social circus
Circosis value their relationships and feel very honoured to learn from, share knowledge and visit places belonging to some of the oldest continuing cultures on the planet. They acknowledge the traditional owners past and present and future of the land they live and the places they visit.
What is Social Circus?
Social Circus is where fun, creativity and community come together. Using circus skills as a powerful tool for connection and learning, Social Circus creates opportunities for people of all ages to build confidence, develop new skills, and discover what they're capable of.
While participants learn exciting circus skills and enjoy healthy, active movement, the real magic happens beyond the tricks. Through shared challenges and collective achievements, people develop self-belief, teamwork, leadership, resilience and a strong sense of belonging. As confidence grows, participants often step into mentoring and leadership roles, becoming positive role models within their communities and beyond.
At its heart, Social Circus is a place where everyone belongs. It offers a culturally safe space for sharing stories, celebrating identity, and learning from one another's experiences. Through performance, participants find their voice, develop leadership skills, and gain the confidence to be seen and heard.
As one of Australia's longest-running Social Circus program, Circosis has had the privilege of witnessing countless stories of growth, empowerment and transformation, over multiple generations. Participants in remote communities have shown how circus can inspire confidence, strengthen cultural identity, and create lasting positive change.
Beyond Circus: Circosis Social Circus
History
Circosis have delivered over 100 circus education programs to more than 50 remote Indigenous communities in Australia, Costa Rica, South Africa, Madagascar and India. Their strength lies in their experience of working with marginalised youth in remote areas, and they have gained widespread respect through their culturally safe approach, integrity, flexibility, openness, commitment, continuity and of course humour.
Between 2004 - 2018, Circosis worked alongside communities using community development principles and circus skills to develop healthy role modelling and leadership roles. Working from a strength-based approach, their social circus program was used as a framework to build upon the existing social capital from within communities. The program integrated Indigenous worldviews and culturally appropriate constructs of success and value. The highlight of the program was the inter-generational celebration through performance, that positively reinforced young peoples strengths and capacity within the community.