1
00:00:12,334 --> 00:00:16,334
"This makes me feel skilled and useful

2
00:00:16,359 --> 00:00:19,000
instead of making me feel useless."

3
00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:23,479
I'm sharing a quote from a refugee
who found back her confidence,

4
00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:27,260
and I'd like to share with you
what makes her say that.

5
00:00:28,110 --> 00:00:30,709
Refugee situations all over the globe

6
00:00:30,710 --> 00:00:33,378
are growing in number,
size, and permanence.

7
00:00:34,388 --> 00:00:37,349
Being out of school is often the reality

8
00:00:37,350 --> 00:00:41,029
for those who've been forced
to leave their homes,

9
00:00:41,030 --> 00:00:42,510
who are on the move.

10
00:00:43,790 --> 00:00:48,390
Crises and conflicts
make a major barrier for learning.

11
00:00:49,470 --> 00:00:55,578
The right to learn
is most at risk during emergencies,

12
00:00:55,579 --> 00:00:58,918
and that's exactly
when it's needed the most.

13
00:00:58,919 --> 00:01:00,429
When a disaster hits,

14
00:01:00,430 --> 00:01:04,800
let's say a human-caused conflict
or a natural catastrophe,

15
00:01:06,580 --> 00:01:10,529
the relief efforts are very quick
at providing and mobilizing

16
00:01:11,209 --> 00:01:14,899
sanitation, nutrition, shelter, food,

17
00:01:14,900 --> 00:01:17,599
clean drinking water, health care.

18
00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,588
But what about learning?
What about education?

19
00:01:20,589 --> 00:01:23,100
How about recreational activities?

20
00:01:24,500 --> 00:01:27,270
Can those wait for better times?

21
00:01:29,490 --> 00:01:33,800
When you ask kids and teenagers
who're living in crisis and conflicts,

22
00:01:35,010 --> 00:01:38,300
one of their biggest hopes
is to go to school.

23
00:01:39,220 --> 00:01:40,759
When you miss school,

24
00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:45,530
you're in the danger
of psychosocial trauma

25
00:01:46,130 --> 00:01:49,019
you're in the danger
of psychosocial damage,

26
00:01:49,020 --> 00:01:50,289
being trafficked,

27
00:01:50,290 --> 00:01:52,379
being forced to work in armed groups,

28
00:01:52,380 --> 00:01:54,430
or getting married early;

29
00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,310
and if worse, losing hope.

30
00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:03,149
Providing access to education in crisis

31
00:02:03,150 --> 00:02:05,428
is not a political priority.

32
00:02:05,429 --> 00:02:08,898
Education funding gets less than 2%

33
00:02:08,899 --> 00:02:11,548
of all humanitarian funding.

34
00:02:11,549 --> 00:02:15,248
However, there's a growing recognition

35
00:02:15,249 --> 00:02:17,449
that we need to fix this.

36
00:02:17,450 --> 00:02:19,400
We have to fix this.

37
00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:21,589
And at the same time,

38
00:02:21,590 --> 00:02:26,310
we're starting to understand
the value of playful and joyful learning.

39
00:02:28,620 --> 00:02:31,268
When Mohammad first came to the camp,

40
00:02:31,269 --> 00:02:34,259
he thought he'd be
just staying for a few days.

41
00:02:34,260 --> 00:02:35,930
Over three years later,

42
00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:40,539
he's still living in what's known
as the biggest refugee camp

43
00:02:40,542 --> 00:02:43,248
in the Middle East: Za'atri.

44
00:02:43,249 --> 00:02:45,409
But he's found hope

45
00:02:45,410 --> 00:02:48,149
thanks to an unexpected source of joy:

46
00:02:48,150 --> 00:02:49,929
the circus school.

47
00:02:49,930 --> 00:02:54,059
A group of professionals from Finland
opened the school

48
00:02:54,060 --> 00:02:57,470
around the same time
when Mohammad arrived at the camp.

49
00:02:58,090 --> 00:02:59,718
He joined the classes

50
00:02:59,719 --> 00:03:03,328
and quickly wanted
to become a trainer himself.

51
00:03:03,329 --> 00:03:04,959
In the early days,

52
00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:07,629
the school was not so well accepted.

53
00:03:07,630 --> 00:03:10,790
Some said, "What a waste of time."

54
00:03:11,980 --> 00:03:14,349
But a lot has changed.

55
00:03:14,350 --> 00:03:19,069
Now people living in the camp
have taken ownership of the trainings,

56
00:03:19,070 --> 00:03:23,239
and their dream is
one day to return back home

57
00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:26,460
and establish the first
national circus of Syria.

58
00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:31,888
While Mohammad's students in his classes
are passionately learning

59
00:03:31,889 --> 00:03:34,890
new techniques, movements, tricks,

60
00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:38,210
they also take away much more than that.

61
00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:43,790
It's a model for spreading joy,
confidence, and smiles.

62
00:03:45,220 --> 00:03:49,260
For some, it's the first laugh
since they've left Syria.

63
00:03:50,510 --> 00:03:53,520
One of the elders
in the community said it well,

64
00:03:54,730 --> 00:03:58,709
"Food and shelter will keep you alive,

65
00:03:58,710 --> 00:04:02,429
but won't give you the power
to fight for your life."

66
00:04:02,430 --> 00:04:05,339
So, laughter is a serious business.

67
00:04:05,340 --> 00:04:08,780
Acrobatics, funny tricks, and games

68
00:04:09,710 --> 00:04:12,539
let you enter the world

69
00:04:12,540 --> 00:04:16,060
that's outside of the everyday challenges.

70
00:04:19,579 --> 00:04:25,710
These young boys are not at risk
of being socially excluded.

71
00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:28,890
They are excluded.

72
00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:33,260
Some of them feel
that the world has betrayed them.

73
00:04:34,270 --> 00:04:36,520
However, at the same time,

74
00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:44,250
their goal is that this team will one day
be famous for its international shows.

75
00:04:45,370 --> 00:04:47,869
What's even better,

76
00:04:47,870 --> 00:04:51,140
the girls and young women
are extremely active.

77
00:04:51,670 --> 00:04:55,269
For cultural reasons,
the boys and girls train separately.

78
00:04:55,270 --> 00:04:57,659
When training, you get to meet friends,

79
00:04:57,660 --> 00:05:00,589
you get to make lots of new friends,

80
00:05:00,590 --> 00:05:04,380
you get to jump, tumble, joke around.

81
00:05:05,020 --> 00:05:10,119
The girls are learning
never to underestimate their abilities.

82
00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:14,159
That's a good boost of self-confidence.

83
00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,449
Many mothers are very supportive.

84
00:05:17,450 --> 00:05:19,460
One of the mothers said,

85
00:05:21,230 --> 00:05:25,880
"For my daughter, a psychologist
might not have had the same effect,

86
00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:27,940
but the school has."

87
00:05:28,890 --> 00:05:32,689
Fatima, one of the female trainers
on the left, says,

88
00:05:32,690 --> 00:05:35,249
"There's much more joy to life now."

89
00:05:35,250 --> 00:05:40,429
The school has given jobs
to those who otherwise wouldn't have any.

90
00:05:40,430 --> 00:05:42,649
It's a remarkable thing to have a job,

91
00:05:42,650 --> 00:05:46,780
to be employed in a refugee camp.

92
00:05:48,730 --> 00:05:53,319
The girls make wonderful idols
for the younger ones,

93
00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:55,869
and they faced a few difficulties

94
00:05:55,870 --> 00:06:00,049
convincing the more conservative
members of the community

95
00:06:00,050 --> 00:06:05,810
that it's OK for girls
to do backflips and make headstands.

96
00:06:06,940 --> 00:06:09,149
When the camp opened, there were tensions

97
00:06:09,150 --> 00:06:12,209
with masses of young men
coming out of the war.

98
00:06:12,210 --> 00:06:14,010
It can be unstable.

99
00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:19,129
It's a simple issue of boredom.

100
00:06:19,130 --> 00:06:23,240
When you don't have anything to do,
you have all this unused energy.

101
00:06:23,930 --> 00:06:26,089
Activities, like the circus,

102
00:06:26,090 --> 00:06:29,120
are good at redirecting
that excess energy.

103
00:06:31,890 --> 00:06:34,590
These young people have been through war,

104
00:06:36,470 --> 00:06:41,130
suffering trauma or post-traumatic stress.

105
00:06:43,090 --> 00:06:44,890
Many have lost their family.

106
00:06:47,490 --> 00:06:49,800
But they're learning to trust again

107
00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:53,540
because trust is needed
in the crowded camp.

108
00:06:54,300 --> 00:06:55,419
From the outside,

109
00:06:55,420 --> 00:06:58,009
this looks like any of the other tents,

110
00:06:58,010 --> 00:07:03,250
but this particular tent brings hope
to those who are waiting to go home.

111
00:07:04,540 --> 00:07:06,029
And what's new?

112
00:07:06,030 --> 00:07:09,469
Recently, the circus school
got bigger and better facilities

113
00:07:09,470 --> 00:07:11,799
with air conditioning and higher ceilings,

114
00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:16,420
so now you can make higher tricks
and train for longer hours.

115
00:07:17,050 --> 00:07:21,220
Making this happen
doesn't require a lot of investments,

116
00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:25,700
But it's an effective way to build
a more sustainable tomorrow.

117
00:07:26,270 --> 00:07:27,629
Yes, we know;

118
00:07:27,630 --> 00:07:30,569
when there's crisis or during emergencies,

119
00:07:30,570 --> 00:07:34,089
it's vital to take care
of the basic needs,

120
00:07:34,090 --> 00:07:36,559
But the circus school also shows us

121
00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:40,230
that opportunities to play are needed.

122
00:07:41,830 --> 00:07:46,059
In other words, joy cannot wait.

123
00:07:46,060 --> 00:07:47,860
(Applause)