Past events
These events were organised with the financial support of the Youth in Action Programme of the European Union
30 NOVEMBER - 4 DECEMBER 2010 - STUDY VISIT
"Winter Visit"
(Tampere, Finland)
Representatives from seven European youth circuses took part in this "Winter Visit" to Finland, to discover the different forms of youth art education of this country. The members of CARAVAN were indeed interested to discover the Finnish system of "Basic Art Education". This was illustrated with different examples, such as with the curriculum and teaching methods of Sorin Sirkus, or with the "Art Arc" cultural project of the city of Tampere. A strong focus of the visit was also on projects developed for children with special needs in the art sector. Finally, participants discovered the Finnish social circus sector, and had the opportunity to exchange on the subject, so as to share different experiences from different countries.
The "Winter Visit" ended with an invitation to see the 25th anniversary show "Gaala" of Sorin Sirkus!
24-25 OCTOBER 2010 - TRAINING FOR TRAINERS
"Training in social circus"
(Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain)
In the framework of the European Year for combating poverty and social exclusion, this Grundtvig Workshop included artistic workshops (centered both on hip-hop and urban practices), times of reflection and exchanges based on the experience of the participants, as well as intercultural encounters with the local community. Participants had also the opportunity to take part in various cultural evenings, including the opening of Paris annual hip-hop festival. They ended the week with two public presentations, where they mixed circus techniques to new urban practices such as hip-hop.
20-27 June 2010 - TRAINING FOR TRAINERS
"Circus Arts, Urban Arts and Youth Culture"
(Bagneux/Paris, France)
In the framework of the European Year for combating poverty and social exclusion, this Grundtvig Workshop included artistic workshops (centered both on hip-hop and urban practices), times of reflection and exchanges based on the experience of the participants, as well as intercultural encounters with the local community. Participants had also the opportunity to take part in various cultural evenings, including the opening of Paris annual hip-hop festival. They ended the week with two public presentations, where they mixed circus techniques to new urban practices such as hip-hop.
Click on the picture for the full report of the event
19-21 March 2010 - STUDY VISIT
"Future of CARAVAN"
(Luxembourg, Luxembourg)
The Board of CARAVAN met in Luxembourg for a very interesting study visit! They took advantage of this meeting to evaluate their working methods and their projects aimed at young people. This should ensure for the future the continuity and the coherence of the association's activities!
JULY/AUGUST 2009 - YOUTH EXCHANGE
"Youth Circus in Belfast"
(Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK)
Click to enlarge
Students from the seven CARAVAN partner schools met in Belfast this summer with their trainers to take part in an exciting youth exchange! These enthusiastic young people discovered each other during the workshops and several cultural events. They also trained endlessly to prepare a unique show, presented to an audience thrilled by their talent!
JUNE 2009 - TRAINING FOR TRAINERS
"Innov'Arts - Circus Arts, Urban Arts and Youth Culture"
(Bagneux/Paris, France)
This innovative event was aimed at youth circus trainers from CARAVAN member schools, plus other invited schools (from Belgium, Italy, Poland and Spain). It included the discovery of urban cultures (such as breakdance and graffiti), times of reflection on and exchanges of education methods in the fields of youth work and circus arts, as well as workshops organised for the youngsters of Bagneux.
July 2008 – YOUTH EXCHANGE
“En Caravane – Circus Arts for an Intercultural Dialogue”
(Bagneux/Paris, France)
The theme of this youth exchange was European citizenship and intercultural dialogue. The event ended with a circus show, inspired by this theme, and tackling questions such as: How do young people perceive European citizenship today? What are their hopes and dreams for the intercultural Europe of tomorrow? How can artistic expression become a favoured tool for dialogue between young people? A DVD presenting the whole experience through interviews and excerpts from the workshops and the final show was produced, as well as a compilation of the participants’ answers to the common questionnaire.
This artistic and real-life experience between young people from seven different cultures and languages was a powerful and concrete expression of the intercultural Europe of today and tomorrow. About 30 young people from 13-20 years-old and 8 leaders took part in the exchange, all coming from CARAVAN member schools.
March 2008 – TRAINING FOR TRAINERS
“Training Social Circus”
(Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
The trainers involved in this course tackled several issues, such as the profile of a social circus trainer and the way circus can be used to work with children with special needs. Social circus was analysed in the broad sense of the term, including children, teenagers and young adults from ethnic minorities, socially excluded children, physically and mentally disabled children and children from families with fewer opportunities.
The participants discovered how social circus is developed in Amsterdam and visited several projects of Elleboog. The Ecole de Cirque de Bruxelles shared its experience in working with mentally and physically challenged students.
The seminar provided answers to those wishing to start a social circus project: target groups, different possibilities, material needed, required partners and so on. The participants not only learned new methods of teaching, but also exchanged several games to be used during circus lessons.
Participants: Cabuwazi (Germany), Le Plus Petit Cirque du Monde (France), Sorin Sirkus (Finland), Circus Elleboog (The Netherlands), Belfast Community Circus (N. Ireland), Ecole de Cirque de Bruxelles (Belgium), Zaltimbanq’ (Luxembourg), Associazione giocolieri e dontorni (Italy), Woesh (Belgium), Circus Maniacs (United Kingdom) and Jokes (Germany).
