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Joy cannot wait: circus school in refugee camps | Laura Vanhanen | TEDxOtaniemi

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

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

People's lives don’t stop in refugee camps. The need to learn, play and hope is just as important, if not more so, in camps than anywhere else. So, how can you support these needs?

Laura tells the story of a circus school, which was opened by young Syrian talents, Sirkus Magenta and FCA @FCA_global in Za'atri, Jordan. With her experience in Finnish education sector development and learning solutions, Laura is working with projects strengthening access to quality education in fragile contexts: refugee situations and developing countries.

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Video Language:
English
Team:
closed TED
Project:
TEDxTalks
Duration:
08:00

English subtitles

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