Circare

A few weeks ago, we announced the beginning of a new adventure: the CIRCARE project, funded by Erasmus Plus within the Small-Scale Partnerships in Adult Education program, a social circus project organized by the Bulgarian association Mini Art Foundation. The project aims to promote training in social circus, exchange knowledge and improve practices and methodologies so that associations that deal with these types of teaching can expand their organizational capabilities and train their staff for professionalization.

Sargantana's adventure, together with Mini Art Foundation, began last January 17 in Italy, specifically in Udine, where our hosts, the Circa all'Incirca Association, opened the doors of their wonderful space to us. The weekend was a complete success of knowledge, exchange of methodological, culinary and cultural experiences, a new friendship has been built on the basis of a common interest: developing common tools so that the social circus promotes inclusion, resilience and the empowerment of disadvantaged groups. Let's learn more in detail about who participated in this meeting: Geo Kalev, the organizer and founder of the association, based in Sofia, Bulgaria, Mini Art Foundation. The hosts of this first meeting: Irene Giacomello and her life and adventure partner Davide Perissutti, co-founders of Circa all'Incirca. From Valencia, representing Sargantana Circ Inclusiu, our expert teacher: JC Margallo, together with our colleague Giorgia Todisco.

During the weekend, the bases for a functional methodology in the field of social circus were shared and, above all, it was possible to choose the logo that will accompany and represent this project from its beginning to the end, scheduled for March 2026. Without leaving aside laughter, good humour and games, the participants in this first face-to-face meeting were also able to appreciate the beauty of a city like Udine and its gastronomy. But the road is still long, there is much to do and more encounters to experience. Specifically, a new meeting awaits us in Valencia, and two other meetings in Sofia. In the meantime, we will keep you informed, don't miss the next episodes, there will be a lot to learn. See you next time!

The CIRCARE – Social Circus for Inclusion, Resilience and Empowerment project, funded by the Erasmus+ programme (KA210-ADU), continues its development through the collaboration between Mini Art Foundation (Bulgaria), Circo all’inCirca (Italy) and Sargantana Circ Inclusiu (Spain), with the aim of creating a pedagogical methodology and a training kit dedicated to social circus for professionals working with adults in vulnerable situations. After the first meeting in Udine, the second meeting took place in Valencia from May 6 to 8, 2025, hosted by Sargantana, and represented a key moment of practical and theoretical exchange: the partners shared educational tools, body techniques and expressive approaches, contributing to the development of the Social Circus Training Toolkit, which will include more than 15 activities and will be made available online in several languages. During the meeting, work was also carried out on planning the LTTA training to be held in Sofia, aimed at educators and professionals in the sector, and an evaluation of the work carried out so far was conducted in order to improve the effectiveness of the project. The meeting strengthened cooperation among the partner organizations and helped define common strategies to expand the impact of social circus as a tool for inclusion, resilience and social transformation, with the next meeting scheduled for October 2025 in Bulgaria.

The CIRCARE – Social Circus for Inclusion, Resilience and Empowerment project reaches one of its most significant milestones with the third and final transnational meeting, held in Sofia in October 2025 at the headquarters of Mini Art Foundation, the coordinating organization. This final moment was not only an administrative closure, but above all a celebration of collective work and a consolidation of the social circus methodology developed throughout the project. After the meetings in Udine and Valencia, in Sofia the partners – Mini Art Foundation, Circo all’inCirca and Sargantana Circ Inclusiu – gave concrete form to the work developed over the previous months through the implementation of the LTTA, an intensive training addressed to educators, artists and professionals in the social sector, aimed at testing the methodology in real contexts. Through practical sessions, body-based dynamics and moments of shared reflection, participants experienced tools based on play, the creation of safe and inclusive spaces, and the development of trust, cooperation and both individual and collective empowerment. The exchange among partners further enriched the methodological approach, highlighting cultural diversity as a key resource. A central part of the meeting was dedicated to evaluating the activities and analysing the results, leading to the final adjustments of the Social Circus Training Toolkit, an open manual that gathers more than 15 activities and guidelines, designed to be accessible, adaptable and useful both for experienced professionals and for those approaching social circus for the first time. Available free of charge in several languages, this resource represents not only the outcome of the project, but also a foundation for future developments. CIRCARE thus comes to an end leaving behind a strong network of international collaboration and demonstrating how social circus can be a powerful tool for inclusion, resilience and social transformation, capable of generating new perspectives and opportunities through shared work.