Photo: Contributed

Kids circus camp coming to Oliver

South Okanagan kids with a hankering for fun can now sign up for a week-long circus training experience this summer.

Green Fools Theatre Society, a well-established circus group that has provided programming from Alberta to Africa, is coming to Oliver July 28 to Aug. 1.

The one-week camp will teach circus skills to interested local youth.

"Taking place on stage and in the beautiful lobby, the camp is hosted by Venables Theatre and is generously supported by The Kiwanis Club of Oliver," reads a press release from the Venables Theatre.

"Youth, aged 8-14, will have the opportunity to try a multitude of circus disciplines including stilts, unicycles, juggling, walking barrels, and more."

Circus and performing skills can have an impact on child and teen mental health, and success in all areas of life, according to Green Fools co-founder Dean Bareham.

“It really saved my life,” said Bareham.

“I was a teen who could have easily slipped through the cracks, and it gave me direction.”

During the camp, kids get to try all sorts of new skills. Stilt walking, juggling, and much more.

“We want to create a place where kids can participate in healthy risk taking and see that failure is okay," said Bareham.

“During one of our camps in Calgary we had a young boy join us who had just arrived in Canada from Ethiopia. He was a refugee and didn’t speak English. Within days he was performing in the Jubilee auditorium and the rest of the kids had banded together to make sure he felt included.”

After the week of camp, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, the kids will get to perform on stage at the Venables Theatre.

The Kiwanis Club of Oliver has donated $4,500 to this camp, which lowers registration costs for families who are interested in registering their kids.

The cost is $250 for the week. To register, email [email protected].