Creating Magic Together in 2023
2023 was a wonderful year at Galway Community Circus. We share some of our favourite moments and stories from the past year.
2023 has been an incredible year of creating magic together at Galway Community Circus. As this year comes to a close and we reflect on another vibrant and inclusive programme, we see the profound role circus continues to play in the lives of countless individuals. Throughout the last year we have witnessed skill development, personal growth, and community bonding through the transformative power of circus arts.
As we reflect on this year's achievements, it is clear that circus is not merely an art form but a catalyst for positive change. It instils confidence, builds lasting connections, and creates a space for personal expression. We are excited about the journey ahead and the continued impact that circus will have on individuals and communities alike.
Here we share some of our favourite moments and stories from the past year, all of which would not have been possible without your support. Thank you for being a part of our circus family, and we look forward to sharing more wonderful moments in the coming year.
To close, we share a message our former Executive Creative Director, Ulla, who'd like to thank all those who have supported Galway Community Circus during her 15 year tenure: "It takes a village to run a circus and, as I am now stepping down, I am eternally grateful to every single person who has given so generously their time, advice, skills, encouragement and support. I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to be a part of such a beautiful community and I will follow with pride the exciting new chapter for the Circus and our members."
Bridging Borders, Cultures, and Hearts through Youth Circus Exchanges
We want our members to feel they are part of a fantastic global circus community. To ensure this, we offer them opportunities to take part in national and international youth exchanges. In 2023, we participated in 5 youth exchanges both in Ireland and internationally funded by Erasmus+ and Creative Ireland.
Youth exchanges foster intercultural dialogue and learning, develop skills and attitudes of young people, strengthen values, break down prejudices and stereotypes, raise awareness about socially relevant topics and encourage engagement in society and active participation. Youth Exchanges are part of what make our programming so rich - and give our young members memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.
Read more about the youth exchanges we took part in this year below.
"Circus is the most holistic and complete physical and artistic discipline. A way of living, thinking, and relating based on community, joy, creativity, and challenge. A form of artivism." -Galway Community Circus member
Bringing Circus into Communities
As part of our mission to make circus accessible to every child in Ireland, we offer accessible and inclusive circus outreach programmes for schools, youth and community groups. This year we ran 16 community programmes, with one of these being a summer circus project with New Horizon Athlone.
This partnership saw us hosting circus workshops with Direct Provision and refugee youth in Athlone, in preparation for Fleadh Day where community workshops and a performance took place under our big top tent. We are thrilled to continue our partnership with New Horizon into its third year in 2024.
Read more about this fantastic partnership below.
Youth Voice at the Heart of it All
As a youth circus school, we keep our young participants at the front and centre of everything we do. Our goal is to build a circus that looks like our members both now and in the future. Youth voice is key in the design of all our workshops and projects and we use various methods to collect feedback and ideas from our members.
This year we hosted a number of 'Youth Voice Box' events enabling youth participants to be included in decision-making and giving them projects and programmes to shape, design and deliver. Another of the creative youth-led projects we delivered in 2023 was a youth mental health campaign in partnership with Mental Health Ireland. We would also like to give big thanks to Darragh who just finished their three-year term as a youth representative on our Board of Directors to move to study in Maastricht. Best of luck, Darragh, and thank you for everything!
"Circus is an allrounder. The children play co-operative games; there's an acceptance of everyone's strengths and weaknesses; the children are given choices which means that while they are challenged they can remain in their comfort zone until they are ready; fantastic core exercise without them even realising; a strong sense of community." -Galway Community Circus parent
Putting the Spotlight on Personal and Artistic Growth with Live Performance
All of our members have the opportunity to take part in live performances – from theatre shows and big top tents to street performances and parades. Live performance is a transformative experience that goes beyond honing technical skills; it is a dynamic platform for personal and artistic growth.
This year we put on 11 shows, including two by our Youth Ensemble, a group of members aged 14-24 who created and performed a show in Galway and at Festival of Fools in Belfast with the support from Arts Council Youth Ensemble Scheme. Our youth members also produced and performed two Scratch Night shows as well as community performances for friends and families.
Building a Circus for All
This year we launched our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy, which serves a a road map for us as we continue our journey to make circus better for everyone. We believe that diversity means representation across a wide range of traits, backgrounds, and experiences. Inclusion within our organisation translates to that of a sense of belonging and equality for all those who engage with us.
EDI values are embedded in each strand of our organisation: our circus school, community programmes, artists and artform development programmes, organisational structure and our Board of Directors. EDI principles inform our staffing, programme, and decision-making at a board level. As part of our new strategic plan 2023-2027, EDI is included as its own development area.
Read more about our EDI Policy below.
"I love circus, my daughter loves it and I particularly love your ability to foster growth and fun in an atmosphere of natural inclusion. There is zero pressure but plenty of challenge." -Galway Community Circus parent
Supporting the Development of Circus in Education - Our partnership with University of Galway
This year, Galway Community Circus expanded its long-term partnership with University of Galway working towards a third-level education for circus teachers in Ireland.
Since November 2022, we have been a company in residence at University of Galway via the Arts Council's Young People, Children and Education Residency Scheme, and will continue the residency until the end of 2024. The goal of the residency is to embed Youth and Social Circus in the curriculum of three degree courses across disciplines in order to educate a new generation of teachers on the benefits of circus in children’s education.
This important partnership also saw us co-deliver our very first 12-week module for the Designing Futures programme, an initiative developed to help students succeed in life and the future world of work, as well as participating in the Arts in Action programme, where we discussed youth circus, our residency and the exciting circus research projects that are taking place.
"As adults, we rarely get to physically play in a non competitive way and I have really enjoyed this aspect of circus. I am amazed and so pleased with the physical skills I have learnt. It has given me great confidence in what my body can do. When faced with a physical challenge now I say 'why not' instead of 'I can't'." -Galway Community Circus member
Building and Nurturing a Community of Valued Circus Professionals
At Galway Community Circus, one of our strategic goals is to build a community of valued circus professionals. We deliver high quality professional development for artists, arts educators and other arts professionals at all stages of their careers. In 2023 we hosted 303 days of professional development largely supported by Erasmus+ funding. Our 20-day flagship training programme for social circus educators 'Circus Transformation' is now on its seventh edition, being delivered in partnership with our partners in the Caravan Network.
We also provide a daily training space for circus artists, host professional masterclasses, mentor emerging artists with their own projects and applications and work hard on long-term development initiatives to further professionalise circus arts in Ireland.
Rethink Ireland Award for the Expansion of our Circus School
Back in March, Galway Community Circus was one of five trailblazing social enterprises awarded to accelerate change under Rethink Ireland's Step-Up Fund. This Fund was set up for established, mid-sized social enterprises with the aim of supporting them to be ready to scale.
This support is enabling us to grow our dynamic circus school to 3 locations, share our model of inclusive circus education throughout Ireland and develop and professionalise circus education with our academic, national and international partners.
“Circus is exactly what I need to move through life in the happiest way that I can.” -Galway Community Circus member
Harnessing International Partnerships to Develop Circus in Ireland
Through international collaboration, we develop the artform of circus here in Ireland. We partner closely with key international youth circus networks to learn from international best practice, share our work and develop with the wider sector.
This year we saw the conclusion of our Creative Europe co-operation project Wires Crossed: Head Heart Balance, became members of the international network for professional circus education FEDEC, and continued our Erasmus+ European Solidarity Corps project. We also continued as board members of the Caravan Network, leading on many important projects for the sector and enabling access and opportunities to Irish artists and organisations.