Cirkaskina, the Canadian social circus movement
Through its actions, Cirkaskina creates spaces for sharing knowledge and meaningful cultural interactions.
Cirkaskina was founded following the first national social circus gathering in Montreal, in January 2020, which brought together 150 youth from 17 Canadian communities. Cirkaskina, meaning “circus” and “all together” in the Indigenous Atikamekw language, is the Canadian social circus network. As Cirque Hors Piste national component, Cirkaskina brings together twenty different organisations that use circus as a tool for social transformation with youth experiencing marginalization. Our community supports national but also local actions that are adapted to each context and are sustainable over time.
Every year, close to one hundred young leaders in social circus become ambassadors for their social circus communities. By emerging as mentors in their local programs, they embody social circus values, help build relationships between the national network and local communities as well as maintain the sense of belonging for all that participate in Cirkaskina’s activities.
Cirkaskina’s main objectives are anchored in reality:
- To facilitate networking activities between youth, practitioners, researchers and social circus coordinators.
- To promote and strengthen the recognition of the circus arts as a tool for social transformation.
- To support young leaders in social circus with their life skills.
