CIRCUS TRICKS WORKING
A GROUP of f youths who ran away with a circus to boost their confidence have been tumbling and clowning their way to success.
The 12- week circus program, designed for young adults from 17 to 25 with a disability, is run by La Luna Youth Arts.
Cootharinga CEO Peter Mewett said the “amaze yourself” circus project was helping participants to develop independence and remove limitations imposed by themselves and society.
“These are young people with a disability who are transitioning from schools and special education systems, who are often not well prepared and it can impede their confidence,” Mr Mewett said.
“We need to make it fun, to really encourage that initial engagement, it introduces skills development and allows them to explore the world around them. It is a way to quickly boost people’s self- esteem and help them engage with people not known to them.”
He said participants were halfway through the program and the changes in them had been astounding.
“The joy is there, the fun is most definitely there and what I saw was people engaging and wanting to learn and get connected,” Mr Mewett said.
In the next few weeks the students will create and rehearse a play of acts, which they would perform in June in front of an audience. The project was funded through a $ 5000 Regional Arts Development Fund grant to Cootharinga North Queensland.
EMMA CHADWICK