Be Better: Dr. Red Nose Participate in the 2022 Healthcare Clowning International Meeting

The 2022 Healthcare Clowning International Meeting was held in The Hague, the Netherlands, from April 20 to 22, 2022. Representatives of Medical Clown organizations from around the world participated, including those from the United States, Canada, Spain, Israel, Austria, Australia, and other countries. Taiwan’s Red Nose Care Clown Association (Dr. Red Nose) was the only Asian representative. Four Dr. Red Nose from Taiwan exchanged ideas with more than 300 professional clown performers, researchers from various fields, and medical and counseling professionals from around the world. The three-day journey was filled with exchanges of information and perspectives, exploring topics such as Medical Clown performances, accompanying different groups of people (including people with dementia, older adults, and children with autism), friendly healthcare policies, and the application of new media to Medical Clown performances. It also deepened the international connections of Dr. Red Nose and infused us with tremendous energy. We hope that Dr. Red Nose can create more laughter. Be better.

🔴Founder of Dr. Red Nose / Ma Chao-Chi & Dr. Red Nose Ding-Dong
A three-day journey filled with love, joy, and gratitude!
The four clowns from Taiwan’s Dr. Red Nose Association sincerely felt the support from all over the world!
Knowing that “we are not alone” is truly a wonderful thing.
Reuniting with old friends, meeting new ones, and learning about the latest developments and knowledge from clown brothers and sisters from around the world… all of this made us incredibly happy!

Thank you, my dear Medical Clown partners
We truly felt the love everyone conveyed to us. Because of you, we have the courage to keep moving forward!

🔴Dr. Red Nose Tiantian (Tseng Ching-Wen)⠀⠀

“It turns out that there are all kinds of possibilities ahead on the road. We have to give them a try to find out whether they are suitable for us here in Taiwan. We look forward to continuing to build steadily and working hard together with the clown family to grow into our own unique form.”

🔴Dr. Red Nose Mimi (Cho Chia-An)

⠀⠀Just as the Taiwanese public is gradually becoming familiar with “medical clowns” or “Medical Clown,” many hospitals in Europe and the Americas have already come to regard Medical Clown as an indispensable part of “friendly healthcare,” and have even developed various specialties: working with children receiving early intervention, people with dementia, mothers and infants, and more… Clown performances can adapt completely to different situations, cultivating the unique healing beauty of human encounters and companionship through a poetic and humorous presence—clown performances can reach so far and so broadly.

On this trip, sharing Taiwan’s experiences with medical experts and artists from various countries, we discovered that we have more in common than we have differences.

We are likewise troubled by fundraising, exploring the role of art in an aging society, and finding ways to avoid professional burnout among clowns

As a result, we made many mutually understanding allies. Support from all directions filled us in Taiwan with an overflowing supply of positive energy. Recharged, we can continue moving forward: )

🔴Dr. Red Nose Ho-Hey (Liang Ching-Min)

“You are a night of protector of innocence”

This was one passage of beautiful writing I heard at this year’s International Medical Clown Conference.

This April, I traveled with Mama Ma and two Medical Clown partners, A-Shui and Chia-An, making the long journey to the Netherlands to attend the triennial International Medical Clown Conference. Despite our anxiety about the pandemic and the language, we did our best to prepare for epidemic prevention before traveling to the other side of the earth,

During the three-day conference, we listened to sessions on a wide range of topics,
approaching them from different fields,
from the people served to the use of technology,
from professional training to cross-organizational collaboration and beyond,
and met experts from various fields,
each Medical Clown with more than ten years of experience,
and each Medical Clown organization with decades of accumulated experience,

Just as we began to adjust to the time difference and enjoy the Netherlands’ wonderful weather, we returned to Taiwan like a whirlwind,

During this period of quarantine,
we each worked intensively to organize the course materials,
and listened carefully to each speaker’s sessions by playing the recordings,

In “The Psychological Resilience of Medical Clown,” speaker Caroline Simonds used many metaphors to describe Medical Clown. Here, I would like to quote what Caroline shared,

“The appearance of a Medical Clown is like giving a child a beautifully wrapped piece of candy. When the Medical Clown is not nearby, the child can take the candy from beneath the pillow, eat a few bites, and put it back when they feel they have had enough.”
When these words streamed through my headphones and into my ears once again,

an overwhelming sense of emotion suddenly surged up,
as if releasing all the complicated, undigested emotions of this period,

In difficult moments, whether for those who are ill, their families, or medical and caregiving personnel,
a Medical Clown can be a companion, a presence in the moment, and a beautiful piece of candy

Just like the beautiful words in the first line of the article,

“You are a night of protector of innocence,”
you are the protector of innocence in the darkness”

*A Brief Guide to the HCIM Healthcare Clowning International Meeting

HCIM stands for Healthcare Clowning International Meeting, an international conference for healthcare clowns

Its main goal is to bring together organizations and individuals from around the world who develop “Medical Clown” within healthcare systems, so that they can focus on and discuss the impact and role of this profession or practice in healthcare and society, as well as connect clown performance with social culture, health, and science.

The conference covers diverse professional perspectives and research projects. Participants include representatives of Medical Clown organizations from around the world, professional Medical Clown performers, researchers from various fields, and medical and counseling professionals. The conference is hosted by CliniClowns, a Dutch Medical Clown organization recognized by the European Union.

**The Four Dr. Red Nose Representing Taiwan

Dr. Red Nose Ding-Dong (Ma Chao-Chi)

Dr. Red Nose Tiantian (Tseng Ching-Wen)

Dr. Red Nose Mimi (Cho Chia-An)

Dr. Red Nose Ho-Hey (Liang Ching-Min)

► Become our ambassador and share our story 
► Official website http://drn.org.tw/
► Smile donation  https://event.drn.org.tw/ahsR2/web
► Smile group purchase https://lihi3.me/3QTCV
► Donate receipts to charity Love Code 1801