CIRCO KERNOW YOUTH PROGRAMME

Accredited training for young people in Cornwall

Learn to break dance, stilt walk, clown, juggle, back flip, tight wire, mime, trapeze, unicycle and make digital videos with Circo Kernow. Become a Circo Kernow member and find work opportunities in your chosen artform…

Circo Kernow is a free part time course in Circus Skills and Digital Video Production led by professionals with over 30 years experience. We primarily support 16 -24 year olds out of learning and employment. Trainees who complete the course successfully receive a National Certificate of Further Education (equivalent to a GCSE) with Cornwall College in either Circus Arts or Digital Video Production. Training is largely taught at the new youth centre next to Penryn Rugby Club.
 
Circus Skills include Acrobatics, Clown and Mime, Balancing, Juggling, Trapeze and other aerial skills. As well as skills training and public performance, students receive a DVD of their work and are given practical work opportunities which could vary from workshops in schools, fun-days and youth clubs to street festivals, the Eden Project or Hall for Cornwall.

Digital Video Production teaches all the elements from sound, lighting, acting, script-writing, shooting, editing, VJ-ing and animation. The group shoot o­n location as part of a residential weekend which includes outdoor team activities. They are also given support in entering into film festivals both nationally and internationally.

The courses are designed to align circus arts or video making skills with building self-esteem, trust, emotional awareness, physical fitness, healthy eating, communication and social skills as well as providing Circo Kernow members with a practical learning pathway into work.
 
Students will showcase their circus performances and short films in the new mobile teaching and performance space (the Big Top) to the public at weekend shows. Circo Kernow’s mobile café will be there to provide healthy food for budding artistes.
 
The project is currently funded by Objective o­ne (ESF), Big Lottery, Sports and Arts Foundation and John Paul Getty. Our core partners are Penryn Community Development Trust, Cornwall College, Connexions and Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change.

We are still taking trainees for the current courses. The next course is due to start o­n September 1st 2006. For more details contact the Circo Kernow team o­n 01326 373626 or circokernow@yahoo.co.uk .

Background: As professional dancers and circus performers Swamp Circus has been very aware of the increasing need for activities promoting physical, creative skill and health for young people since 1998. Our previous successful work as partners with Kerrier Health Centre (2001-2004) outlined the success of developmental circus workshops and action film projects involving and engaging marginalised young people. We worked with many special needs groups, travellers, those excluded or o­n the verge of exclusion from school and others struggling to access learning. Through this previous work we have discovered effective ways of bringing young people back to learning and pathways to work.

In 2002 we first launched Circo Kernow as a community arts event with a circus theme and central circus show, aiming to bring together community groups in an atmosphere of ‘fitness and fun’. We were accosted with letters and emails for more but it wasn’t until 2005 that we raised the necessary funding for a tented tour of Circo Kernow around Cornwall taking in 8 different communities and working with many partners. The next phase has been to draw down funding to provide an accredited training programme.