Do not let go or give up, repeat as many times as necessary: the circus, universal art, is like a school of life. in Aubenas, in Ardèche, the social circus allows young people who have dropped out of school or who have broken with society to regain a taste for everyday life and find a place. Like Mohamed, a fifteen-year-old teenager who fled the war in Syria, arrived in Ardèche in 2017. This circus experience frees him from his isolation, like an escape.
For Léa, who has been out of school since second grade, the young girl who got involved in this adventure rehearses a number that combines acrobatics, juggling and theatre. The social circus gives her a chance to have fun, regain her self-confidence and find her way.
It gave me confidence in myself, because when I arrived, I was completely withdrawn.
After two weeks of training in the circus, these young people produce paintings which they present at the end to the families, to the companies which have welcomed them and to the partners who have financed the scheme.
This program is the result of a partnership between the social circus L’Art d’En Faire and the Local Mission of Ardèche Méridionale. It combines a set of skills and tools to implement actions allowing young people to regain self-confidence, to develop informal and non-formal skills and to discover a professional environment, aimed at facilitating their social or professional integration.
This device, which is part of a global social circus network, therefore allows young people to discover not only the arts of the circus but also different trades: baking, dry stone, sewing, carpentry or metalwork. With the objective of remobilization. The formula: two weeks at the circus to be in tune with oneself while flourishing in a group and two weeks in a company, to re-motivate young people who are sometimes idle.
The season for this program will end on Saturday June 25 from 6 to 9 p.m. with the presentation of circus acts and a show by a group of young amateurs. The entrance is free.