HALIFAX – A Halifax organization is using the power of the circus to reach out to troubled youth.
Halifax Circus has run a drop-in program for at-risk youth since it started eight years ago.
Hirschbach used to perform with Cirque du Soleil and created the program by combining his passion for the circus with his background in social work.
Most participants range between 16 and 25 years old though the program does accept some people who are younger or older on occasion.
John Cooper, 19, credits his unicycle for preventing him from becoming another juvenile delinquent.
The teen started attending Halifax Circus about three years ago, when he was running into trouble with the law.
But now, he spends his time perfecting circus tricks like playing with the diabolo or juggling, things that he says have kept him out of trouble.
Activities at the circus school include working with aerial silks, playing on the trapeze or tightrope, learning how to use a unicycle and rolling globe and studying acrobatics.
Hirschbach said the magic and awe of the circus transform the youth.
“They learn about discipline, about working with others, about community, about trusting and being trustworthy,” he said.
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Instructors say that in addition to teaching the youth, they are also a shoulder to lean on.
“We’re not guidance counselors but every so often we lend our ears and that’s all kids need: a place to go and someone to listen to sometimes,” said Kyle Scott.
Hirschbach said that instructors also connect the youth to community resources.
“At a certain point, we move from being a circus instructor to being people who can help them find the resources they need, who can help guide them to safer places, who can help them find and deal with the problems that brought them here in the first place,” he said.
The director said that he has seen participants take many trajectories.
Some youth pursue careers in the circus, some youth find full-time jobs while others go on to teach at the circus school or enroll in university.
“They see that it’s possible for them to draw attention to themselves in positive ways as opposed to the negative ways they’ve learned extremely well,” Hirschbach said.
Cooper said he plans to keep honing his skills: he hopes to one day attend the National Circus School in Montreal.
The drop-in program runs every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon.
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