"This makes me feel skilled and useful
instead of making me feel useless."
I'm sharing a quote from a refugee who found back her confidence,
and I'd like to share with you what makes her say that.
Refugee situations all over the globe
are growing in number, size, and permanence.
Being out of school is often the reality
for those who've been forced to leave their homes,
who are on the move.
Crises and conflicts make a major barrier for learning.
The right to learn is most at risk during emergencies,
and that's exactly when it's needed the most.
When a disaster hits,
let's say a human-caused conflict or a natural catastrophe,
the relief efforts are very quick at providing and mobilizing
sanitation, nutrition, shelter, food,
clean drinking water, health care.
But what about learning? What about education?
How about recreational activities?
Can those wait for better times?
When you ask kids and teenagers who're living in crisis and conflicts,
one of their biggest hopes is to go to school.
When you miss school,
you're in the danger of psychosocial trauma
you're in the danger of psychosocial damage,
being trafficked,
being forced to work in armed groups,
or getting married early;
and if worse, losing hope.
Providing access to education in crisis
is not a political priority.
Education funding gets less than 2%
of all humanitarian funding.
However, there's a growing recognition
that we need to fix this.
We have to fix this.
And at the same time,
we're starting to understand the value of playful and joyful learning.
When Mohammad first came to the camp,
he thought he'd be just staying for a few days.
Over three years later,
he's still living in what's known as the biggest refugee camp
in the Middle East: Za'atri.
But he's found hope
thanks to an unexpected source of joy:
the circus school.
A group of professionals from Finland opened the school
around the same time when Mohammad arrived at the camp.
He joined the classes
and quickly wanted to become a trainer himself.
In the early days,
the school was not so well accepted.
Some said, "What a waste of time."
But a lot has changed.
Now people living in the camp have taken ownership of the trainings,
and their dream is one day to return back home
and establish the first national circus of Syria.
While Mohammad's students in his classes are passionately learning
new techniques, movements, tricks,
they also take away much more than that.
It's a model for spreading joy, confidence, and smiles.
For some, it's the first laugh since they've left Syria.
One of the elders in the community said it well,
"Food and shelter will keep you alive,
but won't give you the power to fight for your life."
So, laughter is a serious business.
Acrobatics, funny tricks, and games
let you enter the world
that's outside of the everyday challenges.
These young boys are not at risk of being socially excluded.
They are excluded.
Some of them feel that the world has betrayed them.
However, at the same time,
their goal is that this team will one day be famous for its international shows.
What's even better,
the girls and young women are extremely active.
For cultural reasons, the boys and girls train separately.
When training, you get to meet friends,
you get to make lots of new friends,
you get to jump, tumble, joke around.
The girls are learning never to underestimate their abilities.
That's a good boost of self-confidence.
Many mothers are very supportive.
One of the mothers said,
"For my daughter, a psychologist might not have had the same effect,
but the school has."
Fatima, one of the female trainers on the left, says,
"There's much more joy to life now."
The school has given jobs to those who otherwise wouldn't have any.
It's a remarkable thing to have a job,
to be employed in a refugee camp.
The girls make wonderful idols for the younger ones,
and they faced a few difficulties
convincing the more conservative members of the community
that it's OK for girls to do backflips and make headstands.
When the camp opened, there were tensions
with masses of young men coming out of the war.
It can be unstable.
It's a simple issue of boredom.
When you don't have anything to do, you have all this unused energy.
Activities, like the circus,
are good at redirecting that excess energy.
These young people have been through war,
suffering trauma or post-traumatic stress.
Many have lost their family.
But they're learning to trust again
because trust is needed in the crowded camp.
From the outside,
this looks like any of the other tents,
but this particular tent brings hope to those who are waiting to go home.
And what's new?
Recently, the circus school got bigger and better facilities
with air conditioning and higher ceilings,
so now you can make higher tricks and train for longer hours.
Making this happen doesn't require a lot of investments,
but it's an effective way to build a more sustainable tomorrow.
Yes, we know;
when there's crisis or during emergencies,
it's vital to take care of the basic needs,
but the circus school also shows us
that opportunities to play are needed.
In other words, joy cannot wait.
(Applause)