Clowning
connects US


CLOWNING CONNECTS US.
ClowNexus is a three years project in which eight European Healthcare Clowning Organisations want to explore more in detail how healthcare clowns and humour can be used to develop stronger social connections, and enable better communication with people living with dementia, children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their caregivers.
Healthcare Clowning provides these audiences with access to culture without any expectations, it facilitates the moments of deep human connections and gives space to express the audiences own creative potential.
About Clownexus
Clowning
Healthcare clowns greatly contribute to the emotional wellbeing of different vulnerable groups. The art of clowning enables the trained artists to support, encourage and connect with the audiences by recognising their needs and exploring their wishes and creativity on an in co-creation processes.
The clown never focuses on what is missing but on what is there. We choose not to reduce anybody to their conditions or circumstances, instead we choose to focus and understand in depth their abilities and powers.
Connects
ClowNexus provides the space to develop new artistic formats and approaches in a common creative process.
Throughout the project clown artists from seven countries will develop new artistic formats and approaches together with their co-creators:
Elderly people with dementia, children and teenagers with Autism Spectrum Disorder, their family members, carers, social experts and artists from other artistic fields.
Us.
The project connects with people with dementia as well as children with Autism Spectrum Disorder as both are often confronted with feelings of not fitting in or failing to meet expectations of society.
With the project ClowNexus, we want to find a common path to create, play, laugh and enjoy art together, giving time and space to everybody to express their perspectives, feelings and creativity.
The activities of ClowNexus are monitored and evaluated to measure the impact.
THE OVERALL PROJECT GOALS ARE:
1. to improve the access to artistic performances and contribute to the social inclusion of people with dementia as well as children and teenagers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
2. to strengthen the capacity of healthcare clowning organisations in Europe to co-create and to implement transformative learning processes


This is how we started
Nurse Anna Reenkola about the impact of health care clowns on children with autism – Sairaalaklovnit
Dementia Lab May 22Â – Pallapupas
Healthcare clowns working with elderly with dementia – Pallapupas
Partners Involved:
Clowning Connects Us
is implemented by these eight experienced European Healthcare Clowning Organisations.
Lead: RED NOSES International – www.rednoses.org
Austria: Rote Nasen Clowndoctors – https://www.rotenasen.at/
Croatia: Crveni Nosevi Klaunovidoktori – https://www.crveninosovi.hr/
Finland: Sairaalaklovnit – https://sairaalaklovnit.fi/
Hungary: Piros Orr Bohocdoktorok Alapitvany – https://www.pirosorr.hu/
Lithuania: Raudonos Nosys Gydytojai klounai – https://www.raudonosnosys.lt/
The Netherlands: Stichting CliniClowns Nederland – https://www.cliniclowns.nl/
Spain: Pallapupas – https://pallapupas.org/
The European Healthcare Clown Organisation (efhco) is an associate partner.
Clowning Connects Us will be implemented between November 2020 and October 2023.