Now more than ever, our society is in desperate need for creative youth.

Creative Arts for Peace and Equality (CAPE), a programme designed by Clowns Without Borders Sweden and implemented by Clown Me In in Lebanon, ran again in 2020, comprising 20 workshops, each one given by two trainers and engaging 10 participants from vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, sharing with them arts and social therapy-based tools, offering them a safe space to express themselves, vent, and a medium to “speak up”.

This workshop allows them to become trainers for young people in their local communities, helping them change and deal with their harsh realities, through the medium of street performance.
This year, we reached a total of 188 participants, engaging more than 12 local and 3 international artists in the training that happened in Beirut, Tripoli, Bekaa and Barja, especially in areas affected directly or indirectly by the explosion and the economic crisis. 

Also, due to COVID-19 situation and the enforced lockdown, we worked on translating our trianings to fit for online adaptation to continue the sessions despite the challenges. We had in mind all of the obstacles that poeple might face during the sessions from poor internet connection, lack of proper devices to connect to, lack of personal space in homes, and the time spent on computers if working or studying online.

Read more about our online trainings here

“After the explosion, I started having more fun. Now people are caring for us.” – a 13 year old CAPE participant

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL REPORT ON CAPE 2019/2020 on the Clowns Without Borders Sweden website

Rand (name changed for anonymity) is a girl who’s in love with a Japanese band, who dreams of someday flying all over the world to meet them. She also dreams of being into fashion design and being a make-up artist. She’s such a strong, independent, creative and well-spoken 14 year old girl. Unfortunately, she shared with us that her dreams are put on hold (or maybe canceled) because she’s now engaged to be married.
During the happy place exercise, she molded two mirrors and two different girls in front of each one. One of the girls is wearing white and has a tissue over her face and the 2nd girl is a butterfly.
She expressed that the 2nd one (the butterfly) is all her hopes and dreams. She explained that in her imagination she is able to fly and be anything she wants. But the 1st one is her actual self where she has to be limited to the chains of the present.

Mustapha never talked about his dad. But during one of the exercises, he unconsciously talked about his father who is in prison and is never really around. Later that night his mother called the on ground coordinator and told her that for the first time he really cried over it and that it’s the first time he expressed his feelings about how that really bothered him.
“My child never talked about his dad who is in prison, until he attended the workshop.”