Brave Kids (BK) is a project where children from different countries teach children from other countries their folk culture and other performing arts skills. When rehearsing together, a performance is created from the experiences of children from different continents, presented to a very large audience. The project allows children to gain new experiences, expand their horizons about what is happening in other parts of the world, practice with others, create a performance and access the big stage. This story describes at length the familiarization with the Brave Kids project and the expansion of this project to Estonia in 2019.
In addition, we organize children's camps for our lovely children and allow the proximity to nature and the company of domestic animals to be enjoyed by all those interested.
BK's story story started for us in 2014, when the nice coaches of the Circus Studio Folie, which operates in Tallinn, came to share their skills with the children of the Varbola Children's Head School. At the end of the same year, the circus studio received an invitation to participate in the international charitable educational project Brave Kids (BK), where children from different countries introduce children from other countries to their folk culture by teaching and sharing their knowledge and skills and molding everything they learned into a common performing art. When rehearsing together, a performance is created from the experiences of children from different continents, presented to a very large audience (1800). The project allows children to gain new experiences, expand their horizons in terms of different cultural traditions, see and experience what is happening in other parts of the world, practice with their peers, create a performance and access the big stage. As representatives of the circus studio, the children of the Varbola school, accompanied by instructor Gail, travelled to the event in Poland in 2015.
This was followed by an invitation to participate in the same BK project in 2016. Guided by Gail, six dancers, four girls and two boys travelled to represent Estonia on this occasion.
Thanks to the BK programme, new friendships have emerged, with the first result being the performance of the Mongolfer Circus Theatre on the Wetland Folk in the summer of 2016.
In 2017, the dance group Straighters received an invitation to Vyborg from a circus school operating in St. Petersburg, Russia. The race took place in the first days of June that year.
In 2018, under the guidance of Gail, a group of children from the Wetland Gymnasium participated as part of the BK program in Poland, Bialystok.
During these years, a number of nice people have handed their helping hand as part of this project. They have included teachers, tutors, and parents. Thank you all!
The aim of 2019 was to organize Brave Kids 2019 also in Estonia in Wetland.
Already emerging in 2016 from the idea of bringing groups of children from different countries to Estonia as part of the BK programme, the idea began to form a real initiative during the 2018 trip. The implementation of this project was also the basis for the creation of our NGO.
Two women have been directly and indirectly involved in all the events that took place in these years as founders of the EstLike NGO. The main organizer is Gaili, who works in the field of education, and Riina, who has long experience in the financial municipality, is the support person.
In order to bring children from different countries to Estonia, we needed support and help from anyone who could and would like to offer it. We needed good families who want to help with the accommodation of the children coming to visit. We also needed the help of volunteers in the workshops to be conducted within two weeks. We certainly needed help to find material resources as well. They were needed both for the transport and catering of the children invited to visit and their tutors, as well as for the rental of the premises, for the hiring of tutors and many more other activities.
The project was successfully implemented, it was very complicated economically, but there was nothing children knew about it. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped the dream come true! Our story began in 2014 when the nice coaches of the Circus Studio Folie, based in Tallinn, came to share their skills with the children of the Varbola Children's-Basic School. At the end of the same year, the circus studio received an invitation to participate in the international charity project Brave Kids (BK).
Estonian children have participated in the Brave Kids project:
2015. Puszczykowos Circus Studio Folie.
2016. In Warsaw, the dance group Straight.
2018. Bialystokis folklore group.
Thanks to the BK programme, new friendships have emerged, with the first result being the performance of the Mongolfer Circus Theatre on the Wetland Folk in the summer of 2016.
In 2017, the dance group Straighters received an invitation to Vyborg from a circus school operating in St. Petersburg, Russia. The race took place in the first days of June that year.
During these years, a number of nice people have handed their helping hand as part of this project. They have included coaches, teachers, tutors, as well as parents. Thank you all!
The aim of 2019 was to organize Brave Kids Estonia in Wetland. Our dream came true 2019, everything worked out.
