In Zagreb, Ljubljana, Belgrade - almost in all capitals in the Balkans - groups have started to learn and teach circus skills. Most of them are juggling, perform aerial acrobatics and make fire shows. Some work with other disciplines, such as clowning, etc. In Banja Luka we started over a year ago with acrobalance. Banja Luka is not a real capital, but it is the capital of the Republika Srpska, and the second city of Bosnia and Herzegovina. And we aim to have more circus skills too! (Get an overview of circus activities in the region at http://www.balkan-cirkus.herobo.com/) For over a year we practice acrobalance in Banja Luka with an experienced Dutch trainer. In April we organised the first acrobalance weekend of the Balkans region. Besides acrobats from around South East Europe, there we had a one-off workshop of aerial acrobatics. And that gave us a taste for more! Therefore we now invite you to come to Banja Luka for up to one year and help us to develop our aerial acrobatics skills! European Voluntary Service: The European Union finances Youth Exchanges under its Youth in Action-programme. With the support of this program we want to organise an exchange in which we can host for up to one year one (or two) young person(s) with experience in circus skills (especially in aerial acrobatics) and willing to share them with us. We are working with an alternative youth NGO "POP", http://www.pop.ba/, in Banja Luka. You will be part of the POP team. POP has a number of projects planned for 2011 for example the Most Mira festival in May. You will be employed by POP and work for/on that festival as well. POP is already hosting one other foreign volunteer. We are trying to organise an International Acrobalance Convention in the summer of 2011 in Bosnia. If our fundraising efforts are successful, you will help to organise it, too. Together with you we still have to finalise the EVS project application before February 1st 2011. For example, depending on your current (EU!) country of residence we have to determine the EVS sending organisation. So there is still a possibility to modify the "One year of circus in Banja Luka"-EVS application to meet your specific desires, for example to develop your own circus skills (One of the cool possibilities is to apply for two EVS volunteer-positions. Those volunteers could then, besides fulfilling the described tasks, for example develop their own performance) The space we use for training is shared in the youth center (Dom Omladine) of Banja Luka. It has considerable height, but we haven't yet installed any aerial acrobatics equipment. We have several regular gymnastics mats, but no big mat yet. If we finalise the project application before February 1st, and if it is accepted by the EU, this EVS project can start from 1st of May 2011. It can then last for the maximum of one year. We are looking for somebody who
Application: As we still have to agree with your sending organisation on the EVS contract, and after that apply with the EU before the 1st of February deadline, please apply with us as soon as possible, but at the latest before January 10th 2011. Before you apply with us we advise you to ask your chosen sending organisation if they in principle would be willing to send you for this project. If you have any specific ideas to modify the project don't hesitate to contact us before you apply. To apply, please send us a motivation letter and attach your CV where you include references - if possible also pictures/video's - concerning your circus skills.If you apply together with someone else, please indicate this in your letter, but apply individually. Questions and applications can be send to: cirkus.banjaluka@gmail.comMore information on our informal group you can find on Facebook: http://www.tinyurl.com/acro-bl (And we are looking for second hand big mat which we could convince Eurolines to bring to us...) |
