Edmund Elstak volunteers in our school as manager of physical training.
He teaches the children Acrobatics and Circus, Sports and Games.

His biography is as colourful as his shirts!

In 1938 his father emigrated from the Dutch colony Surinam in South America to the Netherlands and married a woman from Arnheim.

Edmund was born in 1949 and grew up in Amsterdam. He fell in love with circus at the age of six when the “Children Circus Elbow” gave a show in his neighbourhood. But the circus was too far away for the child to get into contact.

It took 25 more years before destiny brought them together again.

Then he started to volunteer with the “Children Circus Elbow” for 17 hours a week. In the following years he taught circus skills at various Dutch youth centres. Also he volunteered in a theatre performing the children’s musical “The Booted Cat”.

He does not only teach circus training:

Edmund is a certified EHV teacher (Education in Human Values) and social worker, having completed his training in the Academy. There he learned about the three milieus:

• The first milieu is the family.
• The second is the school where you get education for your work and career.
• The third is the out of school education, creativity and hobbies.

When he visited the Shanti Ananda School he was excited about the integration of the 2nd and 3rd milieu. Actually this was the main reason why he started (at almost 70) his “Circus Club” teachings again.