Our Story

Our journey has been anything but ordinary. Through every step, we've focused on staying true to our values and making space for thoughtful, lasting work.

The Genesis and Mission of Sirkhane

Sirkhane was created in 2012 by the Art Anywhere Association (Her Yerde Sanat Derneği) in Turkey’s southeastern Mardin province, a culturally rich yet highly volatile region situated along the Syrian border. The organization was born out of an urgent, empathetic response to the massive influx of displaced families escaping devastating conflicts in Syria and Iraq. Recognizing that local and refugee children alike were being stripped of their safety and innocence, a collective of passionate artists and activists came together to build a non-political, inclusive sanctuary. Their core objective was to create an environment where children could transcend deep-seated social, cultural, and linguistic barriers, substituting the heavy psychological toll of war and poverty with laughter, mutual trust, and a newfound sense of belonging.

Pedagogy and Expanding the Legacy

The foundational cornerstone of Sirkhane’s creation was the implementation of social circus pedagogy, an innovative methodology that utilizes circus arts—such as acrobatics, juggling, stilt-walking, and clowning—as dynamic therapeutic tools. Through structured play, physical cooperation, and performance, the school provided vulnerable youth with a joyful framework to process trauma, rebuild self-confidence, and develop vital emotional resilience. From its humble beginnings operating out of localized hubs, Sirkhane quickly evolved into a sweeping socio-cultural movement. By deploying mobile outreach caravans to remote border villages and launching specialized sister initiatives like Müzikhane (a social music school) and the Sirkhane Darkroom (an analog photography project), the organization has successfully expanded its healing footprint, ultimately bringing hope and creative empowerment to over half a million children across Turkey and Northern Iraq.

Meet the Team

  • Pinar Demiral

    Co-Founder/Clown

    Pinar Demiral is a Turkish artist, videographer, and social worker who co-founded Sirkhane Social Circus School in 2012 in Mardin, Turkey. Driven by a deep commitment to supporting children affected by war, displacement, and social trauma near the Syrian border, she established Sirkhane as a safe, transformative haven for local and refugee youth. Under her leadership, the organization utilizes social circus pedagogy—teaching acrobatics, juggling, music, and clowning—to help vulnerable children heal, build confidence, and express themselves creatively. Demiral's dedication to replacing the harsh realities of conflict with joy also led her to co-found the Flying Carpet Children Festival, creating a magical space where international artists and musicians come together to nurture the imagination of underserved children.

  • Serdal Adam

    Co-Founder/Clown

    Serdal Adam is a dedicated social entrepreneur, project director, and the co-founder of the Sirkhane Social Circus School (and its parent organization, the Art Anywhere Association), which he established alongside Pinar Demiral in Mardin, Turkey. Motivated by a profound desire to protect and restore the rights of children living in conflict-affected regions near the Syrian border, Adam has spent years creating safe, playful environments where local and displaced youth can heal. Under his leadership as a primary project manager, Sirkhane utilizes social circus pedagogy—such as acrobatics, juggling, and music—to help vulnerable children overcome trauma, dismantle cultural prejudices, and build lasting cross-cultural friendships. Through his enduring commitment to art-based social inclusion, Adam has been instrumental in scaling Sirkhane's mobile and stationary units, successfully bringing joy, laughter, and a sense of normalcy to hundreds of thousands of underserved children.

  • Sahba Aminikia

    Music Director/Festival Director/Ring Leader

    Sahba Aminikia is an Iranian-American composer, pianist, TED Fellow, and laureate of the 2025 Aga Khan Music Award who serves as the founder and Artistic Director of the Flying Carpet Children Festival and the Music Director for Sirkhane. Working in close partnership with Sirkhane's co-founder, Pinar Demiral, Aminikia established the festival and Müzikhane (House of Music) in Mardin, Turkey, to utilize the transformative power of sound as a catalyst for social healing. His initiatives bring together an international collective of volunteer musicians, circus performers, and storytellers to conduct mobile performances and creative workshops for vulnerable local and refugee children living near the Turkish-Syrian border. By pairing musical education with social circus pedagogy, Aminikia provides these underserved youth with a safe, imaginative platform to process trauma, build self-confidence, and reclaim their childhood through cross-cultural collaboration.

  • Halit Kasim

    Coordinator/Trainer/Alchemist/Clown

    Originally from Damascus, Syria, Halit Kasim is a vital team member, trainer, and center manager at the Sirkhane Social Circus School—operated by the Art Anywhere Association (Her Yerde Sanat Derneği) in Mardin, Turkey. Working directly on the front lines of the organization's mission, Kasim plays a pivotal role in sustaining a safe, inclusive, and joyful environment for vulnerable local and refugee children who have been affected by conflict and social trauma. In his dual capacity as an educator and center manager, he oversees daily operations and helps implement Sirkhane’s social circus pedagogy, guiding youth through empowering activities like juggling, acrobatics, and performance arts. Through his hands-on leadership and dedication to mentorship, Kasim ensures that the center remains a transformative haven where underserved children can heal, build resilience, and freely reclaim their fundamental right to play.

  • Sevin İsmail

    Trainer/Queen of Hoola Hoops

    Born in 2006 and living in Turkey since 2013, Sevin İsmail represents the beautiful, transformative power of social circus at Flying Carpet 2026. Her journey with Her Yerde Sanat Derneği (Art Anywhere Association / Sirkhane) began in 2015 as a young student, and over the last decade, her passion flourished into a vital role as a social circus trainer and dedicated volunteer who shares her skills, joy, and hope with communities in need. Beyond her impactful work as a teacher and a powerhouse performer in professional circus shows, Sevin is also fiercely pursuing her education in Fashion Design, aiming to beautifully weave her eye for style with her love for performance. A dynamic and brilliant force both on and off the stage, Sevin perfectly blends creativity with social impact, and we are absolutely thrilled to welcome her inspiring presence back to the festival!

  • Hamit Samsa

    Logistics Magician

    Hamit Samsa serves as the dedicated Logistics and Purchasing Officer for Sirkhane Social Circus School (Her Yerde Sanat Derneği), bringing specialized expertise in procurement and supply chain coordination to the organization. Born and raised in the ancient village of Dara in Mardin, Samsa holds a degree in Computer Programming from Sinop University and continues to advance his technical skill set by studying Logistics Management. His deep commitment to civil society began in 2012, leading him to volunteer with Sirkhane from 2013 to 2016 before transitioning into his long-term professional role, a journey that also included a year of volunteering for European civil society projects in Poland. A remarkable polyglot, Samsa utilizes his fluency in Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish, English, and Polish to seamlessly manage complex logistical operations, famously viewing Sirkhane not merely as a conventional workplace, but as a vital living space for his own personal growth and self-discovery.

Who are the Circus Heroes?

The Circus Heroes are the backbone and heartbeat of Sirkhane,. They are a dedicated group of young Syrian, Iraqi, Kurdish, and Turkish performers who originally entered the program as vulnerable children seeking refuge from the severe traumas of war, poverty, and displacement.

Having grown up within the circus, these remarkable youth have transitioned from students into certified trainers, mentors, and the primary stars of Sirkhane's mobile caravans. Today, they use social circus pedagogy—such as acrobatics, juggling, and clowning—as tools for social change, providing safe spaces and psychological healing for the next generation of at-risk children in their communities

Zehra

Beshir

Mohamed

Ali

Rodi

Helin

Defying the heavy gravity of conflict and displacement, the Circus Heroes of Sirkhane are architects of hope who weaponize laughter against trauma. Where war once threatened to steal their youth, these extraordinary young mentors now stand tall on stilts and build human pyramids grounded in absolute, radical trust. They do not merely perform acrobatics; they perform daily acts of profound defiance, transforming dusty border camps and public squares into vibrant sanctuaries where cultural boundaries completely dissolve. Through every juggling ball caught and every shared smile, they prove that a fractured childhood can be stitched back together with threads of pure wonder, guiding thousands of vulnerable children toward a future illuminated by empathy, healing, and peace.

Big Ideas, Real Impact