Twenty participants, guided by certified life coaches, will start their creative, self-actualization journey towards becoming heroes at the Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility.
Leader
DeAndre Nixon
Location
4321 Green Rd. Highland Hills, OH 44128
iN Education's Hero's Journey is a five-week transformational change project. It challenges and enables ordinary youth to reflect on their story through writing and journaling self-reflection activities, creative art expression, illustration and painting, among other self-discovery tools. They will discover and identify areas of change and start their transformation from within. Up to twenty ordinary participants, guided by certified life coaches, will start their journey towards becoming heroes at the Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility, an Ohio Department of Youth Services.
Youth, and many adults, are able to identify with and relate with Hollywood’s action heroes. Some may even admire their powers. Just think about your favorite superhero. Have you noticed that, in most cases, the hero is an ordinary person who has to rise to the occasion unaware of their powers? They usually discover their natural gifts and abilities within as they are called for duty for the greater good of the community.
By looking at our own life, and our current situation through the lens of the hero's journey, we can see ourselves more objectively. We may see what is happening more clearly, including where the story is leading. In the end, the hero always transforms and returns back to the life they knew before a changed person. A better person, able to make the difference they are meant to make in the world. Let's help guide participants on their journey through discovery and self-actualization!
If you were to ask me “Why?” my answer would be because it is personal. Like many others in my community, I had several family members who landed in the criminal justice system growing up. Unfortunately, many individuals belonging to minority groups face challenges on account of their ethnicity, religion, or language. Later on, I understood that educational tools, knowledge, and other programs could have rewritten their history… I never saw them as bad people. I saw an opportunity to help those who may have been lost, neglected, or misunderstood.
Throughout our company’s history (est. 2006), we served youths who came from different walks of life. Each of them had their own [Hero’s] story, and every one of them had different styles to express themselves and cope with their life’s journey. As part of our mission, we want to assist everyone we serve with their self-development and self-actualization and share tools to develop and discover their identity. We choose art as one of the project components as it is a great outlet to express ourselves and channel our emotions.
This project falls under restoration and rehabilitation practices and addresses social and community issues. In general, restorative justice programs aim to get juveniles to take responsibility for their actions, understand the harm they have caused, and give them an opportunity to redeem themselves and discourage them from causing further damage. The process starts with understanding yourself, controlling your mindset, self-acceptance, and acknowledging the need for change. Rehabilitation programs seek to prevent future crimes by altering a criminal’s behavior by providing educational, vocational, and other types of programs.
The use of restorative practices has the potential to:
The use of rehabilitation practices has the potential to:
Working closely with the Cuyahoga Hills JCF facility team, we want to help with the transformation of youth to believe they can become contributing members of the community and make an impact.
At the end of the program, participants will be able to: