The next generation of circus performers could be in Brimbank thanks to a Brimbank council community grant.
The council awarded 136 in the 2022-23 program, including $10,000 to Curbside Carnies for their new Circus Homework program.
Curbside Carnies is a mobile circus project created during the heavy lockdowns in Victoria, which has since expanded to provide Covid-safe circus experiences to the people of Melbourne and beyond
The homework program targets First Nations, Torres Strait Islander and refugee-background school-aged children in Brimbank,
It’s about creating positive social interactions through circus arts, encouraging personal growth through curated programming and offering an environment to improve emotional, physical and mental wellbeing.
Attendees will have the opportunity to identify their favoured skills and build on their capabilities over consecutive weeks before a showcase at the end of each term.
The council funding is for the program to run in term one, while VicHealth’s Jumpstart program will fund the rest of the year.
Carnies Sophie deLightful said there was great excitement in receiving the grand which was the first step in having a year long program.
“Curbside Carnies first received a grant from Brimbank City Council in November 2021 and has been working steadily with them since,” she said.
