What is your hero’s journey?
As part of the Relight project, FacilitAscolto recently held a transformative training session for a women’s circle of migrants. Creating Women’s Circles aims to foster integration by bringing together local and migrant women. The circles serve as a platform for exchanging ideas, thoughts, and experiences and thus strengthening the bond between these groups in society.
The session began with everyone sitting in a circle, introducing themselves and describing their feelings. The circle symbolizes a space for comparison, networking, community building, welcome, cooperation, and support. The women’s group spoke about intersectionality, focusing on how intersecting discrimination impacts migrant women. They shared how gender, ethnicity, legal status, and socio-economic status shape their lives and resilience. Self-leadership—defining and strengthening one’s direction—was also a focus. Women utilized guided reflection to ask themselves critical questions about their identity, goals, and needs, cultivating self-awareness and empowerment.
The journey of growth and transformation took center stage as participants explored their narratives. Inspired by the framework of the hero’s journey, they analyzed its key stages and connected them to their personal stories. Using the story of Little Red Riding Hood, they explored the universal path of transformation: The journey begins in the ordinary world, where things feel familiar but sometimes limiting. Then comes the call to travel—an invitation to step beyond our comfort zone, even if it’s uncertain. At first, we may experience refusal of the call, doubting if we’re ready for the change. But when we decide to move forward, we cross the threshold, stepping into the unknown and starting to grow. Along the way, we face tests, meet challenges, and discover allies and enemies. These moments shape our journey and reveal our strength. The biggest challenge pushes us to our limits, teaching us about our resilience. Then, we gain the reward—a clearer understanding and sense of self.
Finally, there’s rebirth and growth, we emerge stronger and wiser, ready to face what’s next, knowing we have what it takes to continue the journey.Participants then paired up and shared their own hero’s journey, identifying the challenges they had faced, the assistance they had received, and how they had overcome obstacles.
Lastly, the group engaged in a practical and creative self-expression laboratory. In this interactive session, the women celebrated their growth, strengths, and talents—a symbolic representation of their journey. This final step reinforced the message that every woman is on her own hero’s journey, continually growing, overcoming challenges, and thriving in her community. Through fostering self-awareness, resilience, and creativity, the women’s circle was a transformative experience, allowing migrant women to take ownership of their own lives and recognize their potential.
