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|  Global Citizenship Cirque du Soleil: A Global Citizen It used to be that when the circus came to town, citizens would flock to help the troupe set up the big top in a spirit of celebration. By the very nature of their art, street performers have always been driven by a profound need to forge ties with others. While exemplifying modernity, Cirque du Soleil remains firmly rooted in this age-old circus tradition.
Long before the days when they would stimulate the imagination of audiences worldwide, the first Cirque du Soleil artists performed their shows in the street. If their dream—built on boldness, risk and imagination—came true one day, it was partly because there were older people who believed in them, irrespective of their youth, image and status as street performers.
Ever since it has had the resources to follow its dreams and to present shows around the world, Cirque du Soleil has chosen to be involved in communities, and more particularly with youth at risk. In cooperation with its partners, Cirque du Soleil is involved in nearly 80 communities worldwide, in some 20 countries spanning five continents.
Cirque du Soleil allocates 1% of revenues each year to outreach programs, carried out in partnership with local and international organisations such as Jeunesse du Monde and the Oxfam International family. From Montreal to Dakar and from Rio de Janeiro to Australia, youth in difficulty on five continents take part in social action programs. The programs include Cirque du Monde (holding circus  workshops for youth at risk), training Social Circus Instructors, and fundraising activities.
Until recently, Cirque du Soleil chose to carry out its community activities in a relatively discreet manner, preferring to turn the spotlight on its partners' accomplishments. But in a bid to inspire local companies and individuals, Cirque has now decided to share its commitment to social involvement.
The rationale and values behind Cirque's outreach, under the guidance of founder Guy Laliberté, are grounded in this history where youth, risk, dreams and marginality come together for a better world. We still dream of enriching the lives of those who cross our path through our deeds and our creativity. In imagining the world of tomorrow, Cirque du Soleil has now turned its attention to more global issues such as the fight against poverty. Our goal is to put the inspiration and energy behind our shows in the service of pursuing our dream of improving the quality of life of human beings all across the planet. For more information on our global citizenship initiatives, please visit cirquedusoleil.com/globalcitizenship.
 Guy Laliberté, Founder Long before Cirque du Soleil became the company you know today, we were a group of young entertainers and dreamers who presented our acts in the streets. As time passed, our dream to stimulate the imagination of audiences all over the world became a reality because – among other reasons – people with means and influence took a chance on us in spite of our youth, our image and our profession as itinerant acrobats.
Since Cirque du Soleil has acquired the means to make our dreams a reality that we have spread a little all over the world, we have chosen to join with communities and a growing number of individuals to work together to build a better world. Until very recently, we sought little publicity for our citizenship activities, preferring to take a back seat to the achievements of our partners in social and cultural action. We are now taking a more  prominent public role in an effort to inspire other companies and individuals to make a similar commitment to citizenship.
When we think of the world of tomorrow we want to put the inspiration and energy that drive our shows at the service of the pursuit of our dream to improve the living conditions of all human beings, no matter where they may be. If we dream together far enough and strongly enough we can set an example for companies and individuals all over the globe.
Visit Cirque du Soleil Homepage
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