According to The Aspen Times, “…a group of 39 bilingual students at Basalt Middle School, spread across three classes, the kids are mostly non-native English speakers and mostly immigrants, all telling their own stories through a springtime “visual journaling” program led by the nonprofit VOICES.

Throughout March, students learned about the concepts in Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” storytelling template and used them to write their own stories focused on a big change in their lives. Campbell’s story beats — used in pop culture touchstones from “Star Wars” to “Harry Potter” — begin with a call to adventure.

For the local students, many used their immigration to the United States as their call. From there, heroes endure trials, make allies and enemies, grow in skill and wisdom until Campbell’s final stages of mastery and freedom.

Led by VOICES teaching artist Arturo Williams, students responded to prompts to craft their own hero’s journey, such as writing about what they would bring with them on a journey, describing their everyday world and imagining themselves as superheroes.”

To read more about how Campbell’s Hero’s Journey is being used to help these students tell their story, click here.