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Charlie's Chaplains' Skool
Fall is fast approaching! Along with it comes wonderful opportunities to become more active, and discover new avenues of interest. For me, fall has always been a sort-of ‘New Year,’ as I launch out on a fresh stretch of months in a ‘New School Year,’ so-to-speak.
What do you have planned? What new things will you be doing? Will you be exploring new interests or adventures? Exciting times ahead! Are you prepared? Will you be ready for Prime Time?
If your heart is leading you toward hospital or caring clowning, or healthcare performing, here are some great resources, regardless of your level of proficiency or experience:
Attend a Live Event:
Frye Regional Medical Center’s Charlie’s Chaplains’ Skool “Work of Heart: Injecting Healing Humor in Healthcare” For Hospital/Caring Clowns, Family Entertainers, Healthcare Professionals, and folks interested in establishing a hospital clown or healthcare family entertainer group, 9th consecutive Skool — Weekend/or Saturday Intensive available on September 24-25, 2010 in Hickory, NC For info, click this link (here)
MultiMedia Training — Always available on your schedule, ongoing…
- Hospital Clowns and Healthcare Entertainers Private Mentorship Training Program, and for those Creative Arts Performers who apply generous doses of Healing Humor in the Healthcare Venue! Immediate access to all necessary materials and BONUS Gifts, upon sign-up! Ongoing program geared for all levels of experience, delivering individual mentoring on mentee’s own schedule, with training videos, audios and tried-and-true resources.
- “How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Creative Ministry Guide” Online Webinar Package, video book companion with downloadable materials, immediately available upon sign-up.
- Work of Heart: Establishing a Hospital Clown/Healthcare Family Entertainer Group – Train, Prepare & Equip: Video training, paired with 4 EBooks containing 103 pages of training materials; 4 printable booklets for your team or group training; arts enrichment/low-cost play-big group performance activities, more…Perfect companion to How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Creative Ministry Guide! Immediate access at sign-up.
- Healing Humor: Live Happy – Be Healthy! Online Audio Program — A self-paced Healing Humor online course with immediately available downloadable materials allows attendees to listen to audios at their convenience, enjoy EBooks and printables immediately! The course is presented in 5 separate audio segements, with related downloadables, all available online, to be listened to and enjoyed indefinitely, from the time of enrollment.
3 big reasons for establishing a Humor Program in your hospital or healthcare facility presented by published author and longtime Humor Therapist Becky Cortino…
These are 3 compelling reasons to establish a Healthcare Humor Program — but wait! There are more…
In addition, Healthcare Humor programs:
In addition to these 3 compelling reasons, Healthcare Humor programs also:
These are 3 compelling reasons to establish a Healthcare Humor Program — but wait! There are more…
In addition, Healthcare Humor Programs:
*Have far-reaching effects inside and outside the facility walls!
*Provide priceless results at little cost reaching patients, staff!
*Build great community goodwill!
*Are NOT Rocket Science to set-up!
*Easily tailored to your facility’s specific needs!
For articles, resources, training, request consultation, visit: AHeart4Clowning.com
Contact: Becky Cortino, AHeart4Clowning.com
Injecting Healing Humor in Healthcare Setting
Early this spring, I shared my excitement with you about launching Work of Heart: Injecting Healing Humor in the Healthcare Setting MultiMedia Program. Though difficult for me to wait for this program release, the weeks have passed as I put the finishing touches on this package. At last June 1st has arrived, and here we are officially launching this unique online MultiMedia Webinar to help encourage hospital clown and healthcare humor programs!
While it seemed a long way off at the time when I first told you about it, the span of weeks that passed is certainly not as long as the distance I have come in putting this program together for you! That meandering journey began as I set my very first baby clown foot on the hospital floor way back in 1997…
What a joy-full journey it has been! Filled with many-many hours of learning — like you… designing costumes and routines — like you. Attending training programs, conventions, conferences — like so many in our discipline. So – you know how much time you’ve spent! Oh — I and had two children I’ve been taking around with me since 1997, also — so I guess I need to multiply that time spent for prepping them, as well as me… I’m happy to report we continue making Rounds together still today – counting it all Joy!
Through the process I’ve learned quite a lot. I did not start up the hospital group that I am fortunate to coordinate since 2003, but I did establish the now-infamous Skool concept that draws folks from out of state to attend, and the ministry has become what is known as a “New Generation,” expanding to include professional family entertainers, honored to be featured in The Hospital Clown Newsletter.
Are you part of an existing hospital clown or healthcare family entertainer group? Regardless of your level of experience — do you want to start one? The lessons I have learned are ones I gladly share!
I am thrilled beyond words to officially launch my newest MultiMedia program that I believe is groundbreaking. It is filled with insight, experience, inspiration and down-to-earth strategies to help you:
- Establish a Hospital Clown/Healthcare Family Entertainer Group or further an exisiting one
- Help you Train, Prepare and Equip Your Group, including special clown arts enrichment activities and components to complement your efforts
- Help you Promote Your Group, to grow your group
This online program is presented from a Grassroots (that’s me-and-you), down-to-earth perspective, based upon tried-and-true hands-on actual hospital group development and coordination, and a long-time career in marketing/PR and communications. While I cannot claim to have been a circus clown or performed in hospitals in other countries, I have lived-breathed-hospital clowning since 1997 and my communications/Marketing/PR indie profession has been my lifelong career. My perspective is unique, and the information I can provide you through this program will help you in your efforts even if you have been a clown for many years.
Based on my experience, I have relevant information-rich content that will help you in your efforts, and hopefully keep you from spinning your wheels unnecessarily. I know how much time it takes to coordinate a group! This program is supported by my desire to encourage hospital clown and healthcare family entertainer groups globally and to help you coordinate your group, while saving you valuable time.
This webinar package is a comprehensive information and media-rich presentation. Each segment is thoroughly covered, and is like attending 3 seminars on this topic – then leaving the conference with a boatload of resource materials!
Do you need a dose of inspiration and some encouragement?
There are many preliminaries and considerations that need to be addressed in setting up – or coordinating an established hospital clown or family entertainer group, as well as training, equipping and getting the word out about your group.
Downloadable and printable materials to use for your own group are included in this online MultiMedia Webinar package, allowing you the benefit of attending a conference on your own schedule, from the comfort of your own computer! The entire program may be viewed indefinitely.
This MultiMedia program is designed as an extension to the recently-published book, How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Creative Ministry by Becky Cortino.
My book served as the official text for the first-ever ministry weekend program held by Frye Regional Medical Center’s Charlie’s Chaplains’ Hospital Clown Creative Ministry in 2007, it was expanded from the conference spiral-bound version and reprinted in 2008 by Lulu.com as a bookstore-quality paperback book. It remains as the featured text on this topic.
Although complimentary in nature, this webinar program goes well beyond the book by covering training, preparing and equipping a hospital clown or healthcare family entertainer group, in addition to promoting the group. It does not cover “How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Family Entertainer Group” as in-depth as the book, so is a recommended companion to this webinar:
How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Creative Ministry by Becky Cortino
More details and to register for this program: http://budurl.com/WorkofHeartWebinar
Look forward to seeing you in the program!
More Info: About Becky Cortino, featured program presenter
Injecting Healing Humor in Healthcare Setting
After I finished writing my first book, How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Creative Ministry Guide, my mission became clear and is very simple: I want to help further clown arts and humor programs in hospitals and healthcare settings globally.
That’s why I am especially excited about launching a brand new MultiMedia Webinar on June 1, 2010! Work of Heart: Injecting Healing Humor in the Healthcare Setting is a presentation comprised of 4 component segments, designed for new and established groups, based on my years of experience as a hospital clown, since 1997.
In this unique online program participants will discover:
1) How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Healthcare Family Entertainer Group: It’s NOT Rocket Science!
2) Training and Equipping a Hospital Clown or Healthcare Family Entertainer Group: How to Train, Entice, Encourage, Over-deliver, Keep the Team Going!
3) Promoting and Marketing a Hospital Clown or Healthcare Family Entertainer Group: At Little to NO Cost, for BIG Results!
4) Sample Special Training Modules: Low-Cost Clown Arts/Group Performance How-To’s and Arts Enrichment Electives.
This online program is presented from a Grassroots (that’s me-and-you) perspective, based upon tried-and-true hands-on actual hospital group development and coordination, and a long-time career in marketing/PR and communications. It is a comprehensive information and media-rich presentation. Each segment is thoroughly covered, and is like attending 3 seminars on this topic – then leaving the conference with a boatload of resource materials!
Do you need a dose of inspiration and some encouragement?
There are many preliminaries and considerations that need to be addressed in setting up – or coordinating an established hospital clown or family entertainer group, as well as training, equipping and getting the word out about your group.
Downloadable and printable materials to use for your own group are included in this online MultiMedia Webinar package, allowing you the benefit of attending a conference on your own schedule, from the comfort of your own computer! The entire program may be viewed indefinitely.
This MultiMedia program is designed as an extension to the recently-published book, How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Creative Ministry by Becky Cortino.
My book served as the official text for the first-ever ministry weekend program held by Frye Regional Medical Center’s Charlie’s Chaplains’ Hospital Clown Creative Ministry in 2007, it was expanded from the conference spiral-bound version and reprinted in 2008 by Lulu.com as a bookstore-quality paperback book. It remains as the featured text on this topic. My publisher also selected it, along with my other book, From the Heart: Injecting Healing Humor in the Healthcare Setting, to be featured on Amazon. I did not apply for, request nor pay for that — so as you might imagine, it is a real thrill to have both of my books selected to be featured on Amazon by my publisher!
Although complimentary in nature, this webinar program goes well beyond the book by covering training, preparing and equipping a hospital clown or healthcare family entertainer group, in addition to promoting and marketing the group. It does not cover “How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Family Entertainer Group” as in-depth as the book, so is a recommended companion to this webinar:
How to Establish a Hospital Clown or Creative Ministry by Becky Cortino
Hope to see you in the program! Be sure to check the links for all program details: Registration begins June 1, 2010 when this MultiMedia Program officially launches!
More Info: About Becky Cortino, featured program presenter
This MultiMedia Webinar program available beginning June 1, 2010
Learning is a “growing” process, and as a hospital clown, caring clown or healthcare family entertainer, the learning and fun never end! There are always new things to explore and discover, skills to develop. In a previous post, I encouraged you to establish a list of personal or professional goals you would like to obtain, and possible training programs you would like to consider. This list can serve as a valuable blueprint for your character or clown development.
Here are 8 tips to help you realize your goals, by using your list:
1. Using your established list of possible training programs, line them up against your personal or professional goals in order to determine which will be the best choice. Some programs may offer more broad-based training segments to help you get a good start on a new skill or component you want to add to an existing act. If your level of proficiency is more advanced, you may benefit most from a training intensive specifically geared for your skill level
2. Realistically consider your proficiency level in the selection mix. “Proficiency” or skills are not determined by the number of training hours spent, or programs attended. Practice and actual application of what you learn in ‘real life’ figures into the equation.
3. There are always lots of training programs available, so be sure to review the possibilities that are the best “fit” for your goals and the skills you want to learn. Don’t be persuaded that you must “buy into” an ongoing series program, obtain a degree, specialty certification, or receive training only from a particular individual, in order to be considered well-trained and to reach your goals.
4. Carefully select programs and instructors, based upon your current goals. A program you may pass on this year may be the perfect component to add in next time.
5. The straight scoop is there are a lot of excellent teachers and training programs that will likely benefit you and your development — wherever you may be in that process. Having the benefit of several instructors gives you a well-rounded perspective. This provides a better understanding of many things from a variety of viewpoints, rather than from only “one school of thought” otherwise offered by a single entity or organization.
6. Remember: It’s all in the blend and the mix you choose, with focused training received from hand-selected presenters, that can serve up greater dimension in your actual performance.
7. Stay on track, with your plan in hand. Following it to reach clearly-established goals, paired with a focus to reach them, will avert burying yourself in information overload.
8. By taking actionable steps, you will more likely reach your goals, experience the success of learning new skills and greater success in moving yourself forward in your Character/Clown development.
A heart for hospital clowning includes not only a great deal of training and learning, creating a character, designing a ‘look’ or costume, hours of practice and preparation, it also includes actual in-service time on the floor of a healthcare facility.
Hospital clowning is known to be one of the most challenging disciplines, due to facility regulations and the inherent requirements of performing in the special venue. To many, the mere thought of clowning for the sick is an endearing idea. However most folks don’t have an understanding of the behind-the-scenes preparation and training that is involved to make the scene.
Sometimes individuals make their way through the maze of regulations and restrictions, pull together a costume and appear on the floor for their debut, only to discover this wasn’t their cup of tea after all. It is a sad discovery, especially for those clowning team mates and performance partners looking forward to a new addition. It is often a surprising discovery for the new clown or family entertainer, as reality hits the linoleum, so-to-speak.
Reasons for this are as varied as individuals in the world. Often there is no way to predict its occurrence:
- Attracted to the thought of performing for the sick, inspired by a family member or friend in the hospital for an extended period of time, turns out to be more of a deterrent, as they battle recurring memories.
- The performer takes their “work” that looks like play ‘home’ with them and dwells on it.
- After following all procedures and training, some folks new to this venue discover they do not have the stamina to make Clown Rounds.
- Rounds schedule seems to always conflict with other things that take priority.
- Have a unrealistically high expectation they cannot fulfill or meet, to their satisfaction.
- Create a difficult-to-replicate look or face that takes too long, or is hard to maintain.
- Has difficulty developing a presentation, or finetuning the performance skills.
These are just a few of the reasons new folks may discover greater personal challenges in making Clown Rounds in a hospital or healthcare facility. Many of them can be addressed with training, once recognized. Here are a few suggestions:
- Having a mentoring system of new performers working with experienced team members for a specified period of time.
- Allow floor time experience after initial training, so new clowns and family entertainers have a better understanding, in advance.
- Continue coaching and one-on-one training experiences throughout the year, so that questions and concerns may be addressed, and efforts may be fine-tuned.
- A feeling of support and cohesiveness through welcoming hearts, understanding and acceptance go a long way to making a new person feel welcomed, “at home” and able to take on The Great Clown Unknown.
What kind of training and preparation does your facility offer? What type of training do you believe is the most beneficial? Please share your thoughts by leaving your comment…
The learning and fun is ongoing for those serious about Applied Humor Therapy and clowning around to cheer patients! Educational opportunities abound throughout the year. Each conference, convention and training program is unique, offering participants fresh insight.
Paired with hands-on experience, an extensive education and better understanding of the performance venue are invaluable life-long resources. The result is a more polished performance, developing greater competency and increasing professionalism over time.
Here is a sampling of upcoming conferences, conventions and programs as related to Hospital Clowns, Caring Clowns, Healthcare Family Entertainers and Applied Humor Therapists:
Applied Humor Therapy:
Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH) 23rd Annual Conference “Biology of Hope/ Healing Power of the Human Spirit,” a Tribute to Norman Cousins, Thursday April 22 – Sunday, April 25, 2010 at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, Anaheim, California.
Click this link for AATH 23rd Annual Conference details: http://www.aath.org/conference.htm
Multiple Disciplines:
Clowns of America International (COAI) 25th Anniversary Convention “A Little Bit Country A Little Bit Rock and Roll,” Tuesday April 20 – Sunday April 25, 2010 at Houston Hobby Marriott, Houston, Texas.
Click this link for COAI 25th Anniversary Convention information: http://www.coai2010houston.com
Hospital Clowns, Healthcare Family Entertainers, Applied Humor Therapists, Healthcare Professionals:
Frye Regional Medical Center’s Charlie’s Chaplains “Work of Heart: Injecting Healing Humor in the Healthcare Setting,” An Applied Humor Therapy Weekend, September 24-25, 2010, or Skool (Saturday-only program also available) Saturday, September 25, 2010 in Hickory, North Carolina.
This is FRMC Charlie’s Chaplains 9th consecutive now-infamous Skool… joined this year by J.T. Bubba Sikes, to offer fantabulous instruction!
Click this link for FRMC Charlie’s Chaplains’ Skool ‘10 details: http://CharliesChaplains_Skool.bravehost.com/
What conference, convention or training program plans do you have for this year? Please leave a comment, to tell us about your plans — or share your favorite program!
Developing a character, clown or family entertainer persona is an ongoing process, with many interconnected considerations. First and foremost, it must come from within. The very essence of ‘being’ must be firmly-rooted from somewhere. If not, the character is so wispy and thinly-veiled, it seems more like a tumbleweed than a believable being to have fun and share a lighter moment with, in reality.
Structure for the character and performance comes in developing skill sets, while increasing knowledge base and understanding of the medium, message and venue. This is accomplished with ongoing education through books, multimedia, programs and conferences. A broad spectrum is recommended for the greatest Big Picture View, but care should be taken so as not to become weighted down or confused by “information overload.” This condition is caused by piling on more and more great good learning, with the frequent side effect of inertia and missed opportunities.
Many sources of tremendous information abound, but a plan of action will help anyone who wants to learn more about our special work that looks like play, to grow, develop and be able to provide maximum positive impact.
Goal setting is recognized as an effective means to develop, effect change and accomplish great things. This same strategy should apply in growing, learning and further expanding a character as well as a performance.
As for new things to learn, mind-reeling possibilities are endless. Just thinking about them gives the sugar-buzz feel of a kid set loose in a candy shop! Begin making your plan by listing out the aspects or areas you would like to explore. Let your mind run freely — it is hard to contain creativity, afterall… and why would you? Resist the urge to limit yourself, thinking you could “never do” something, or it would for some reason seem “unreasonable.” In this step, you are simply brainstorming with yourself, and laying out lots of ideas to consider.
Next: Using your list
Now Available!
Just released, “There’s a Clown in My Soup” video is a ‘Best Practices’ EduTrainment Clown Rounds module especially for hospital clowns, caring clowns and healthcare family entertainers.
Presented to integrate universal concepts for performers in the healthcare venue, this program makes effective learning enjoyable in a fresh, fun and new, memorable way.
No more ‘talking heads’, drab, dull or boring training sessions with this program! Instead, a sugar-coated, humorous presentation of: 21 Key Questions Every Healthcare Family Entertainer should be able to answer…
Details are included for registering product purchase to receive “Clown Soup” Facilitator Guide, Participant Question Booklet and corresponding Answer Sheet for this training program.
Click on this link (here) for more information about this new ‘Best Practices’ EduTrainment Video for Hospital Clowns, Caring Clowns and Healthcare Family Entertainers…