Circus Act

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Circus ACT

At-risk youth transitioning into Adulthood through social Circus Training

Circus A.C.T. is a co-production project that aims to develop the key competences and basic skills of at-risk youth through social circus.

Project Number: 2021-1-CY02-KA220-YOU-000029183

About

Circus, as a discipline, provides a variety of experiences and activities which positively affect emotional, physical, and mental health well-being as well as the ability to focus and self-confidence

Studies have shown that circus skills programmes for young people, apart from enhancing physical, emotional and mental health, contribute to the development of self-confidence, self-efficacy, problem solving, trust, communication and leadership skills (Maglio, 2005). Thus, circus activities promote the development of various life skills that young people may not be able to develop in school or at home. 

Unlike other sport programs (e.g.,Neely, McHugh, Dunn, & Holt, 2017), circus arts programs generally feature a cooperative setting, mixed-gender activities, and acceptance of all youth irrespective of body type, initial competence, or other limitations (Bolton, 2004; McCutcheon, 2003; Ott, 2005). According to a recent evaluation of youth circus programs, they consistently meet standards for exemplary youth development programs (Smith, Roy, Peck, & Macleod, 2017). Participants in such programs demonstrated positive effects in social and emotional skills (Smith et al., 2017), which suggests that youth circus arts may be considered a type of youth development program.

Social circus as an innovative approach based on the combination of circus arts and social-pedagogy which aims to assist personal development and boost the self-esteem and social competence of at-risk youth through circus instruction and performance. Youth at-risk are those who are less likely to transition successfully into adulthood. Success can include academic success and job readiness, as well as the ability to be financially independent. It also can refer to the ability to become a positive member of society by avoiding a life of crime. Youth at-risk have often been orphaned, abandoned, neglected or abused, and who as a result, often struggle with low self-esteem, issues of trust and anxiety. In addition to teaching general social skills such as leadership and teamwork, social circus connects people who might otherwise be socially isolated and presents a novel method for engaging disadvantaged youth. Of course, we cannot overlook its physical benefits as well as the fact that it promotes the acquisition of new skills, which has been shown to carry profound neurological benefits. Finally, participation in social circus performances has been shown to boost confidence and increase resilience by providing a safe avenue for adolescents to test physical limits.

While many of the benefits mentioned above can also be achieved through other artistic and athletic activities, what makes social circus unique is the non-competitive setting it provides, the constant learning of new skills and the intersection of physical activity and the arts. Circus also allows youth to test boundaries in an appropriate and safe environment. Just like the road to maturity is full of trial and error, circus requires young people to persist through a series of failures until they inevitably succeed. Thus, the integration of this unique set of skills learned through developmental circus arts programs is disposed to equip youth with the resilience they need to be successful adults. (CBLI report: The benefits of social circus) Finally, social circus can be a powerful tool for promoting positive and meaningful interactions between individuals who are prone to social isolation, such as youth at-risk.

Target Group:

  1.  Youth-at risk
  2. Youth workers

Objectives

Therefore, having as target group youth workers and marginalized youth/ youth at-risk of exclusion, we propose a project with the following objectives:

  1. To ease the transitioning of youth at-risk into adulthood
  2. To provide youth at-risk with both tangible circus skills and with the opportunity to perform, thereby increasing social cohesion and self-esteem.
  3. To bring together young people who are prone to social exclusion
  4. To enhance emotional, physical, and mental health of young people at-risk of exclusion 
  5. To improve physical literacy, personal development and social growth of young people at-risk 
  6. To create social change helping young individuals at-risk take up an active role in society.
  7. To develop an educational tool for youth workers to help them acquire theoretical and practical knowledge of social circus pedagogy and support them in planning and implementing social circus learning activities for youth at-risk

Educational Material

Social Circus Curriculum for Youth workers

The project will provide the youth workers with a social circus curriculum entailing the necessary basic information to obtain the skills and competencies to organise social circus workshops for their young clients. It is a research based study program that is both an introduction to the youth and social circus arts and offers preliminary skills for working independently. The curriculum offers theoretical knowledge but mainly concentrates on practical training by using safe social circus diciplines and learning environments that support the self esteem, empowerment and new networks of friends of the young clients. The curriculum offers also an opportunity both for the youth workers and their young clients to get acquianted with a practise that is sportive, artistic, safe and fun. The extension of the curriculum is 5 ECTS, which means a workload of 135 hours (5 ECTS x 27 hours, 1 ECTS is 27 hours of work) for students.

Read our Curriculum:

e-handbook with video tutorials

One of the major output of the project Circus ACT is the creation of an interactive E-handbook including video tutorials and more. There exist a pletora of ressources about social circus aimed at inexperienced educators in this field but the main bulk of these have been created a while ago using traditional format such as booklet and printed version. The idea of circus ACT is that we want to update the existing content pertaining to social circus and create new content to specificaly help educators adress the issue of young people’s transition into adulthood. We want to create a ressource that is accessible to all and that uses a modern, digital format such as interactive videos, audio links, solution finder, GIF… in order to allow the users to better seek and learn techniques, methods and theories that are relevent to their specific needs. The circus ACT E-hanbook aim to be a comprehensive ressource for youth workers about social circus in which the access to the informations and the delivery methods are atractive, engaging and educative.

Read our e-handbook

Watch our videos:

  1. Juggling
  2. Diabolo
  3. Spinning Plates
Piloting Social Circus Workshops

PR4 consists in designing and piloting Social Circus workshops in all the partners’ countries.

The target group of PR4 is the youth-at-risk and more specifically those who transition into adulthood (16-21 years old). Circus skills are at the centre of these workshops and the partnership strives to give participants the opportunity to increase their self-esteem while improving their physical and mental health.

The leading organization of this project’s result is “Hope For Children” CRC Policy Center (Cyprus), to take advantage of its experience and the implementation of pilot workshops in European projects like INTEGRA, HIT and Keep Me Safe. 

The main objective of the Social Circus workshops is to present to the young participants and youth workers the Social Circus methodology, its benefits on mental and physical well-being, and how they can develop various life skills. Additionally, the youngsters will be introduced to the CIRCUS ACT E-learning platform. 

The Social Circus activities along with the Curriculum (PR1) will be tested with approximately 15-20 youth-at-risk peers per partner country (100 individuals in total) via an action learning-based pilot testing workshop of the Social Circus Curriculum methodology.

Training Event

Social Circus Pedagogy Training for Youth Workers

The Social Circus Pedagogy Training was an 8-day learning training activity (supplemented by a 6-hour online training) targeted towards youth workers of either the partners’ organizations and/or youth workers from their networks. Through their participation in the training activity, they built their capacity and enhanced their skills in our innovative educational methodologies, which they could implement during their work with youth at-risk. During the training, youth workers got a holistic overview of the use of social circus methods, its pedagogical approach, and its benefits for the target group.

Social Circus Local Workshops for youth

The transformative power of the circus connected education, physical art, and social development. Social Circus was more than teaching circus skills: it was a tool for transformation, discipline, creativity, and artistic expression. In our workshops at youth centers, we connected formal education with non-formal education through social circus. Workshops were done in a group of youngsters, where social circus methodologies were used in a 30-45 minute workshop. In these workshops, youngsters were provided with new skills at the physical level as well as the social level.

Juggling

Diabolo

Spinning Plates

Poi

Partners

STANDO LTD is a research and educational organisation based in Cyprus, dedicated to the advancement of research and innovation. We are, at the same time, an approved VET Centre accredited by the Human Resource Development Authority of Cyprus. The strength of our enterprise primarily lies in our highly qualified team and its extended network of international partners. Our dynamic and experienced academics, researchers and practitioners are committed in implementing large scale co-funded projects and collaborate with organizations from Cyprus and around the world. We actively participate in the planning and implementation of national and international projects, aiming at providing innovative solutions that facilitate the development of people and the cohesion of societies. Since 2016, we are providing a series of professional and academic trainings under the scope of Erasmus+ KA1 and KA2, as well as courses, seminars and consulting services to various target groups (students, youths, teachers, policy makers, parents, adults), learners and staff of Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers and Adult Centres.
STANDO LTD is a research and educational organisation based in Cyprus, dedicated to the advancement of research and innovation. We are, at the same time, an approved VET Centre accredited by the Human Resource Development Authority of Cyprus. The strength of our enterprise primarily lies in our highly qualified team and its extended network of international partners. Our dynamic and experienced academics, researchers and practitioners are committed in implementing large scale co-funded projects and collaborate with organizations from Cyprus and around the world. We actively participate in the planning and implementation of national and international projects, aiming at providing innovative solutions that facilitate the development of people and the cohesion of societies. Since 2016, we are providing a series of professional and academic trainings under the scope of Erasmus+ KA1 and KA2, as well as courses, seminars and consulting services to various target groups (students, youths, teachers, policy makers, parents, adults), learners and staff of Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers and Adult Centres.
Tampere University is a higher education community in Tampere, Finland that combines health, society and technology. Tampere University includes 30,000 students. On-third of our students study at Tampere University Applied Sciences (TAMK) and two-thirds at Tampere University. TAMK welcomes 2,600 and Tampere University 3,000 new students each year. Tampere University has seven faculties and several separate insittutions. entailing also the important task of continuing learning. The department of TREE- Continuing Education is responsible for continuing education and and offers various possibilities for professionals to attend continuous education programmes in order to both improve the professional knowhow but also to achieve professional qualifications in later adult life such as teachers and physicians. The department cooperates with all faculties of the university.
Tampere University is a higher education community in Tampere, Finland that combines health, society and technology. Tampere University includes 30,000 students. On-third of our students study at Tampere University Applied Sciences (TAMK) and two-thirds at Tampere University. TAMK welcomes 2,600 and Tampere University 3,000 new students each year. Tampere University has seven faculties and several separate insittutions. entailing also the important task of continuing learning. The department of TREE- Continuing Education is responsible for continuing education and and offers various possibilities for professionals to attend continuous education programmes in order to both improve the professional knowhow but also to achieve professional qualifications in later adult life such as teachers and physicians. The department cooperates with all faculties of the university.
Association for circus, education and culture – CIK also known as Cirkus La Bulle is a NGO based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Association CIK aims to educate youth workers and equip them with attractive methods which they can use in their work. We use circus pedagogy and social games as a tool for youth work and we aim to raise the awareness on mental wellbeing of youngsters and youth workers.
Association for circus, education and culture – CIK also known as Cirkus La Bulle is a NGO based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Association CIK aims to educate youth workers and equip them with attractive methods which they can use in their work. We use circus pedagogy and social games as a tool for youth work and we aim to raise the awareness on mental wellbeing of youngsters and youth workers.
The Hungarian Juggling Association is the PLATFORM in Hungary of INDEPENDENT CIRCUS ARTISTS. It gives an official background to all initiatives about juggling as a circus art, sport or hobby/ free time activity. In its projects, the members of the association use the creativity, joyfullness, and challenge of juggling combined with a strong educational approach, in this way completing cultural, educative and civil missions.
The Hungarian Juggling Association is the PLATFORM in Hungary of INDEPENDENT CIRCUS ARTISTS. It gives an official background to all initiatives about juggling as a circus art, sport or hobby/ free time activity. In its projects, the members of the association use the creativity, joyfullness, and challenge of juggling combined with a strong educational approach, in this way completing cultural, educative and civil missions.
The Bennohaus falls under the working group Ostviertel e.V. (AKO e.V.), the sponsoring association and board that directs and monitors all activities, employees, clubs, neighbors, or other groups in the Ostviertel district of Münster. The Bennohaus is a socio-cultural, cross-disciplinary and cross-generational open meeting place and cultural community center with prominent focus on education and media. With offers ranging from joint leisure activities to media training to cultural education work and EU partnerships, ventures and projects provided by Bennohaus Münster appeals to people of all ages, all worldviews, and all social classes. Taking into account both the independence of the individual and the existing structures and institutions, the Bennohaus community and organization offers opportunities to overcome differences and discover similarities. This social environment creates a lively exchange for all participating residents in the district and beyond.
The Bennohaus falls under the working group Ostviertel e.V. (AKO e.V.), the sponsoring association and board that directs and monitors all activities, employees, clubs, neighbors, or other groups in the Ostviertel district of Münster. The Bennohaus is a socio-cultural, cross-disciplinary and cross-generational open meeting place and cultural community center with prominent focus on education and media. With offers ranging from joint leisure activities to media training to cultural education work and EU partnerships, ventures and projects provided by Bennohaus Münster appeals to people of all ages, all worldviews, and all social classes. Taking into account both the independence of the individual and the existing structures and institutions, the Bennohaus community and organization offers opportunities to overcome differences and discover similarities. This social environment creates a lively exchange for all participating residents in the district and beyond.
The “Hope For Children” CRC Policy Center is an International Humanitarian and Independent Institution based in Nicosia, Cyprus. The institution is established on standards and principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and European Union Law. It works on humanitarian and development policy relevant to the defense and promotion of children’s rights. It does so through research, grassroots program design and implementation and advisory services offered to governments and international organizations. The operation of the organization is founded on the principle of promoting and protecting the rights of children. We aim to do this through the implementation of a variety of projects on a National, European and Global level.
The “Hope For Children” CRC Policy Center is an International Humanitarian and Independent Institution based in Nicosia, Cyprus. The institution is established on standards and principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and European Union Law. It works on humanitarian and development policy relevant to the defense and promotion of children’s rights. It does so through research, grassroots program design and implementation and advisory services offered to governments and international organizations. The operation of the organization is founded on the principle of promoting and protecting the rights of children. We aim to do this through the implementation of a variety of projects on a National, European and Global level.
The Association of Estonian Open Youth Centers (AEYC) is a nationwide umbrella organization that was founded on November 9th, 2001, with the aim to connect Estonian youth centers. Currently, the association has 248 youth centers as its members from all over the country. The aim of AEYC is to create a network of youth centers in Estonia, support the activities on the local level, and partner activities between our members on the national level. AEYC cooperates with state and local governments, youth organizations in Estonia and abroad, and other institutions involved in youth work. The association is supporting (new) youth centers, analyzing the current situation and needs of youth centers, supporting youth workers, organizing seminars and training, introducing new methods in youth work, arranging information exchange between different parties, and sharing ideas and inputs for national youth policy. AEYC develops local and international projects and partnerships shaping youth policy at the local and national levels. Since 2015 AEYC is EVS hosting, sending, and coordinating organization, and since 2019 AEYC is an ESC supporting organization. Currently, we are actively taking part in international collaborations within Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps, mainly strategic partnership projects, youth workers’ mobilities, and volunteering activities. In the daily work of developing youth work, European values and good practices learned from other countries are strongly considered in addition to the framework documents regulating Estonian youth work. We value the opportunities to continuously learn, exchange, and share ideas and good practices as well as strengthen our partner network. We aim to provide international youth work experience, and opportunities to learn from and be inspired by different practices. For young people interested in non-formal education and work with children and youth, we provide opportunities for long-term voluntary service in youth centres in Estonia.
The Association of Estonian Open Youth Centers (AEYC) is a nationwide umbrella organization that was founded on November 9th, 2001, with the aim to connect Estonian youth centers. Currently, the association has 248 youth centers as its members from all over the country. The aim of AEYC is to create a network of youth centers in Estonia, support the activities on the local level, and partner activities between our members on the national level. AEYC cooperates with state and local governments, youth organizations in Estonia and abroad, and other institutions involved in youth work. The association is supporting (new) youth centers, analyzing the current situation and needs of youth centers, supporting youth workers, organizing seminars and training, introducing new methods in youth work, arranging information exchange between different parties, and sharing ideas and inputs for national youth policy. AEYC develops local and international projects and partnerships shaping youth policy at the local and national levels. Since 2015 AEYC is EVS hosting, sending, and coordinating organization, and since 2019 AEYC is an ESC supporting organization. Currently, we are actively taking part in international collaborations within Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps, mainly strategic partnership projects, youth workers’ mobilities, and volunteering activities. In the daily work of developing youth work, European values and good practices learned from other countries are strongly considered in addition to the framework documents regulating Estonian youth work. We value the opportunities to continuously learn, exchange, and share ideas and good practices as well as strengthen our partner network. We aim to provide international youth work experience, and opportunities to learn from and be inspired by different practices. For young people interested in non-formal education and work with children and youth, we provide opportunities for long-term voluntary service in youth centres in Estonia.

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Activate NEETS

The main idea of the project is to share good practice that the organizations/entities do as methodology, tools in artistic areas that can help, support and empower the NEET to be integrated in the society and to create a training course for youth workers using arts and creativity as an organizational tools for the inclusion of NEET in society in time of COVID.

Objectives:

  • To provide youth organisations with art and creativity tools and methods to involve NEET´s on the society.
  • To support and empower the NEET to be integrated in the society.
  • To improve the quality and competences of the youth workers to work with NEET using different artistic methods and tools.
  • To develop transnational cooperation in the field of creativity and arts and social integration by exchanging good practices and experiences between partner countries

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Hope for Children - RISIV project
(2020-3-FR02-KA205-018383)

The Regenerate and Innovate: Social Impact Volunteering for Youth (RISIV) project is a transnational partnership between France, Spain, Portugal, the UK, Italy, and Cyprus, that aims to provide an innovative model of social inclusion through youth participation in community service through local and structured social impact projects (SIPs) alongside with local communities in need.

The project aims to design, test, validate and produce new guidance and support material for youth workers, youth leaders, and young people aged 13-17 to co-produce, implement and evaluate locality-based volunteering projects for social impact.

RISIV is a project is co-financed by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission (Ref. 2020-3-FR02-KA205-018383)

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