Falling together: an examination of trust-building in youth and social circus training

Abstract

In 2013, David Mason, the director of the Mini Mobile Circus for Children in Afghanistan wrote ‘It seems the value and joy of educational entertainment is not fully appreciated and understood, especially in the academic world’. This article attempts to support the claim that youth and social circus can affect young people in an extraordinary way. The multifaceted nature of circus reveals it to be an art form that it is adaptable to almost any situation or any kind of participant. Whether it is young performers in Ireland, people with learning difficulties in Finland, or displaced children in Afghanistan, circus is being used as an empowering and educational form of entertainment with extremely positive results. Some causes for those effects are proposed and in doing so, an insight into the nature of youth and social circus training is offered.

Keywords:

• circus
• youth circus
• youth studies
• social circus
• performance
• trust-building