Report / zdravotni-klaun-LKK

Clowns Turned Laurin & Klement Kampus Into a Place Full of Laughter

Following their September visit to the Mladá Boleslav plant, the Red Noses parked their ambulance at Laurin & Klement Kampus on 5 October.

During the Day of Smiles, the Red Noses surprised employees with improvised sketches and their trademark humour. At the same time, they wanted to thank everyone for the support that has allowed them, for almost a quarter of a century, to visit child patients and senior citizens.

The organisation's painted cars were hard to miss outside the entrance to the Laurin & Klement Kampus building. However, their crew didn't stay outside for long. Four clowns moved into the lobby, where they used their typical humour and improvised sketches to engage arriving employees. Some had their photo taken with the clowns in their costumes in a photo booth, while others became part of improvised scenes without knowing it in advance. The clowns would ask them, for example, whether they had arrived at the right hotel, or whether they wanted help finding the way to the pool.

For 25 years now, the Red Noses' goal has been to change the atmosphere and bring relief wherever children and senior citizens feel fear or experience pain and uncertainty.

Such situations are exactly where the Red Noses' humour comes in. They rely on improvisation, unexpected questions and the ability to react to the people around them. While some employees may have initially tried to work out what was going on, the result was a lot of smiles and a pleasant change to the start of the working day.

However, the clowns' visit had a deeper meaning than simply entertaining employees. Škoda Auto has supported the Red Noses charity since 2002, when it lent them their first Škoda Fabia car. Regularly renewing the fleet helps the clowns reach child patients in hospitals and at home, as well as senior citizens in care facilities. The Day of Smiles was thus an opportunity to say thank you for the long-term support directly to the people behind it.

Stories Behind the Red Nose

While the clowns put on humorous sketches at Laurin & Klement Kampus, their everyday work takes place in an environment where laughter isn't a given. Hospital rooms, patients' fears about examinations, parents' uncertainty or encounters with seriously ill children require much more than a quick joke.

A red nose on an elastic band also helps the clowns a great deal. As soon as they put it on, they become doctors, professors or nurses. These characters allow them to separate difficult experiences from their personal lives and cope better with hard situations. The four clowns who came to Mladá Boleslav also talked about what their profession involves.

Karel Prais describes how, thanks to Škoda Auto's support, they have gradually been able to travel to more distant hospitals as well. "I see the meaning of my work mainly in being able to help children take their mind off pain and fear, even if just for a moment," he says.

David Ševčík also considers working for the Red Noses to be the best career decision of his life. He joined the organisation twenty years ago and soon learned that a seemingly light and playful profession requires thorough preparation.

Laughter Even Where It Tends to Be Forgotten

The Red Noses don't only visit children's wards. Daniela Weissová visits care homes for senior citizens in the Liberec region. "It's when meeting older people that I notice how easily laughter disappears from everyday life. But when I manage to make them laugh, it's the most beautiful reward," she smiles.

Jana Vavříčková, who meets not only children but also their parents and medical staff, thinks about the meaning of her work in a similar way.

However, not all visits are easy for the clowns. Meeting seriously ill children or patients in palliative care places great demands on them. Still, they all agree that managing to break through initial distrust and bring even a little relief is a great achievement.

Karel Prais

Doctor Dudel

The Red Noses help not only children but also parents and medical staff. When parents see someone paying attention to their child, they can relax for a moment. I consider joy and laughter important not only in hospitals but also in everyday life.

David Ševčík

Dr Alois Vemeno BfLm.

The clowns are constantly continuing their education, attending workshops, supervision sessions, professional coaching, artistic and medical training, as well as lessons in psychology, sociology and communication. Being funny alone isn't enough; they also need to master improvisation, work with emotions and handle demanding situations.

Daniela Weissová

Dr Professor Amarantha Clever from the research institute

If you don't believe in the power of a smile, stand in front of a mirror, smile, pull all sorts of faces and try to make yourself laugh. You'll quickly discover that laughter really can change your mood and your outlook on the world.

Jana Vavříčková

Dr Gabriela Giganti

I see the purpose of the medical clown in bringing joy where it's missing, and in making the atmosphere more pleasant not only for children in hospital rooms, but also for parents and medical staff. There are hospitals where I've literally been taken on as part of the team.