What we do
Our circus arts programmes have brought the joy of circus to over 10,800 participants in 2022 alone, across Aotearoa. We strive to share social circus with people of all abilities, in all our communities, by providing social-impact circus arts and intervention-based activities that directly address social needs. We do this by increasing the confidence, energy, creativity, and aspiration of people through the joy of discovery.
We provide workshops, performances, and classes across Aotearoa for anyone including Kindergarten, schools, service providers for people with disabilities, community organisations, and public spaces and parks. If you’d like us to expand where you are, reach out to us!
Circability has a growing demand for our services from community groups, local boards, families and organisations across the Arts, Social Development, Education, Health and Corporate sectors.
Te Mana o te Whakauru - Power of Inclusion
POI is our response as we address the demand to grow the social circus network throughout Aotearoa via regional hubs, to increase access and participation in social circus for well-being for all.
POI is being formalised as our unique, culturally responsive, training and development programme, leading to pathways to employment and growth for youth in the sector alongside the aim of a formally recognised professional qualification in Aotearoa Social Circus.
There is a particular emphasis and importance on an inclusive transition for our disabled and disadvantaged youth.
POI is the driver to encourage social circus as a career pathway option, with opportunities for leadership and growth that can lead to creative careers in arts & culture and beyond.
Regional Hubs
We are responding to the demand exacerbated by the upheavals of the last three years. Higher levels of severe mental health, isolation of disability and affected communities across the motu, guides our response to facilitate an increase in both the diversity of, and number of tutors to service these regions, whilst providing a more structured ‘best practice’ tutor training programme, addressing different learning needs and cultural diversity.
Our strategy for the next three years is to extend the growth, experience and success of our two existing hubs in Auckland and Kaitaia to establish regional hubs in Tauranga and Nelson, with further development in 2024 to Christchurch and Wellington.
We are currently designing, with inclusive input and representation from key sector partners, both nationally and internationally, a qualifications framework that will be the foundation to what we envision to become, in time, a recognised tertiary Diploma/Degree in Aotearoa Social Circus Practice.
In the meantime, we have consolidated our existing tutor training programme that will help to service and empower regional hubs and are seeking funding to resource this development further. We will pilot the Social Circus Curriculum in the latter half of 2023 and roll out this training in 2024. The pilot will involve contracting circus artists who wish to extend their employment by teaching social circus and social circus participants. The Circability Trust programme ensures the values and practices underpinning social circus are fully understood. The training provides youth development and leadership pathways for people with disabilities, youth at risk and those on the margins of mainstream society. Alongside skill and cultural development, students shadow an existing tutor until they are ready to co-lead classes and events. This ensures the growth of regional hubs will provide professional, safe and inclusive environments for participation and employment opportunities for all.
Our growth strategy is informed by the main findings from our research project conducted in 2021/22 Growing Circus Employment Pathways in Aotearoa’ by Rachel Trotman of Weave Ltd. https://www.circability.org/our-research and from the feedback of our diverse community programmes, participants and whānau.
