Circus & OT for Displaced Persons

By the end of 2022, a record-breaking number of people — 108.4 million — have been forced to flee their homes.  

Refugees are people who are forced to flee from their country of origin due to violence, oppression, or substantiated fear of persecution based on sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion, nationality, membership in a group, or expression of certain political opinions.

Refugees experience occupational deprivation which is defined as a condition where an individual is unable to engage in meaningful occupations due to enforced contextual factors such as a lack of sources of sustenance, support, and services, diminished safety, and separation/loss of family members.  

When occupational injustice occurs, humans as occupational beings are hindered from their right to have equal opportunities to participate in meaningful occupations that meet their occupational needs. 

Jill Maglio, an occupational therapist, is currently working with refugees in Greece on a CircusAid project.  She is the founding Director, Educator, and Occupational Therapist of both Holistic Circus Therapy and CircusAid, which are social circus programs that utilize circus activities as a therapeutic tool to increase occupational participation. 

Her work is nuanced with all the shifting barriers and bureaucracies in place but instills joy and laughter.  Her work promotes social connectedness and efficacy, as well as a possible reprieve from their distressing circumstances.

• For more information on Jill Maglio's work with refugees - https://www.circusaid.com/
•  Follow CircusAid on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/circusaid/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D
• For more information about circus as a therapeutic tool - https://www.holisticcircustherapy.com/

References

Darawsheh, W. B., Bewernitz, M., Tabbaa, S., & Justiss, M. (2022). Factors Shaping Occupational Injustice among Resettled Syrian Refugees in the United States. Occupational Therapy International, vol. 2022, Article ID 2846896. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2846896

Maglio, J. & McKinstry, C. (2008). Occupational therapy and circus: Potential partners in enhancing the health and well-being of today’s youth. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 55, 287–290. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1630.2007.00713.x

R. El-Bialy and S. Mulay, (2015). Two sides of the same coin: factors that support and challenge the wellbeing of refugees resettled in a small urban center. Health & Place, 35, 52–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2015.06.009

The UN Refugee Agency. (14 June, 2023) Refugee data finder. UNHCR. https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/