Objective
The Hoopologie Collective has set a goal
to help raise $4,000 USD to support CircusAid in serving Refugee Communities Greece.
CircusAid projects have a specific focus on the intersection of circus and occupational therapy for addressing the negative consequences of displacement, especially mental health issues and trauma as they relate to the experience of occupational deprivation for political and environmental refugees.
Examples of circus themed occupational therapy practices support the belief that the resettlement journey should uphold people’s right to engage in meaningful occupations (Hammell, 2008). Occupational participation of refugee populations engaging in circus activities contribute to increases in individual resilience and community wellness.
On August 3rd, 2014 the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) invaded the Sinjar region of northern Iraq. Sinjar was home to the majority of the world’s Yazidis, a religious community whose adherents ISIS publicly reviles as infidels.
ISIS committed severe atrocities against the Yazidi community including: Killing men, women and children, raping, selling and holding as sexual slaves women and young girls, torturing young boys in an attempt to force them to convert.
Many Yazidi families arrived in Serres with limited education and broken families as a result of the attempted genocide. Parents, also the victims of ISIS violations, are struggling to understand and to cope with the behaviour of their severely traumatized children. Women face a precarious existence coming from a society that has not encouraged their independence, or given many of them the tools to live autonomously. With so many men Yazidi men killed, the ability of women and children to survive and thrive is limited by their lack of personal and financial independence, an issue that must be addressed. Psychosocial support and life skills education are required to help heal the members of Yazidi community that reside in Serres, Greece.
CircusAid’s goal is to aid in restoring human dignity through diverse programming that teaches refugee communities ‘life skills’ such as trust, reciprocity, communication, teamwork, self awareness, self confidence and positive risk taking.
These life skills are the basis of CircusAid programs that provide joyful experiences along with transferrable skills to support refugee communities during various stages of their resettlement process.
Program Activities include:
CLOWNING AND THEATRE GAMES involve games and activities that are achievable for everyone and encourage various forms of verbal and non-verbal communication, reciprocation, establishing eye contact, and planning behaviors. The activities involve running, jumping, crawling and balancing. Social interaction, problem solving, and a wide range of motor experiences are explored.
ACROBALANCE AND YOGA activities promote physical, cognitive, and social health. Normalizing reactions to touch, building core strength and body awareness of self and others are important components of this activity and are encouraged through physical contact involving different positions where participants combine body parts to make a shape. Acrobalance can involve as little as two people or an infinite amount of people.
BALANCED BASED ACTIVITIES strengthen the vestibular system while encouraging participants to become familiar with their limitations. Body awareness and trust of oneself and a spotter is promoted. These activities also provide the opportunity for increasing challenges by incorporating multiple skills at the same time.
MANIPULATION: JUGGLING, HULA HOOP, PLATE SPINNING, POI activities address gross and fine motor control providing repetition and practice of specific motor skills. Gross motor skills are necessary for proper body movement and are the foundation upon which fine motor skills develop. Focusing on an individual’s gross motor skills can improve handwriting, social interaction, and self-esteem. The various activities provide opportunities for participants to improve coordination, sense of timing, and rhythm. Perseverance and problem solving is encouraged while participants engage in bimanual hand use and crossing the midline to manipulate, grasp and reach different objects.
PERFORMANCE
INFORMAL AND STRUCTURED:
Performance provides goal-setting opportunities for the participants, enabling them to see achievable results from their work while appreciating the accomplishments of others.
Performance Opportunities Promote:
*Motivation for Engagement
*Spontaneity and Improvisation
*Creativity, Collaboration and Exploration
Stay tuned for more information, to meet the founder, and more resources to get involved throughout the months of March & April 2021, and beyond.
Follow Hoopologie, and CircusAid, and
on Instagram for more interactive
and informative resources.
