Experiential programme · for schools and day centres

“Hero’s Journey”. Building social and emotional resilience through experience.

Every child is the hero of their own story — facing obstacles, overcoming them and discovering their strengths. The sessions are designed so that the child lives this journey themselves — not listening about emotions, but experiencing them and learning to manage them.

SIM · 2025
In November 2025, “Hero’s Journey” was recognised as a European social innovation and listed on the Social Innovation Match platform. European Commission SIM platform
10+ years
The kit distils more than ten years of Domus Solis experience working with complex groups of children and adolescents. Based on the Trauma Informed Schools UK approach
01 · Who it’s for

Clear structure where discipline doesn’t work.

More and more children and adolescents face anxiety, behavioural difficulties, bullying or challenging life circumstances. “Hero’s Journey” gives the adult a clear structure and concrete tools for working with a group so that even children with the most challenging behaviour feel safe, accepted and able to change.

For schools

For class periods, preventive group work and non-formal education.

For children’s day centres

For everyday activities with mixed, diverse groups of children.

For specialists

Working with children with behavioural or learning difficulties or special needs, including autism spectrum traits.

02 · Principles

What the programme is built on.

Trauma-informed pedagogy

A child’s “difficult” behaviour is understood not as disobedience to be suppressed, but as a signal of past experiences or unmet needs. The adult’s task is first to create safety and connection — and only then to teach. The methodology builds on the international Trauma Informed Schools UK approach.

Experiential learning

Children learn not by listening but by doing — through movement, play, creativity and shared group experience. The format especially suits children who struggle to sit through a traditional lesson.

03 · Toolkit

The “Hero’s Journey Box”.

A unique toolkit — everything needed to run the sessions, in one box. The facilitator needs no special psychology background: every session has a detailed plan with clear steps and explanations.

Sessions 18 experiential session plans across six themes
Cards 31 multi-purpose cards for recognising feelings and emotional states — also suited to children with autism spectrum traits
Posters A1 / A3 format posters for self-observation and emotional regulation

Six session themes

Trust in yourself and others

Creating a safe environment, strengthening self-knowledge and knowledge of others, building optimism and self-regulation.

Similarities and differences

Learning through movement to understand your senses and accept otherness — bullying prevention.

Managing anger and force

Recognising boundaries and strong emotions, and learning to manage them constructively.

Self-expression and creativity

Encouraging free self-expression through art, talking about social media and creativity.

Empathy and courage

Developing the ability to understand yourself and others, talk about feelings and build confidence.

Community and responsibility

Team tasks help build a united class, encouraging citizenship and cooperation.

04 · Support

Implementation and support — 6 months.

The programme is more than a box of tools. For the first six months the team is not left alone: training, supervision and a community help the methodology take root in everyday work — rather than staying on the shelf.

Introductory training

Live training for the team before starting work with a group.

Supervision

Remote supervision every other week: emotional support and case analysis.

Competence building

Monthly competence-building training.

Community platform

A Facebook group for sharing experience with other facilitators.

Accredited certificate

A professional development certificate recognised in the education system.

Impact assessment

Tools for monitoring children’s change — emotional state, behaviour and group relationships. For day centres this doubles as a quality measure when reporting to funders or municipalities.

05 · Contact

Want the “Hero’s Journey” at your institution?

Get in touch — we will present the programme, show the contents of the box and help you plan the rollout.