Helping High-risk Youth
Our goal is to fully develop Circus Fund's Outreach Program, so it can serve as an innovative prototype for personal enrichment, and will be replicated throughout the country. Adolescence is a critical period of a young person's life. This fragile period is when a teen begins to become the person they are going to be. Adolescents are exposed to unique
Program Purpose
The underlying goal of the Flying Monkey Program is to develop each adolescent's natural strengths so that they will be better prepared to deal with life's challenges. The program is designed to provide positive experiences that encourage continued interest in circus arts and give teens a healthy place to explore their identity, both emotionally and physically.
Though participating in our outreach program, adolescents will overcome their fears and doubts, social barriers and gravity! By embracing these circus skills, they will also learn to deal with frustration and failure in a healthy way. Circus Fund provided a safe environment or high-risk adolescents to learn how to take manageable risks and master self-control. Their spirits and their bodies soar when they step into the ring of life with their newly acquired skills from Circus Fund!
Needs Statement
Adolescents that experience problems in school, with their families and peers, and face dangers or potential dangers to their health and development, have been described as "at-risk" youth. Even children whose parents work can be at risk.
In America today, millions of young people are alone and unsupervised in the hours after school, before parents return home from work. This situation places children and teens at risk for juvenile crime, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and other social problems.Fortunately, these risks can be reduced by integrating healthy influences to balance the scales. For the millions of working parents out there, that is exactly what the Flying Monkey Program provides.
Psychological risks and social realities within their families and communities that contribute towards setting the bar for the habits they will move into in their adult life. This program is designed to teach them to become more empowered, and less likely to become subject to depression, sedentary lifestyles, and substance abuse, to name a few of these risks. Our program is designed to build inner resiliency, by focusing on the positive aspects of life. The inner strength gained from our programs will last them a lifetime.
Circus Fund has donated our services to the following organizations:
- Bear Valley Middle School
- Boys and Girls Club of America
- American Liver Foundation
- Brain Bash - brain cancer research
- Clairmont Girls Fastpitch
- Holmes Elementary
- I'm Too Young For This Foundation
- Jaimies Joy - the San Diego Foundation
- Junior League of San Diego
- Kate Sessions Elementary School
- Labrador Rescue
- Los Compadres Foundation de Escuela Longfellow
- Mission Estancia
- Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary
- Parent Connection
- Rady Children's Hospital
- Rancho Santa Fe Community Center
- Relay for Life
- San Diego Family Magazine
- San Pasqual High School
- Soccer of HopeUnitarian Cooperative Preschool
- TAPS
- Toussaint Academy of Arts and Science
- Alcott Elementary
- Swinging on a Star
- Valley Elementary
- Keep My Dream Alive
- Growing Liberia's Children
- Green Elementry
- Challenged Athletes Foundation
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
- Sundt Memorial Foundation
- Friends of County Animal Shelter
