Our organisation was born from a simple idea on the plane ride back from our first trip to the Philippines in September 2008. We'd spent a fortnight travelling throughout Manila and Cebu and, despite being overwhelmed by the extent of the poverty in the slums and in the dumpsite areas, we'd been inspired by the organisations that we'd seen making small positive changes to these peoples lives. Duri
ng our travels we made connections with a boys' orphanage in Cebu Mactan, which supported the disadvantaged youth in the area to gain an education and the hope for a brighter future. After spending some time there, we realised that we had many shared interests with these boys, despite our vastly different backgrounds, and we bonded over music, art and acrobatics. We'd arrived as strangers but we parted as friends and on our journey home we just knew that we simply had to return. We wanted to give something back to these people who had been so welcoming and so generous to us. After a couple of brief emails to the director of the orphanage, the ball was set in motion and a few short months later, a team of friends and family was assembled, ideas were fleshed out and “Something for Change” had begun. With no funding, a DIY attitude and one film camera, the team set off for the first of many rewarding journeys into the developing world. We ran our first circus arts workshops in April 2009 and, after a week's practice, the boys gave their debut circus performance near the dumpsite in Soong Mactan. For the most of the boys and for their audience it was the first experience they'd had of any kind of live performance. We have returned to the Philippines three times now and our team of friends and family keeps growing. In January this year we arrived back from our first visit to India, where we continued to make connections with inspirational people and organisations. In 2012 we plan to take our circus arts programs to five other developing nations around the world.
