Last night I attended Cirque do Soleil’s performance of Corteo in Denver. The show was awe-inspiring due to the amazing performers from around the world and the top notch effects used to create the atnosphere. However, I enjoyed the show even more because I know Cirque provides much more than great entertainment – they are also very actively engaged in supporting communities and at-risk youth.

I first met the community involvement staff from Cirque du Soleil at a Business for Social Responsibility annual meeting several years ago. I was impressed by them and their work to support at-risk youth around the world, even where they will never actually perform because of the basic philosophy they embody about empowering youth based on the organization’s founder’s own roots as a street performer. “In the early 1980s, a group of young street performers, dreamers and self-taught entrepreneurs had the vision and drive to create Cirque du Soleil. Long before the days when they would stimulate the imaginations of audiences, the first Cirque du Soleil Artists performed their shows in the street. If their dream eventually came true–a dream built on boldness, risk and imagination–it was partly because there were older people who believed in them, regardless of their age, image or status as street performers.

The rationale and values behind Cirque’s social action are grounded in this history where youth, risk, dreams and marginality come together for a better world. Now that Cirque du Soleil has the international reach to forge alliances the world over, it has chosen to commit itself to helping youth in difficulty, especially street kids. We focus on helping these young people by allocating 1% of revenues each year to outreach programs targeting youth in difficulty.”

Today, Cirque do Soleil is involved in three spheres of activity supporting communities: Social Arts, Fundraising, and Community Involvement. Cirque supports fundraising in two ways. First are Benefit Performances. Cirque du Soleil tickets are donated to organizations assisting youth at risk, with proceeds from ticket sales going to support their work with young people. Original activities are carried out to assist organizations working with youth at risk (solidarity marches, auctions, etc.) Second are Donations where preview tickets are donated so that community organizations’ client groups can attend our shows for free. Cash, merchandise and show tickets are donated to organizations working with young people for use in auctions, raffles or other special events.

In terms of community involvement, the Cirque website states: “In places where we have a business presence, we try to get involved with the community: internally with the employees and externally with our neighbours. Within the organization, we also seek to encourage social and community involvement on the part of all employees. We have chosen to offer fair trade coffee at work and to explicitly promote this type of commerce; we support employees’ volunteer work within their communities; and more. Dialogue with the local community is established in several ways: by supporting community movements, encouraging the community to participate in some of our activities, supporting events important to neighbourhood residents, participating in working committees, etc.”

In addition, Cirque has established a partnership with Oxfam. At the Corteo performance, evidence of the partnership was very visible from banners in the entrance to projecting the Oxfam name along with their sponsors before the show and during intermission. “Since 1997, Cirque du Soleil and Oxfam International have established a long-term partnership for the benefit of youth at risk. Operating in more than 120 countries, Oxfam is a confederation of 11 autonomous non-governmental organizations in North America, Europe and Asia, committed to working together to fight poverty and injustice around the world. In addition to sharing with Cirque the expertise it has gained in the field, Oxfam sends volunteers to assist the Cirque du Monde program. For its part, Cirque supports Oxfam by organizing promotional and fundraising activities.”

For more information, go to: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/company/socialaction/default.htm.