WELCOME!
Streetwise Community Circus offer a wide range of circus-based activities for everyone throughout Northern Ireland
UPDATE FOR AUTUMN 2023
NEW DEMENTIA CLUBS SUPPORTED BY LFT
Streetwise have now secured funding from LFT Trust to launch a series of workshops for people living with dementia in areas where we run long term circus programmes. This programme aims to offer people and friends or carers the opportunity to discover the fun of getting involved in circus by joining these “dementia clubs” which will be running for 20 weeks throughout the Autumn and Winter of 2023/24. These will take place at the following venues starting in October 2023.
St Patrick’s Church Hall Whitehead – Wednesday 10.30am – 12.00noon commencing 4th October
Lislea Community Centre – Thursday 10.30am – 12.00noon commencing 12th October
Morton Community Centre Friday 11.00am – 12.30pm commencing 5th October
ARTS COUNCIL REAP PROGRAMME
Streetwise has secured funding from ACNI REAP programme which enable us to work with youth groups in rural areas where we have our People and Communities Age-ility Programmes. This will enable young people to learn the skills to join with the Age-ility participants in a Xmas showcase event for the whole community celebrating the skills of all generations alongside professional performers from Streetwise. These programmes will be running in Whitehead, Millisle, Tamlaght (Fermanagh) and Lislea.
AUTUMN/WINTER 2023 PROGRAMME
Streetwise Community Circus are now running our full Autumn and Winter programme to run from October 2023 to March 2024. Check the What's On page for more info.
Thanks to the ongoing support from our funders: Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Lottery Community Fund and Belfast City Council we have been able to continue the “social circus” programmes which have supported so many people throughout the covid crisis across Northern Ireland. For the next 6 months we can offer the opportunity for people to enjoy circus across the following programmes:
Young People can join us on Friday evenings in Morton Community Centre to participate in long term circus skills development across the full range of circus skills including juggling, stilts, unicycle, acrobatics and aerial skills. This programme also includes a pathway for participants to acquire the skills and training required to become tutors and performers.
YOUTH CIRCUS
Youth Circus show September 2022
AGE-ILITY PROGRAMME
Older people are welcome to join us on Friday mornings from 11.00am - 1.00pm to enjoy the full range of circus skills including aerial skills. These sessions currently include an additional experienced “sit-down” circus tutor funded by the Arts Council’s Arts and Older People programme to make the sessions to increase the accessibility of the sessions.
Friday Age-ility session in full swing!
Streetwise Family Lantern Parade, Lisburn, Halloween 2022
STREETWISE DISABILITY PROGRAMME
We are currently running a regular Thursday afternoon session for participants who can attend independently while also running an extensive programme of workshops in partnership with health trusts in day centres across large areas of Northern Ireland. These include: Downpatrick, Carrickfergus, Belfast, Newtownabbey, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Antrim, Ballycastle, Magherafelt and Larne.
STREETWISE PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES PROGRAMME
This programme currently runs regular workshops for older people enjoying circus in their own community groups in Whitehead, Lislea (Newry), Tamlaght (Enniskillen) and Millisle. In addition to this this programme is now developing a new links with sheltered accommodation centres across many areas supporting some of those left most isolated by Covid. Currently these programmes are running in 5 Belfast Centres, 3 in the Ballymena area, 3 in the Ards and North Down area.
Through our ACNI Arts and Older People programme we can run workshops for 3 dementia schemes and add “sit-down” circus tutors to regular programmes encouraging participation from people living with this condition.
Whitehead community circus
DEVELOPING NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO KEEP DELIVERING
As we continue to develop “post covid”, we are continuing to see new opportunities for our work. This includes the development of a programme for asylum seekers which is currently in the planning stage following a pilot this summer funded by Belfast City Council and the expansion of our work in sheltered accommodation following the need created by Covid in this area.
DONATION SCHEME
All these programmes are free to participants, although as financial pressures continue to grow on all areas of society, we are increasingly dependant on income from donations from those able to support our work to enable us to maintain our programmes and grow in the future. This led to us opening our Donation scheme in 2021.
Check out our new Donation Scheme page for more info.
ELLY
Everyone at Streetwise has been shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of our dear friend Ellie Taylor. Ellie, a founding member of our Age-ility Circus, since it began in 2014, has been a shining light in our workshops since she first walked through the door.. She regularly attended circus workshops in Belfast and Whitehead where she was the life and soul of the group and never stopped learning new skills. She will be sadly missed by everyone who knew her. Our thoughts are with her family who have all been an integral part of Streetwise for many years.
John Cowan Pure Legend