'CultureForHealth' is a combined effort of local and regional actions in Europe that are growing awareness about the critical role of culture and the arts in improving health and well-being at both the individual and collective level.
As such, CultureForHealth responds to the objectives of the Preparatory Action – Bottom-Up Policy Development for Culture & Well-being in the EU. The project has the ambition to trigger a true policy change in EU effecting both regional and local levels - bringing closer together the health, cultural and social policies.
Cross-sectorial policy development
Through a series of roundtables and study visits to Denmark, Italy and Romania, webinars, and workshops, CultureforHealth has been facilitating cross-sectorial and trans-European cooperation aiming at both sharing, collecting and creating knowledge.
The first event was held in Denmark in March 2022 followed by the events and policy-discussions in Italy and Romania. The last of these visits will go to Slovenia, April 2023.
The launch of our CultureForHealth report was an important step towards compiling policy guidelines on how to enhance well-being through culture.
June 2023, a final conference will celebrate our combined effort making the influence of CultureForHealth an important driver towards common collaboration between the culture and health sectores.
All the CultureForHealth actions will result in the final policy recommendations for the European Commission and presented at the final conference.
Six pilot projects
The research of CultureForHealth is also including six pilot projects in Denmark, Italy, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia aiming at “management and treatment” of illnesses as well as “prevention and promotion” for a variety of life stages and age groups.
The projects are ongoing and the results of the reseach will be published and later also presented at the final conference, June 2023.
Extensive research
Our CultureForHealth researchers will undertake a research review clarifying the importance and the role of culture for well-being and health, taking stock of existing knowledge and evidence, and delineating recommendations for policy as well as targeted investment measures.
The project researchers will also map relevant and good examples of EU, national, regional and local programmes, initiatives and projects and will develop a compendium of sustainable culture-based solutions for well-being and health targeting practitioners.
The mapping is part of an extensive database featured on this website.
Broad European partnership on culture for health
CultureForHealth is a project co-funded by the European Commission with partners all over Europe, consisting of Culture Action Europe, Trans Europe Halles, Central Denmark Region, The Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture, Centrul Cultural Clujean, and Društvo Asociacija.
Advisory Board
Nils Fietje - World Health Organization
Anita Jensen - Competence Center for Primary Healthcare in Sweden
Katey Warren - University College of London - WHO Collaborating Centre for Arts & Health
Robert Manchin - Europa Nova
Ugne Grigaite - Mental Health Perspectives
Marius Ungureanu - Ministry of Health Romania - Department of Public Health, Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj
Mette Steenberg - Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University
Luisella Carnelli - Fondazione Fitzcarraldo
Dr. Annalisa Cicerchia - Istituto Nazionale di Statistical & Cultural Welfare Center, Italy
Dorota Sienkiewicz - EuroHeathNet