Circus City are excited to announce our involvement as an associate partner in Take Care – the first-ever EU project dedicated to supporting mental health and well-being in the circus arts sector.
“It is great to be involved in this initiative which looks to understand and improve the experience of artists during circus training and circus careers, and to engage organisations thoughtfully and practically in challenging stereotypes around mental health within circus and embedding accessibility and practices of care across the sector, for the benefit of all.” – Nicole A’Court-Stuart
Take Care is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission, and led by FEDEC – International network for professional circus education, with the following partners: Codarts (NLD), Circus Dance Festival (DEU), Filip Jacobson (DEU), Miikkael Kukkula (FIN), Around about circus (DEU) and associate festival partners: Circuscentrum (BEL), ON THE EDGE Festival (AUT) and Circus City (UK).
The project focuses on preventing mental health issues through:
- raising awareness,
- providing training for students, staff, and professionals,
- facilitating the exchange of best practices in caring for young artists,
- monitoring students mental health.
Across 2024 – 2027, FEDEC members will be able to access resources, workshops and conferences, including the Take Care: European Conference on Mental Health and Well-Being in the Circus and Performing Arts Sector taking place at CircusDanceFestival 2025 | 7th of June 2025, Cologne (DEU):
“Finding quality of life and work/life balance is tough but essential for better relationships with ourselves and others. From young circus artists to senior professionals, we juggle many tasks, and the pressure can be overwhelming. How can we smooth this out and align with our true needs? Can we learn to respect our mental, emotional, and physical health while developing healthier habits and fostering cooperation?”
Circus City Artistic Director will be speaking on a panel exploring Individual and Collective Care drawing on her experiences producing Contra Productions and our international festival across the last 8 years.
For more info visit FEDEC’s website: https://www.fedec.eu/en/take-care