ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at a social circus project in the setting of a war-torn country as a case study, to offer glimpses into how circus activities can be used as a therapeutic approach to counter fear and nurture healthy childhood development. It aims to gauge how circus activities can be dynamic tools for social change and to assess where its potential and limits lie in working through and changing emotional states. Social circus approaches can offer a safe community setting that enables children in war zones to experience an emotional anchoring and belonging that supports healing. The Mobile Mini Circus for Children (MMCC) is an example of such a social circus safe haven, which has developed an emotional culture that can help children cope with living in a post-conflict and ongoing-conflict scenario. MMCC promotes an emotional culture through social circus where children feel safe and interact as part of a community.
