Restoring hope through play: Four-week mission across northern France

In Lille, the regional capital, our team visited Utopia 56, an organisation supporting teenagers travelling alone. Their centre is small, so everyone moved to a quiet park behind the building. Around 30 boys came along, many from Sudan and Bangladesh. 

The staff weren't sure about a clown show. They're teenagers, they said. Maybe just do the circus workshop? But Marija, Tamás and Alaa had been performing for teenagers for two weeks, and bring years of experience, so they went ahead. The boys threw themselves into it, and afterwards the staff agreed it had been the right call! 

When the props came out, seven or eight young children wandered over with their parents. Head of Mission Craig ran back to the car for ribbons. Soon, the teenagers were teaching the little ones to spin plates and use flower sticks. The team handed out foam red noses to everyone. It was truly a memorable experience for all.

A highlight in Arras 

At the France Terre d'Asile centre for teenagers travelling alone, around 30 young people live together. For Craig, it was one of the highlights of the visit.  

‘The clowns of Red Noses International Emergency smile brought sunshine and good vibes to our care home for our teenagers in exile in Arras. 

The boys laughed, discovered circus arts and forgot their difficulties for a few hours. It was magical.   

But Marija, Tamas and Ala also gave our educational team a two-hours breath and relief with their workshop. We shared a wonderful moment with lots of laughter together. It was like a rainbow in our work. 

We are grateful for the joy that Red noses spreads around them. Come back whenever you like at Arras, you are welcome.  

It was a raining day today but you bring sun in ours hearts and in our "mise à l'abri".’ 

Anne, Social Worker, France Terre d’Asile 

The team also ran a Humour Relief Workshop for staff, a session that gives aid workers new ways to manage stress through humour. They ran them with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and Utopia 56 too. 

Across the region 

In Calais, the team visited the Médecins Sans Frontières day centre for teenagers several times. They played music, made juggling balls together and ran Circus Smile Workshops with spinning plates, flower sticks and foam nose magic. 

The youngest audiences were at two safe houses for families, Maison Sésame and Maria Skobtsova House, where most children were under 10. After each show came a parachute game and more circus play. At one house, a father joined in too. 

At food distributions run by SALAM, the artists brought music and games to the queues. In Calais, 400 to 800 people come for breakfast each morning. In Grande-Synthe, the lunch distribution can serve up to 1,200 meals. The team also performed for women and children at the Secours Catholique centre in Calais, with Project Play. 

Some days, the team left the clown costumes behind and wore blue t-shirts. With the French Red Cross at water points, and with Kaleidoscope near a living site where people charge their phones, they simply laid out the props. Anyone waiting could juggle, spin a plate or just talk and connect with each other.

Until next time 

In Arras, Anne told the team to come back whenever they like. Across northern France, that's the hope: more hope for the people leaving everything behind and more breathing space for the people supporting others every day. 

You can help make that possible. Your donation gives our healthcare clown artists the chance to return.