Odyssey provides a strength-based framework to all programmes, which are designed to support learners’ sense of social and emotional wellbeing. Programmes are developed in consultation with school leaders to ensure that the training and delivery is orientated to the needs of the school community. The Odyssey framework is flexible enough to incorporate the different sociocultural contexts of the learners and yet provide sufficient structure to ensure that this strength-based approach to wellbeing meets the objectives of the stakeholders.
We understand the unique and differing needs of schools and organisations and work closely with them in designing and implementing programmes; taking into account the specific objectives as well as the school values, ethos, budget and infrastructure available. Odyssey believes in building strong relationships over time and we are committed to delivering on-going support and innovation to all our learners, teachers and parents.
It is the hope that working together within this strength-based framework, we will support and encourage learners on their own personal journey while also promoting unity and connectedness to other humans and the non-human world around them.
Core Principles underpinning programmes:
Self-awareness
Self-regulation
Empathy
Motivation
Social Skills
Examples of topics covered:
- Recognising strengths: self-awareness, accurate self-perception, identifying skill and character strengths
- Emotion Management: identifying emotions, self-regulation, impulse control, stress-management, mindfulness.
- Social competence: social awareness, create and maintain social connectedness/engagement, resisting inappropriate social pressure, understanding social norms, relationship building.
- Building relationships and resolving conflicts: empathy and compassion, develop healthy guidelines for dating, understanding the power of vulnerability, apologising and forgiving, constructively negotiating conflict, seeking and offering help when required.
- Motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, growth mindset vs fixed mindset
- Effective Communication: creating a safe environment, body language, active listening, mirroring, responding, constructive conflict negotiations.
- Responsible and ethical decision making: Considering ethical standards, social norms, safety concerns, moral reasoning, evaluating and reflecting on consequences of actions on wellbeing of self and others.
- Resilience: playing to one’s strengths, optimistic and pessimistic thinking, recognise and utilize family, school and community support and resources.
- Collaborative Leadership: individuality, mutual respect, collaboration
- Appreciating diversity: empathy and perspective-taking with others from diverse cultures and backgrounds, understanding social and ethical norms for behavior.
- Becoming good ancestors: Social, ecological and environmental responsibility; compassion and service, ethical responsibility
- Effective problem solving: analysing situations, identifying and solving problems
- Teamwork: creating team spirit and cohesion
- Goal setting and organizational skills
- Conflict resolution skills
- Recognising bullying behavior and harassment: manage social media and resist cyberbullying, deal with negative peer pressure, gossip and bullying.
We offer a variety of programmes and workshops including:
- Half-day or full-day workshops
- Strength-based workshop: 4, 6 or 9 weeks (60- 90 minute sessions)*
- Small group-based interventions
- 1:1 strength-based assessment and intervention
- Train-the-trainer
*where numbers of participants are large, we suggest dividing the group into a series of half-day workshops.
Examples of Programmes on offer:
Introduction to Understanding a Strength-based approach
Aim: To equip students with a knowledge of character strengths and a strength-based approach by:
- Understanding the basic concepts and different types of character strengths
- Recognising their own and the strengths of others
- Developing a common language to a strength-based approach
- Helping students develop their strengths
Course Duration: Each series comprised 1 session (60 min session)
Four-Week Strength-based Programme
Aim: Helping students develop social emotional competence using a strength-based approach
Course duration: 4 sessions (each session 60mins)
Course content:
Week 1 Core Value: Self-awareness
- Recognising character strengths: developing self-awareness and an accurate self-perception.
Week 2 Core Value: Self-regulation
- Helping students develop self-regulation using their strengths: identifying emotions, self-regulation, impulse control, stress-management, mindfulness.
Week 2 Core Value: Social Competence
- Supporting students in developing social competence using their strengths: improving social awareness, creating and maintaining social connectedness/engagement, resisting inappropriate social pressure, understanding social norms, relationship building.
Week 4 Core Value: Motivation
- Understanding intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, growth mindset vs fixed mindset, fostering autonomy and competency using strengths.
Six-week Strength-based Programme
Aim: Fostering resilience and social emotional competence adopting a strength-based approach
Course duration: 6 sessions (each session 60mins)
Course content:
Week 1 Core Value: Self-awareness
- Recognising character strengths: developing self-awareness and an accurate self-perception.
Week 2 Core Value: Self-regulation
- Helping students develop self-regulation using strengths: identifying emotions, self-regulation, impulse control, stress-management, mindfulness.
Week 3 Core Value: Social Competence
- Supporting students in developing social competence: social awareness, create and maintain social connectedness/engagement, resisting inappropriate social pressure, understanding social norms, relationship building.
Week 4 Core Value: Resilience
- Helping students cope with adversity using their strengths
- Developing Resilience: playing to one’s strengths, optimistic and pessimistic thinking, recognise and utilize family, school and community support and resources.
Week 5 Core Value: Empathy
- Helping students build relationships and resolve conflicts with empathy and compassion, understanding the power of vulnerability, apologising and forgiving, constructively negotiating conflict, seeking and offering help when required.
Week 6 Core Value: Motivation
- Understanding intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, growth mindset vs fixed mindset, fostering autonomy and competency using strengths.
Nine-week Strength-based Programme
Aim: Fostering resilience and social emotional competence adopting a strength-based approach; developing effective communication, responsible and ethical decision making, resilience, collaborative leadership, effective problem solving, appreciating diversity and developing social, ecological and environmental responsibility
Course duration: 9 sessions (each session 60mins)
Course content:
Week 1 Core Value: Self-awareness
- Recognising character strengths: developing self-awareness and an accurate self-perception.
Week 2 Core Value: Self-regulation
- Helping students develop self-regulation using strengths: identifying emotions, self-regulation, impulse control, stress-management, mindfulness.
Week 3 Core Value: Social Competence
- Supporting students in developing social competence: social awareness, create and maintain social connectedness/engagement, resisting inappropriate social pressure, understanding social norms, relationship building.
Week 4 Core Value: Resilience
- Resilience: playing to one’s strengths, optimistic and pessimistic thinking, recognise and utilize family, school and community support and resources.
Week 5 Core Value: Empathy
- Appreciating and understanding the strengths of others
- Perspective and interconnectedness
- Helping students build relationships and resolve conflicts with empathy and compassion, understanding the power of vulnerability, apologising and forgiving, constructively negotiating conflict, seeking and offering help when required
Week 6 Core Value: Motivation
- Understanding intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, growth mindset vs fixed mindset, fostering autonomy and competency using strengths.
Week 7 Core Values: Effective Communication and Effective Problem Solving
- Focus on creating a safe environment, understanding body language, active listening, mirroring, responding, constructive conflict negotiations.
- Effective problem solving: analysing situations, identifying and solving problems using strengths
Week 8 Core Value: Responsible Decision Making and Collaborative Leadership
- Understanding the strengths and individuality of others, mutual respect, collaboration
Week 9 Core Values: Appreciating Diversity and Becoming Good Ancestors
- Appreciating diversity: empathy and perspective-taking with others from diverse cultures and backgrounds, understanding social and ethical norms for behavior.
- Becoming good ancestors: Social, ecological and environmental responsibility; compassion and service, ethical responsibility
- Using a strength-based approach to responsible and ethical decision making: Considering ethical standards, social norms, safety concerns, moral reasoning, evaluating and reflecting on consequences of actions on wellbeing of self and others.
Cost of all programmes available on application