• The AYCO Festival 2011 will be held in Sarasota, Florida from August 17 to 21
• We are delighted to announce the appointment of Amy Cohen as Operations Director, beginning September 1.  Amy is a circus artist, educator, administrator, and advocate.  She graduated from Ithaca College in 2008 with a major in Theatre Arts Management and minor in Integrated Marketing Communications and founded ICircus, Ithaca College’s circus arts club.  Amy has been involved with AYCO since 2006 and co-directed the 2009 American Youth Circus Festival.  She is currently a 2009/2010 Fulbright Scholar based at The Circus Space in London researching contemporary circus and youth circus culture in the UK.  In the fall of 2010 she will start working towards her MA from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, concentrating in “circus as a tool for social change, education, and creative expression”.
• Patty Campbell has been appointed to the AYCO Board of Directors. Patty is the  PAL Sailor Circus Director and fiscal officer for Police Athletic League of Sarasota County, Inc (PAL). Patty is a Sailor Circus Alumni, having participated in the program from 1969 to 1976.  She became a Coach/Rigger in 1991 and in 1992, began serving as the Assistant to the Director of Sailor Circus, becoming Director in 2003. She is the mother of 5 Sailor Circus Alumni and grandmother of 3 potential sailor circus performers. Patty and Husband Duane are owners of Campbell’s Towing & Recovery Service in Sarasota, as well as, a custom survival pack business called Redi-Pack.

• A major upgrade to the AYCO website
• Enhanced service offering to members, through the website, events and advocacy
• Growth in membership across the whole youth circus sector
• Creation of two staff positions, Executive Director and Operations Director

Read a summary of the plan 

AYCO members may request access to a copy of the full plan from zoe@americanyouthcircus.org