Hero Squad Assemble!
Friends are great! Together you share laughter, advice, milestones, the ups and the downs. Having a hero squad is important for you on your hero’s journey. But what do we mean when we talk about a hero squad?
Allies in the Hero’s Journey
They may not be a wise old wizard, or an adorable talking animal companion, but friends are a valuable resource to help us grow and accomplish our goals. Our friends can act as a sounding board for any dilemmas and can offer advice on how we proceed. And, of course, we do the same for our friends. Sometimes our friends can provide knowledge that we do not have, or offer a new perspective. For example, Hermione’s knowledge about the forbidden books helped Harry and Ron learn about the Polyjuice Potion.
In Joseph Campbell’s model, allies are usually found once we enter the unknown world, after we have taken our call to action. Allies and friends can be found everywhere, and usually where you least expect. Our allies may be friends from high school, a favourite professor, a colleague at a new job, or a respected member of the community. Sometimes it may be difficult to know where our hero’s journey takes us, but that journey is easier with a few allies.
Hero Squads can help us to become heroes
A group of allies brings together their collective knowledge, experiences, skills and resources to form a hero squad. This is important because, like Harry, we may sometimes need expertise that is not within our domain. For example, we may be in a situation that would be best handled by someone who has knowledge about mathematics, or who is more physically capable than us. Sometimes we may need to refer to an authority figure so we know how to proceed. The many diverse qualities that the hero squad brings to the table assist each other in overcoming obstacles and solve problems. And with our powers combined, we can work together to create positive change in our community and our world.
Who do you consider part of your hero squad?
We encourage our readers to think about the people in your life who you respect, admire, that you can turn to when you need help. What kind of people are in your hero squad? For fun, you might like to come up with superhero names for each other, and what your powers might be.
Assemble your hero squad to enroll in hero training, and learn that anyone can be an everyday hero.
