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Be part of the joyful clown team bringing Gesundheit! humanitarian clowning to Mexico!
A unique event with an even more unique program, in exclusive collaboration with IBERO University of Mexico City.
Humanitarian clowns bring a fresh perspective to situations of suffering. Humanitarian designers bring a fresh perspective to recurring social problems. Get an introduction to both with Patch Adams MD and the clowns-designers of the School for Designing a Society in one fun-filled, thought-provoking week in Mexico City!
No previous clowning or designing experience required, this Clowning & Caring trip offers opportunities to clown in various institutions and workshops in addressing our desires for a more compassionate world.
Be part of the group of international clowns that together, with a group of local clowns and university students, will explore humanitarian clowning and humanitarian design, with daily clown visits to a variety of institutions, communities, streets, and daily design groups, workshops, lectures.
And while changing the world, we’ll also have the chance to enjoy some of the beauty the world already has to offer, with a cultural excursion to Frida Kahlo’s House, the house/museum of one of the most visionary women of history; and also with a delicious Welcome Dinner with live music, to get a taste of the thousands flavours Mexican culture offers; and finally our traditional Clown Flashmob closing event, in which we lovingly invade public spaces accompanied by many local clown friends, bringing care, love and attention to people’s Saturday night life.
Introduction to humanitarian clowning: A way to bring love close.
A Care Pandemic: In this time of uncertainty, instability, and change, of war and uncaring, we will practice listening, receiving, being safely present and vulnerable. And goofy. The more what we don’t want becomes clear, the more we will ask: What do we want? If another world is possible, what is the world we envision? How would we like things to be different, and what will help bring that about?
The Red Nose of Courage: if courage means doing the needed thing in the face of fear, when is clowning a courageous act?
Re-Designing the Character of the Care-Actor: an inquiry into the character of care-givers. How can we expand it? How can we protect it?
Listening: Experimental composition invites experiments in listening. Exploring the difficulties of listening, particularly in situations of social inequality.
Clown technique I: the Art of Making Small Things Big and Big Things Small. Sometimes stressful situations disturb our sense of proportion — and clowning can help us playfully restore our sense of what’s important. Desire statement exercises. A workshop in play and imagination.
Clown technique II: Role play with performers workshop. The art of engaging people through humor and performance techniques.
Synthesis of our week’s experience. Talk-back sessions: Have I changed? What’s my next step?
Patch Adams — entered medical school in 1967 to use medicine as a vehicle for social change; promotes and practices living a life of public joy as a revolutionary act; fount of ideas for avoiding burn-out in long-term social justice and health. Enthusiator.
Susan Parenti — composer, tap dancer, accordionist, activist. Familiar with the words “idealist’, ‘romantic’, ‘unrealistic’. Writes theater plays on how she wishes people would speak, rather than how they do actually speak.
Mark Enslin — composer, actor, bassoonist, guitarist, oud player, apprentice tabla player, listener, teaching composition facing the power of the respondent, assignment as an art form.
Dario Solina — composer, performer, writer, videomaker, communication designer, since 2010 performs his clown everywhere, every second; Vulnerability for Revolutionaries, teaches the art of Emphasis, MetaClowning maestro.
“What’s your excuse not to change your life?” – Dario’s TEDx talk about how clowning and this very program changed his life, and how strong an impact it could make on your life.
Further playful readings on clowning:
Listen to the voices of both all new and experienced participants sharing their excitement and wonder, while experiencing the same Clowning & Caring program in Costa Rica (many thanks to David Naster for sharing the interviews!)
Transportation between Mexico City international airport and the hostel is included.
The detailed day-to-day itinerary of the trip will be available when we get closer to the event, but this is what a typical day looks like:
Cost: $1475 USD covers food, lodging, all educational and clowning events, and transportation within the country. This fee does not include your transportation to Mexico. Space on this trip is very limited.
Vaccination against COVID-19 is recommended and not required. Wearing a mask might be required in some institutions where we are going to be clowning. We register participants on a first come first serve basis.
-> Participantes de Mexico residentes en el país, hay un precio especial para ustedes!
Los cupos son muy limitados! Para hacer la inscripción, por favor no sigan el link aquí abajo, escriban a dario@patchadams.org les estaremos enviando un link especial.
1) Download and read the Clowning & Caring in Mexico 2025 Info Pack 1
2) Fill out the Electronic Registration & Payment Form >
Please do not fill out the form unless you are prepared to send the deposit ($600) or the full amount.
-> Not ready to register yet? Write to dario@patchadams.org
Deposit and Full-Tuition are Non-Refundable. Please have your final payment made before February 9th, 2025. Thanks!
Flights: Please arrive at Benito Juarez International Airport, México City by the evening of March 9 – Book your flight back home any time on March 16.
Passports: No visa is required, check this link for any exception related to your country. And this is a link for Mexico Entry Requirements. Passports can be expedited by your local post office. Please bring two color photocopies of your passport with you. Please check the expiration date of your document, passport must be valid for at least six months after your date of travel.
Vaccines:
COVID-19: Vaccination is recommended and not required.
The following vaccines are recommended: Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR), Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis A, Typhoid. Please check if your country has special vaccination requirements: for example if you are coming from a country where Yellow Fever is endemic. In any case, you may want to talk to your doctor about the recommended vaccinations for travel to Mexico. We will not be in any areas of the country where Malaria is a possibility.
If you have questions which are not answered by the program’s description:
dario@patchadams.org
Dario Solina
Clowning & Caring in Mexico
Tour Coordinator
We ask you to fill out the following forms:
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