GrenzKultur gGmbH

CABUWAZI is a youth circus located in Berlin that started in 1994 and is, since 2010 part of GrenzKultur gGmbH. With its five places in socially difficult areas of the city (Treptow, Kreuzberg, Altgliniecke, Martzahn, Tempelhof, Lichtenberg), CABUWAZI offers circus pedagogical leisure time activities, mostly free of charge, for children between 4 and 21 years old. Next to regular trainings, CABUWAZI organises shows, holiday camps, co-operations with schools and nursery schools and we organise circus pedagogical trainings for teachers (Circus Academy). The activities of CABUWAZI in Berlin are based on the idea that people, and children in specific, need to build up social competences in order to build up a stable and safe environment. A circus is an art form, a way of expressing that goes further than the spoken language. Together with the physical development of the body that circus provides - strength, balance, coordination - it demands a certain trust in yourself and the others. This trust is being taught through games, training and performances, and all of this as group activities. In this way, we as CABUWAZI, can give the children the opportunity to find for themselves who they are and help them build up these needed social skills. The European and international youth work, like youth exchanges and volunteering, are also an important part of the activities in CABUWAZI. CABUWAZI is an intercultural project, where on different levels in the organisation, people from different countries/religions/ages work together for the same goals. We have been sending and hosting volunteers for over 10 years, and have contacts to organizations in the whole of Europe and neighbouring partner countries. Also meetings between different circuses of Europe, youth exchanges and youth initiatives are part of the core activities at CABUWAZI. Since more than 10 year we are working directly with young people with a refugee background. With “CABUWAZI Beyond Borders” we are reaching out towards young refugees and provides them with an opportunity to take part in circus activities. While training in different disciplines - such as acrobatics, juggling, trampoline and balance – the children and youngsters are emboldened with respect to their personal and social capabilities including German proficiency. Generally, we start training at their accommodation facilities for one week and end with a fantastic final show, where they present their new artistic skills to the audience consisting of friends, families, neighbours and schoolmates. Recently we have started with family weekends in one of the circus tents, where every weekend families from different social groups, especially that disprivileged one, are coming, and by playing together, training and eating they integrate more into local reality and build up self-esteem. --------------------------------------- CABUWAZI ist ein Jugendzirkus in Berlin, der 1994 gegründet wurde und seit 2010 Teil der GrenzKultur gGmbH ist. Mit seinen fünf Standorten in sozial schwierigen Stadtteilen (Treptow, Kreuzberg, Altgliniecke, Marzahn, Tempelhof, Lichtenberg) bietet CABUWAZI zirkuspädagogische Freizeitaktivitäten für Kinder zwischen 4 und 21 Jahren an, die größtenteils kostenlos sind. Neben regelmäßigen Kursen organisiert CABUWAZI Shows, Ferienlager, Kooperationen mit Schulen und Kindergärten und wir organisieren zirkuspädagogische Weiterbildungen für Pädagogen (Zirkusakademie) Die Aktivitäten von CABUWAZI in Berlin basieren auf der Idee, dass Menschen und insbesondere Kinder soziale Kompetenzen aufbauen müssen, um ein stabiles und sicheres Umfeld zu schaffen. Ein Zirkus ist eine Kunstform, eine Ausdrucksweise, die über die gesprochene Sprache hinausgeht. Zusammen mit der körperlichen Entwicklung des Körpers, die der Zirkus unterstützt- Kraft, Gleichgewicht, Koordination - fördert er ein Vertrauen in sich selbst und in Mitmenschen. Dieses Vertrauen wird durch Spiele, Training und Aufführungen vermittelt, und dies alle