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Play and Clown Around Workshop
Workshop Session Plan

The Power of Play Clown Around funship is designed to bring back community, a humanity, that is both empowering and fun. The fun-ship is delivered by ‘Peace-fool’. The class clown/fool is a powerful symbol of fun, equality, esteem and non judgement. It has no resemblance to Hollywood movies promoting fearful archetypes (yin/yang).

Not only is play the opposite of depression, it prevents violence in adults.  Play is essential for pro-social behaviours.

For teachers and parents click below:

Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of NIFP, has dedicated much of his career to the study of human play: what it is, how it affects our health, and the devastating consequences if it is suppressed. His early scholarly research on violence, thirty-five years of clinical practice, independent scholarship, and rich relations with play scholars have convinced him that we are “built to play and built by play.”  

Our Founder

This is a short video of Patch Adams clowning around for fun.  He started clowning to bring love close to people under the guise of a playful character. His work around the world was a peace initiative:

Interestingly, our closest animal relatives are the Bonobos, they are considered the happiest species on the planet. Their society is: egalitarian, empathetic and matriachal society that plays around. The play is used in conflict resolution. This is how violence is de-escalated.

Here is a TED talk to open our minds to play.

Happy people who enjoy where they are and feel free enough to share, care, reveal and heal.  To clown around is to share a positive joke with friends and not take life so seriously.  It is about coming home to who we are.

So learning to play again is about freeing people from roles, from false images, from beliefs that are rigid and unbending that project rules that pinch of our true nature.  Clowning around re-members the ‘child within’ and allows a space to innocently play. In this space there are no worries, no fears as life is very simple in truth.

Introduction

… some thoughts for you to consider…

Susan aka Peacefull/fool clowned with Patch Adams in Russia. This was a wonderful experience of clowning in hospitals, on the streets, in nursing homes and orphanages. Clowns have different personalities and each person can make up their own clown as they explore the silly part of themselves. Clowning is an ancient artform originally seen as the archetype which releases people from the structures of life and frees them through the levity of the human spirit. It sets them free to laugh and have fun together.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FInCP-Xw3UY

Susan has clowned all over the world visiting places such as: Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Nepal, Egypt, UK, Ireland, USA, Costa Rica, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Australia and of course Russia with Dr. Patch Adams. Clowning releases joy and encourages play and letting go. It is fantastic in reducing stress and feeling fun-tastic.

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Clowning Around Workshop

This fun-ship fosters humour, team building, de-masking and learning to see in another way. The humour promoted in this session is healthy and productive. After clowning around for 60 minutes your mood will change, as will your outlook on life. Let’s face it, at times life is a joke and it is important to find the funny side and not take it all too seriously. It is in our seriousness that fear hides and looks to control rather than laugh at ourselves.  Later we see the foolishness and smile.

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Workshop Session Plan

  • Warm up… or warming up…
  • Introduction: making life/work more fun! creating happy places, humour and positivity, snap out of moods
  • Finding your clown – ya clown! A sense of humour – dress ups;
  • Team building and  clowning techniques:
    • Mime
    • Juggling
    • Clowning techniques
    • Props
    • Group activities;
    • Paint your own mask (optional)
    • Relaxation and visualization – happiness.

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A Joy-fool says…

“I see everyone as leaders. I’m into empowerment. I know people are great, the only problem is most people aren’t used to thinking in that way. Clowning or play is untapped and is a fantastic way of confronting your own fears, break out of comfort zones and boost esteem to connect with others. The more happy you feel you start to see life in a different way… why not create fun workplaces, community spaces and in the home?”

Susan has had experience at the grass-roots level, having worked in over 400 organisations across most industries. She had the opportunity to observe first hand how employees were feeling and the pressures they were under. In addition, as a Manager and analyst she has also understood stressors that management face. In her consulting role she undertook satisfaction surveys and gained deeper insights into views in the workplace.

A family member once said ‘you don’t go to work to be happy’, Susan thought, why not?  We all get to choose.