The project in summary
Artistic activities and Healthcare Clowning interventions in Greece and in the Balkans for migrant and refugee minors, accompanied and unaccompanied.
The project in detail
In 2022, RED NOSES Clowndoctors International (RNI) has strengthened its presence in the migration contexts in Greece (Island of Lesbos), where it has been successfully operating for several years, and at the same time has expanded and spread its Healthcare Clowning activities to Serbia and Kosovo, by conducting 2 Emergency Smile Missions in collaboration with major international humanitarian organizations and local NGOs operating inside the different reception centers. The project aimed to:
- give children the possibility to bring out their traumas and express their feelings in a playful manner, to help them reconnect to positive feelings and regain reliance and hope;
- transfer the Skills of Healthcare Clowning to the local Staff members and volunteers of humanitarian organizations operating on the field in order to increase their psychosocial wellbeing and help them reduce the stress they experience in their everyday professional lives;
- identify, disseminate and replicate the Best Practices of Healthcare Clowning in other emergency contexts and transfer them to other stakeholders who intervene on the ground.
Greece
- 422 minors on the move and UASCs (13-18 ages);
- 174 adults with a migratory background;
- 179 humanitarian aid-workers, volunteers and medical staff from various humanitarian organizations and local NGOs operating on the field.
Serbia
- 100 minors on the move (3-18 ages);
- 140 girls on the move (13-18 ages);
- 13 Ukrainian refugee children (2-13 ages) and 15 adults;
- 20 adults with a migratory background;
- 10 humanitarian aid-workers and volunteers from various humanitarian organizations and local NGOs operating on the field.
Kosovo
- 48 Street Children and minors on the move (3-18 ages);
- 28 humanitarian aid-workers/volunteers from various humanitarian organizations and Shelter Staff operating on the field.
The two missions in Greece and in the Balkans, also with Alta Mane support, have foreseen the following activities:
- One-week Pre-mission Training (per mission) during which 7 clown-doctors and 2 RNI Head of Mission have been trained for the mission;
- Mission on the field (3 weeks each) during which several artistic and Healthcare clowning activities have been organized such as clown-shows, musical parades and Circus Smile Workshops, intended to minors on the move, UASCs and Street Children, and 8 Humour Relief Workshops intended to the humanitarian aid-workers and volunteers of the organizations operating inside the different reception centers;
- One-day Debriefing (per mission) during which the clown-doctors have had the opportunity to process and reflect on lived experiences, discuss critical issues encountered during the mission, evaluate the interventions and share the Lessons Learnt with the Emergency Smile Project Leader;
- Monitoring & Evaluation Process to assess the impact, effectiveness, sustainability and replicability of the Program.