Take Care

Take Care is the first-ever EU project dedicated to supporting mental health and well-being in the circus arts sector.

The project focuses on preventing mental health issues through:

• raising awareness,
• providing training for students, staff, and professionals,
• facilitating the exchange of best practices in caring for young artists,
• monitoring students mental health.

Upcoming events

Project partners

Take Care is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission, and led by FEDEC - International network for professional circus education, with the following partners: 

• Codarts (NLD)
• Circus Dance Festival (DEU)
• Filip Jacobson (DEU)
• Miikkael Kukkula (FIN)
• Around about circus (DEU)

And associated partners: 

• Circuscentrum (BEL)
• Circus City (GBR)
• ON THE EDGE Festival (AUT)

FEDEC members: get involved in Take Care!

All FEDEC members are invited to take part in Take Care activities. Although there will be no grant for participation (neither for travel nor for events organisation), all activities will remain free and accessible to all.

4 Workshops

WORKSHOP 1:

•  📅 Thursday 17 April 2025 (during the Spring Talks)
•  👥 For FEDEC members (directors & staff members) and professional from the circus sector
• 📍Ecole Nationale de Cirque de Châtellerault (FRA)
• 🎫 Registrations closed.

WORKSHOP 2:

• 📅 October 2025 (during the FEDEC encounters at Circa)
•  👥 For students only
• 📍Circa festival, Auch (FRA)

WORKSHOP 3:

• 📅 April 2026 (during the Spring Talks)
• 👥 For FEDEC members (directors & staff members) 
• 📍Riga Cirks, Riga (LVA)

WORKSHOP 4:

• 📅 October 2026 (during the FEDEC encounters at Circa)
• 👥 For students only
• 📍Circa festival, Auch (FRA)

Conferences

• European conference on mental health and well-being in the circus and performing arts sector | 7 June 2025, CircusDanceFestival 2025, Cologne (DEU)

Mental Health Monitoring

A call will be launched in 2025 to implement a self-assessment online form for students on mental health issues in a few FEDEC schools. At the end of the project, tools will be shared to implement a methodology to better monitor mental health issues in your institution.

Festivals Network

Online meetings will be organised by CircusDanceFestival to exchange best practices between peers and develop new methodologies for a better mental health. FEDEC members will be invited to online exchanges.

Films

2 artists (Filip Jacobson and Miikkael Kukkula) will create 4 Take Care films to raise awareness of mental health issues in professional circus practices, which will be screened both live and online.

Resources

Films, tools and resources will be created and published on the FEDEC website.

Learn more about Take Care