Circus Transformation in Action 7: 2023 & 2024
Circus Transformation (CTF) is a 20-day training for Social Circus trainers towards building capacity and know-how within the circus teaching community to develop skills in and around the effective use of circus as a tool for social engagement and change.
CTF was developed by the Caravan Network following a 5-year research project funded by the European Commission. The training is based on Caravan's ‘Circus Transformation Guidebook for Social Circus Teachers’ and has so far been delivered to 120 social circus teachers across 18 different countries. For more details, visit Caravan's website at www.caravancircusnetwork.eu.
The programme includes 4 x 5-day modules taught by expert facilitators from Sorin Sirkus (Finland), École de Cirque de Bruxelles (Belgium), AltroCirco (Italy) and Galway Community Circus (Ireland):
A - Social Context
B - Act of Teaching
C - Management/Steering of Teaching
D - Circus Techniques, Creativity and Foundations
The programme will be delivered between June 2023 and April 2024.
Circus Transformation Advanced
Circus Transformation Advanced is a research project that works to develop, enhance and evaluate the Circus Transformation training programme for Social Circus teachers. The project aims to strengthen the network with partners from social and youth work, disseminate the knowledge gained in previous training programmes and enable active communication between the fields of circus arts, social and youth work. The project also evaluates the CTF training programme, updates the CTF Guidebook and forms a peer network and follow-up strategy for CTF alumni.
The CTF Advanced project runs though April 2024. The first two workshops took place in Prague and Stockholm. The big meeting took place in Galway, and the final workshop will take place in Italy in October, with a conclusion meeting in February 2024.
You can read more about CTF Advanced and the big meeting in Galway here.
Circus Transformation Ireland 2022
In 2022, Dublin Circus Project, Galway Community Circus, Cloughjordan Circus Club and Circus Factory recruited participants for a 20-day professional training-for-trainers programme for Social Circus teachers. The programme was open to Ireland-based circus and/or youthwork practitioners, and was delivered between January and June 2022.
Thanks to funding from the Arts Council’s Capacity Building Support Scheme, the training programme was provided free of charge (course value is €2000 per participant). Participant were given a stipend of up to €450 for attending the full programme to support their travel, accommodation and subsistence costs. (Participants were required to organise their own accommodation and food).
Circus Transformation Europe
The Circus Transformation programme is a mechanism by the Youth and Social Circus Network Caravan membership to deliver 20-day trainings with support from Erasmus+. Participating circus trainers take four modules in four different international circus schools, joining circus trainers from across the world.
Galway Community Circus has sent 11 Irish based circus artists and educators to date to complete the Circus Transformation training.
More information can be found at the links below.
