Homemade Circus:
An activity toolkit for caregivers by Upswing
Created by Upswing, the Homemade Circus Toolkit has been designed to equip you with the skills and confidence to lead your own inspiring circus activity sessions in care home settings.
Over the last decade, multi-award-winning contemporary circus company Upswing have been bringing circus into care homes and have been delighted to see some extraordinary results.
Upswing’s circus activities in care homes have sparked new friendships, brought shy residents out of their shell, seen dexterity and flexibility return, and helped care staff and residents to see each other in a whole new light.
“The first session was just magical. It really stuck in my head… I never thought that I could do so many things with a ball or a hat or a simple scarf.
It’s like now when we get bored, you can take anything and you can just dance around, make some fun things with it. I never thought I could create something out of nothing, really.” – Care Home Staff
Upswing shared with Family Arts Campaign how their work in care homes has led to the creation of the Homemade Circus Toolkit, a resource available to others that would like to lead circus activities in care home settings.
“Our aim is to make care homes more lively and surprising places for everyone, and through the Homemade Circus Digital Toolkit we hope to achieve this.”
“The Homemade Circus project was designed to transform care home environments by bringing the playfulness and creativity of circus into residents’ everyday lives. Rather than just dropping in for a one-off circus workshop, our goal was to make these sessions a regular activity on the calendar. We did this by providing hands-on training for staff so that they would be able to lead engaging circus sessions with simple equipment, but we also wanted other care homes to have access to this opportunity.
Creating the Homemade Circus Digital Toolkit meant that we could broaden our impact. With the training now available online the project can continue to grow and there are no limits to who can access the benefits of these sessions. Our aim is to make care homes more lively and surprising places for everyone, and through the Homemade Circus Digital Toolkit we hope to achieve this.”
About Upswing
Upswing is a UK-based contemporary circus company founded by Vicki Dela Amedume in 2006. Upswing use the human body as an expressive tool to entertain, inspire curiosity, share urgent ideas and ignite a desire to build connection. The company is dedicated to telling new stories in extraordinary ways – amplifying and celebrating the skills, creative talents and stories of diverse artists and communities.
“For me as a black artist and maker, one of the most pressing problems we have is to see beyond the surface. Circus creates a democratic space to explore the extraordinary qualities that bind not divide us.” – Vicki Dela Amedume, Upswing’s Artistic Director
Upswing’s work goes beyond theatres and festivals, reaching people in unexpected ways, wherever they are. This takes many forms, from a large-scale spectacle on a rooftop, to bedtime story for families in libraries, to a circus takeover in a care home. Upswings work in bringing circus to care homes over the last ten years is what inspired the Homemade Circus Toolkit, sharing their know-how with others looking to deliver circus activities in similar settings.
What’s inside the Homemade Circus Toolkit?
The Homemade Circus Toolkit is full of resources and step-by-step guidance on how to take your sessions further, how to use different circus equipment (and where to buy it), adapt to different abilities, and ways to share the joy of circus with people in a care home setting. It is suitable for complete beginners.
The Toolkit includes:
- Instructional videos
- Activity worksheets
- Expert guidance
- Practical insights
Watch the video below to find out more.
Accessing the Toolkit
Upswing believes everyone deserves access to valuable resources and support, regardless of their background or budget. Homemade Circus Toolkit is available for free to anyone happy to offer feedback to continue the development of the Toolkit. Upswing also offers donation-based memberships for lifetime access. These donations help sustain Upswing’s charitable projects, subsidise discounted memberships, and enable them to continue their impactful work.
To find out more and access the Toolkit visit the Homemade Circus website.
Image credit: Christopher Andreou
27 August 2024
FURTHER INFORMATION
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