Hero Booking

Many children face psychological and social obstacles that sometimes get the better of them and hold them back in life. Making a Hero Book in a safe space, amongst people they know and trust, helps children find ways to deal with these 'monsters'. During the process of making Hero Books, in a safe space, among people they know and trust, children are invited to share some of their inner world and life story through a series of drawing and autobiographical storytelling exercises. The group and facilitator enter strongly into each child’s story as friendly and supportive co-authors and editors – but the process goes further than storytelling, to strengthen wellbeing and circles of support around the child and to develop heroes, survivors, active citizens and solution-finders. Making a Hero Books is both a process and a product. At the end of the process, each child has a hand-bound, illustrated storybook of their own making, designed to help set goals and give power over a specific challenge or obstacle in his or her life; a kind of solution-focused mission statement, but one that also documents and reinforces his or her positive solution-building skills.Each child becomes HERO of their own book, gaining power over their ‘monster’ and confidence to achieve their life ambitions
See MADaboutART’s Youth Ambassadors and Young Youth Ambassadors describe their experience of hero booking in a short video here
 

Three in a Million: A Hero Book Story from Maital Guttman on Vimeo.