The CirqueVibe Guide of Good Practices Is Here

As part of our collaborative Erasmus+ project CirqueVibe, we had the opportunity to take part in a research exploring the many ways circus is used across Europe—not only as an art form or a physical discipline, but also as a powerful educational and social tool.

Our contribution focused on Slovenia. We met inspiring trainers, educators and practitioners who generously shared their experience and reflected on the role circus can play in the lives of young people. Through these conversations, one idea kept emerging: circus creates spaces where people can discover themselves, build self-confidence, develop trust, learn to cooperate, overcome challenges and experience a genuine sense of belonging.

Behind every workshop and every project are passionate people who dedicate their time and creativity to making circus accessible to diverse communities, including young people with fewer opportunities. It was a privilege to learn from their stories and to highlight the incredible work happening across the Slovenian circus field.

Together with our project partners, these interviews and examples have been brought together in the CirqueVibe Guide of Good Practices. The publication offers a collection of inspiring initiatives from different European countries and demonstrates the many ways circus can support learning, inclusion and personal development.

We hope this guide will inspire youth workers, educators and circus practitioners to discover new approaches, exchange ideas and continue building communities where everyone has the opportunity to grow through circus.

Small Frames, Big Stories – Framing Inclusion

In May 2026, Circus La Bulle welcomed youth workers, educators and facilitators from across Europe for the training course Small Frames, Big Stories, dedicated to exploring the educational potential of film.

Throughout the week, participants discovered how cinema can become much more than a medium for entertainment. Through film analysis, creative exercises and hands-on filmmaking, they explored how moving images can encourage dialogue, critical thinking and self-expression. The programme combined practical experimentation with moments of reflection, inviting participants to experience film not only as viewers, but also as storytellers.

The training created a space where learning happened through watching, discussing and creating together. By sharing perspectives, experimenting with simple filmmaking techniques and reflecting on their own experiences, participants developed new ideas for using film as a tool for non-formal education and youth work.

Beyond the workshops, the project became an opportunity to build meaningful connections, discover different cultural perspectives and imagine new collaborations across Europe.

Small Frames, Big Stories was funded through the Erasmus+ programme and brought together people who believe that every story—no matter how small the frame—has the power to inspire learning, connection and change.

DiversAbility Circus

V okviru projekta DiversAbility Circus smo sodelovali pri ustvarjanju kompleta kart, zasnovanega kot vključujoč uvod v cirkuške dejavnosti, ki povezuje gibanje, ustvarjalnost in timsko delo.

Z veseljem smo ga predstavili in podarili kot pedagoško orodje več organizacijam v Slovenija. Tukaj je nekaj fotografij s predstavitve za učitelje iz Centra Gustava Šiliha Maribor.

Igra se prilagaja različnim ravnem sposobnosti, izkušenj ter ciljem posamezne skupine. Od postaje do postaje udeleženci skupaj premagujejo zabavne cirkuške izzive v duhu sodelovanja in deljenja.

Karte so brezplačno dostopne na spletni strani skupaj z vodičem. Lahko jih prenesete (downloadate), uporabljate pri svojem delu ter nam pišete o svojih izkušnjah – veseli bomo vaših odzivov!

The C Revolution Manual

For the last two years, we have been honoured to be part of a project called The C Revolution. The aim of the project was to bring together youth workers and young people across Europe to explore the performative arts – namely theatre (especially Commedia dell’Arte), Theatre of the Oppressed and social circus – as tools for social inclusion, empowerment and personal & professional development.

Within the scope of the project, we collaborated with our partners Fundacja Innowacyjnej Edukacji from Poland and Teatro Metaphora from Portugal to develop a new manual for anyone interested in incorporating performative arts into their youth work. The purpose of this manual is to provide a comprehensive, practical, and adaptable set of tools that use Commedia dell’Arte, Social Circus, and Theatre of the Oppressed to foster social inclusion among young people. We’re glad we can share it with you. Let us know what you think!

DIVERSABILITY CIRCUS v Brežicah

V prvi polovici oktobra smo v okviru KA2 projekta Diversability Circus s partnerji organizirali usposabljanje za mladinske delavce o uporabi cirkuške pedagogike pri delu z mladimi s posebnimi potrebami.

V Brežicah se je zbralo 25 mladinskih delavcev iz Slovaške, Francije, Italije, Madžarske in Slovenije. Med usposabljanjem smo spoznavali različne vrste posebnih potreb, raziskovali, zakaj je cirkus dobro orodje za delo z mladimi iz te populacije, ter se učili številnih cirkuških vaj.🤹🏽‍♀️ Spoznali smo različne oblike prilagojenega žongliranja, akrobalance, funkcionalnega žongliranja in raziskovali ravnotežje. Razmišljali smo o tem, na katere stvari je treba biti pozoren pri oblikovanju cirkuške delavnice, ter preizkusili cirkuško igro, ki smo jo razvili v sklopu projekta.

Zadnji dan so nas obiskali tudi učenci Osnovne šole Brežice, ki so s pomočjo cirkuških izzivov rešili svoje učiteljice pred urokom nagajivega čarovnika🧙‍♂️. Hvaležni smo za teden, poln novih znanj, izkušenj in navdiha.

Diversability Circus je dvoletni projekt, financiran s strani Evropske unije. V sklopu projekta raziskujemo različne prakse prilagojenega cirkusa po Evropi in svetu ter razvijamo orodja za vključujoče delo z mladimi. Med drugim smo ustvarili tudi igro za raziskovanje osnovnih cirkuških veščin.

Več o projektu in različnih orodjih lahko najdete tukaj: https://diversabilitycircus.org/

Tools for Youthworkers

Our mission is to educate youth workers and provide high-quality and relevant activities for young people. The circumstances and realities of youth in today’s rapidly changing world are constantly evolving. To respond to the needs of the target groups they work with, youth workers must continuously adapt and explore new pedagogical methods. Often, youth workers do not have enough time to reflect on and develop new programmes due to their daily workload. Therefore, last year, we aimed to strengthen the competences and capacities of youth workers for implementing Erasmus+ programmes and youth work.

Through three mobility projects for youth workers (Let’s Draw, So Long and Thanks for All the Red Noses, and Building Strong Communities) we created an environment where youth workers could gain new knowledge, methods, and perspectives on their work with young people. The participants wrote some of the tools and methods they used down in three manuals. Feel free to check them out and gain some inspiration for your work.

BUILDING STRONG COMMUNITIES IN BREŽICE

From May 25 to June 1, twenty-one participants from nine different countries gathered at the Mladinski Center Brežice for a week of non-formal learning on the theme “Building Strong Communities.”

In this exceptional setting, we spent six days exchanging ideas and reflecting on the importance of communities and the key elements that help them thrive.

Workshops, experience-sharing, games, lively discussions, and informal moments all contributed to a deeper understanding of the challenges and the strength a community can bring.

A big thank you to everyone who made this experience so rich and meaningful!💛

DIVERSABILITY CIRCUS

Circus activities should be accessible to everyone! We are currently involved in a two-year project to improve access to circus for people with diverse abilities. Together with our partners, we are working to assess the current situation in this area and to create activities that could contribute to making the circus more accessible. As part of our project, we have also created a map of organizations in Europe that offer inclusive circus activities. Check it out on the website of the project.

KEEP CALM – TOOLS FOR MENTAL WELLBEING IN BALKANS

Last year, we organised a training course for youth workers aimed at gathering and exploring different tools for cultivating mental well-being. During the week, we created a manual with the tools we tried in the course. Check it out: