Sprachen (2015)

development. Although every child reacts differently, their creativity
emerges during this psychosocial intervention stimulating enthusiasm and
vitality, whereby they even often create their own play script.
Results
A setting is created where the children are transformed into artful magicians,
dazzling artists, skilled unicycle riders and muscular weightlifters. At
the end of the week, the grand performance in front of doctors, staff and
family members is met with standing ovations!
The children’s passive role in everyday hospital routine fades into the background,
even if only temporarily. As full attention is given to new skills and
active participation is encouraged, they discover a new side to themselves,
exploring their abilities and combatting aggression or negative feelings.
This sense of “normality” in abnormal situations alleviates fears through
humorous and self-expressing activities. Our artists make the hospital environment
more humane and “less scary” for the patients by using the language
of hu-mour.
Conclusion
We offer sick children in psychiatric wards a much-needed stimulus, boosting
their self-confidence and self-esteem, providing coping strategies and
increasing their positive reactions to treatment. In 2014, we celebrated the
magic of circus performances in hospitals with more than 2,500 chil-dren in
Austria, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
The power of humour is used as a valuable communication tool to encourage
and empower vulnerable groups. The fight against social stigmas and
discrimination is promoted, enabling the individuals to participate and integrate
better within the hospital environment and the community.
153