Humour and clowning are powerful tools for connecting with people who may experience social isolation and for supporting emotional well-being in healthcare settings.
In the second phase of the Clow Nexus project, our work focuses on young people in psychiatric care and on the well-being of healthcare professionals. Through participatory artistic approaches, we are exploring how humour and clowning can foster social connection and emotional well-being, while also contributing to more supportive healthcare environments.
These approaches are being developed collaboratively through regular exchanges between healthcare organisations and professionals, clown artists, mental health experts and researchers. Artistic Labs and training activities provide spaces to develop, test, adapt and further improe practices based on the experiences and needs of both young people in psychiatric settings and medical professionals.
Alongside this practical and artistic work, the project is continuously evaluating its impact and facilitating the exchange of experiences and knowledge among participating healthcare clowning organisations. Regular meetings and peer learning support this process and help identify best approaches that can be applied across different healthcare contexts.
Communication and advocacy activities are also an integral part of the project, drawing attention to the growing number of young people in psychiatric care, the mental health challenges they face and the stigma that continues to surround young people experiencing mental health difficulties. By sharing experiences emerging from the project, these activities aim to encourage more open conversations about youth mental health and highlight the potential of arts and humour to contribute to more supportive healthcare environments.
PEER-TO-PEER DISSEMINATION MODEL
PEER-TO-PEER DISSEMINATION MODEL
© RED NOSES International – Miloš Vučićević
The ClowNexus story began with a kickoff meeting held in Vienna from May 19 to 22, bringing together clown artists, mental health professionals and researchers from across Europe. The artists taking part in the meeting, some with extensive experience working in psychiatric hospitals and others only beginning to explore this highly challenging field, came together to learn more about the initiative through which they will exchange knowledge and develop the most effective clowning methods, all with one shared goal—putting smiles on the faces of young people.
Video of the kick-off meeting:
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© RED NOSES International
Throughout the project, regular online meetings bring partners together to stay connected and reflect on how the work is evolving across different countries and contexts. The meetings create space to discuss the progress of the Artistic Labs, share new artistic methods and learning, explore questions around evaluation and impact and look together at what is working well and where adjustments might be needed. These conversations also offer an opportunity to address practical challenges and learn from experiences emerging within the different project strands. By keeping this dialogue active, the meetings help the ClowNexus respond to real needs as they emerge, while strengthening collaboration and keeping everyone connected and moving in the same direction.
© RED NOSES International – Miloš Vučićević
Between the Artistic Labs, clown artists carry out artistic interventions in paediatric psychiatric settings, where they test newly developed methods and explore their effectiveness in practice. These interventions help artists better understand what works in different situations and contribute to more targeted, high-quality and impactful healthcare clowning. Clown artists also lead trainings for healthcare professionals, helping them strengthen resilience  and explore practical ways of using creativity and humour in their daily work.The experience gained through these interventions also feeds back into the Artistic Labs, supporting the continuous development and refinement of artistic approaches.
© RED NOSES International – Miloš Vučićević
ClowNexus awareness-raising and advocacy activities promote the broader field of arts for health, with a particular focus on mental health of young persons and healthcare clowning as a tool to support recovery and wellbeing. The project works with other European advocacy organisations in the fields of culture, arts and health, and healthcare creating opportunities for joint initiatives and a stronger collective voice. Consortium-level advocacy includes a dedicated event in Brussels that will bring together relevant stakeholders and decision-makers, while local organisations also organise their own advocacy events, specifically tailored to their local contexts and needs. The project also takes part in European Mental Health Week, while ongoing media activities such as a documentary series, RNI’s podcasts and panel discussions help raise awareness and bring the topic of arts for health to wider audiences.
European Mental Health Week 2026
As part of European Mental Health Week 2026, RNI produced a panel discussion bringing together expert voices to explore young people’s mental health, including stigma and discrimination, the role of arts and humour and what young people need from support systems across Europe.
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© RED NOSES International – Miloš Vučićević
To ensure the artistic quality of the ClowNexus project, knowledge exchange and artistic training are an essential part of our process. Through international trainings, such as the RNI’s International School of Humour (ISH), clown artists receive training on different topics and further develop their artistic and clowning skills. Through local trainings, clown artists participate in training activities aimed at continuously improving their clowning skills at least once a year.Â
© RED NOSES International – Miloš Vučićević
Learning remains at the core of ClowNexus through evaluation, development of learning questions and learning tools. These activities support continuous reflection, help assess the effectiveness of artistic approaches and capture key learnings throughout the project. The insights gained are shared among partners and contribute to the continuous development of the project.
© RED NOSES International – Hilma Unkić Begić
As a way to build and strengthen the capacities of the healthcare clowning organisations participating in the events, we offer artistic coaching, supervision, and study visit opportunities for clown artists. Artistic coaching aims to sharpen artists’ clowning skills with the guidance of experienced coaches. Supervision is a way to support the mental wellbeing of artists often working in psychologically demanding contexts. Supervision helps artists process their experiences and feelings, and makes them more resilient in the face of difficult or demanding situations. Study visits let clown artists travel in a project country of their choice to learn about the practices and methods used by the respective organisation. These study visits help clown artists gain inspiration and insight from other organisations that they can incorporate into their work in their own countries.