Circus Change UP is the product of a collaboration between two circus sector development projects from Crying Out Loud and Upswing who hosted a Circus Snapshot/Slow Thinking event in July 2020 attended by 120 people working in the circus sector. At that event 10 areas of collaboration and change emerged. They are:

• Resource Centre

• Creative Development

• Touring

• Networks & Showcases

• Youth Circus

• Education

• Career Pathways

• Health & Wellbeing

• Inclusion & Representation

• Covid-19 Sector Support

• Advocacy & Reputation Sector Support

Working Groups have coalesced around each of these areas. Their aim is to agree and then develop actions and proposals that will tackle some of these issues. Each Working Group is guided by two conveners.

(You can find information about Circus Snapshot, its methodology, and the revised Missions that arose from the Circus Snapshot/Slow Thinking event here.)

Daisy Drury is the Circus Change UP Project Manager. She is overseeing the logistics of the project and is working with the conveners to ensure the Working Groups collaborate and join up their thinking.

The aim of the project is to draw together the subsidised circus sector, to create a more coherent and powerful voice and thereby strengthen the sector. Its objectives are to:

• Develop at least six new sector-wide collaborative projects articulated through a Next Steps report.

• Be a model of genuine grassroots sector change that is not dominated by any one organisation or individual.

• Provide freelancers with a paid opportunity to lead sector development work that is usually restricted to those in salaried positions.

• Offer a unique and timely training opportunity to the conveners.

You can contact Daisy via the form on this blog. Please encourage any individuals you know who work in the subsidised circus sector to get involved and/or sign up to the Circus Change UP mailing list.

#CircusChangeUP