In a world increasingly concerned about terrorist attacks, gun violence and abuse, there is a feeling of inevitability to violence. Violence seems too complex, too common to be successfully eliminated. Owing to that sensation of helplessness, it is rarely treated as an environmental contagion or a preventable behavior, and many of the innovative ways to prevent violence go unrecognized by the public health community. Potentially one of the most powerful of these overlooked ways is a holistic youth development technique called social circus. A relatively young field that, until recently, has been mostly isolated from scientific analysis, social circus has a unique appeal and utility for youth at risk for violent lifestyles.
Background: Youth Violence & Youth Violence Interventions
Violence is a major public health problem, disrupting the lives of youth throughout the world. “Violence” in this context is defined by a range of behaviors, ranging from bullying and physical fighting to sexual assault, physical assault and homicide. Homicide is the 4th leading cause of death of young people 10-29 years of age worldwide, and for every youth killed, many more sustain injuries and serious, lifelong consequences in psychological and social functioning. In the United States, violence is the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15 to 24 years, and each year, about $16 billion are lost in combined medical and work costs due to youth homicides and assault-related injuries. This violence becomes a vicious cycle, as many exposed youth will become violent themselves or display deviant behavior.
In this context, “at risk” is defined as youth who engage or are likely to engage in risky behaviors that are detrimental to their own development and to the well-being of their communities. The age group considered the most at risk for developing violent and criminal behavior is between 8 and 18 years old. Particularly at-risk are preteen males who are or who feel socially excluded; however youth of both sexes and of a range of ages can be violent or criminal actors.
Early intervention is of the upmost importance. Risky behavior tends to begin during this age of experimentation and will continue on into adulthood, so early intervention can reduce later hardships. Research has shown that young people who participate in one risky behavior are more likely to participate in many, so interventions should be aimed at multiple behaviors and factors. Individual risk factors of violent or criminal behavior consist of:
- a history of violent victimization
- attention deficits, hyperactivity, conduct disorders, or learning disorders
- history of early aggressive behavior
- involvement with drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or crime
- low intelligence and educational achievement
- poor behavior control
- deficits in social cognitive or information-processing abilities
- high emotional distress
- antisocial beliefs and attitudes
- exposure to conflict and violence in family
- unemployment
- and associating with delinquent peers and/or gang membership
Individual behavior and risk factors are crucial, but a youth’s environment is also fundamental in the likelihood of later problems. One’s family environment and parental involvement has been shown to be particularly influential. Family risk factors include authoritarian childrearing attitudes, extreme or inconsistent disciplinarian practices, low parental involvement, low emotional attachment between parents and children, low parental involvement in children’s activities, poor family functioning, and poor monitoring and supervision of children. A community with diminished economic activities or high concentrations of poor residents, that is socially disorganized and displays low levels of participation in youth lives also contributes to the risk that a young person will exhibit violent behaviors.
Social exclusion is considered an important contributing risk factor as well, as it has been posited that social inclusion, not nonviolence, is actually the opposite of violence. The Effective Circus Project in Finland specifically cited social exclusion as contributing to violent behavior, substance abuse and crime. The state of being “social excluded” is defined as young people, between the ages of 15 and 29, who are not employed or in school and who lack post-secondary education. It is closely associated to psychological problems, and the problems tend to accumulate, as the lack of social networks and education increase social exclusion and economic vulnerability. Youth of all ages are vulnerable to the effects of social exclusion, as all are active social agents capable of changing society.
Overall, this extensive array of risk factors and risky circumstances requires successful interventions to address multiple levels of society and multiple factors in individuals. Conveniently, this kind of approach is well reflected in social circus.
Circus Resilience Theory & Evaluation 