we are delivering one-to-one life coaching to young people (of all genders) in the community in partnership with the Forward Trust and the National Probation Service and Leaders Unlocked. Through these partnerships, our life coaches work with young people who are at risk of, or have come out of being in custody.
Impact
Our life coaching programme has been statistically proven to improve young men’s wellbeing, their confidence and resilience, and their decision-making and problem-solving skills, as well as improving their perspective on the future.
Find out more about Our Impact
