Mapping of Initiatives on Culture, Health and Well-being

Restore project wants to tell about other possibilities of using theatre through European methodologies and approaches. Based on these premises, the project intends to promote cooperation and exchange of good practices at European level and intends to make use of the advantage of the European Union’s transparency and recognition tools to increase training opportunities and employment possibilities for professionals working in the field of Social Theatre. In particular, the specific objectives of the project are:
- to encourage the dissemination of Social and Community Theatre as an effective means of social inclusion for adults with learning difficulties
- to strengthen cooperation and facilitate the exchange of good practices in the field of informal education among the organisations taking part in the project
- to define a process of recognition and standardisation of the SOCIAL THEATRE OPERATOR profession at European Union level, a new professional figure declined in terms of knowledge, competences and skills

The main target groups of the project can be identified on different levels Non-profit organisations supporting different groups of disadvantaged adult learners working Professional adult educators and volunteers working in the field of Social and Community Theatre Groups at high risk of social exclusion and segregation such as migrants, disabled people, prisoners, ethnic minorities, former drug addicts, NEETs, etc. Artists working in the field of fragility, hardship, in contexts of social and cultural margins
The most important tangible results of the project are three Intellectual Outputs: 1) The description of the professional profile of the Social Theatre Operator according to EU standards; 2) The standardisation of Social Theatre Operator training; 3) Methodological indications for the validation, recognition and certification of the profession at national level. These three outcomes, which are closely interlinked, were promoted and disseminated through four Multiplier Events, including a major closing event in San Patrignano (Coriano, Italy), preceded by a preview in Rome. Four Joint Staff Training Events were organised in the associated countries to promote skills development and the sharing of good practices: Peer-to-Peer Learning Workshops (in Italy, Portugal and Poland) to share good practice in training and working with disadvantaged groups of adult learners; Pilot courses were organised to test and validate the training in some of the project partner countries, which were followed by a work-based learning experience, so that each student made a theatre workshop targeting different categories and groups of disadvantaged learners. A great closing event took place on 29 October 2022 at the Community of San Patrignano, one of the symbolic places of the whole project, preceded by a preview on 6 October 2022 at the University of Roma Tre, organised by Oltre le Parole onlus, leader of the European project.

ENO Breathe is an award-winning breathing and well-being programme developed specifically for people recovering from COVID-19, who are still suffering from breathlessness and associated anxiety. Delivered by ENO in collaboration with Imperial College Healthcare teams entirely online, the programme focuses on breathing re-training through singing. The aim of ENO Breathe is to empower patients in the management of breathlessness and anxiety post COVID-19 infection, by equipping them with the tools they need for self-management.
ENO Breathe is not a choir or singing group. It is a social prescribing (non-clinical) intervention that uses singing techniques to aid recovery from COVID-19. No prior experience or interest in singing is required to take part in ENO Breathe. ENO Breathe offers participants:
- An initial one-to-one online conversation with ENO Breathe session leaders to discuss participants’ suitability for the programme, explain what the programme involves, and answer any questions you might have.
- Six weekly group online workshop sessions, led by a professional singer from the ENO encourage participants to take part in exercises and activities specifically designed to support breathing control, providing tools for self-management of breath and anxiety.
- Access to bespoke online digital resources, designed to support participants between sessions. These include exercises, song sheets and audio and video materials, especially recorded by the ENO for participants on the programme.
- Access to post-programme weekly drop-in sessions, if participants wish to revisit exercises and songs in a friendly and relaxed environment with other participants who have also completed the programme.
Lullabies will be used as a way into exercises throughout the six weeks on the programme. Lullabies are expressly designed to calm and soothe, and have the benefit of being short, memorable and accessible to all.
The programme is available in England.

Creative Exchanges is a seven week accredited training course for activities coordinators in care settings and people from an arts background with an interest in working with older people. It trains participants to plan and facilitate arts activities for older people.

A multi-arts project with young adults working to create a new well-being trail in Chopwell Wood. Consultation with members of the community took place through an open workshop in the wood. Following this, young adults took part in creative workshops with the artist, the writer and the animator to co-produce artwork for the trail. These workshops allowed re-connection with peers, and with the creative process itself. Artwork was spaced along the trail, while QR codes lead to digital animation, soundscape and spoken word that can be accessed while walking, running or riding. The trail was available for 12 months and visitors were invited to share their experiences of the trail via social media.

The purpose of the project Culture in Homecare is to investigate whether digital cultural access is important for well-being and health of the people who receive homecare.
In a collaborative approach between healthcare, academia and culture, digital cultural experiences (opera performances from The Metropolitan Opera) are made available to patients and relatives in home healthcare. The project also investigates how to inspire cultural content producers to include into their target groups the sick, elderly and relatives and to be able to meet a variety of personal interests in healthcare.

Culture-assisted rehabilitation is an initiative that facilitates the return to work after a sick leave, that can be experienced as a big challenge. Culture-supported rehabilitation has proven suitable at this stage, for those who are on sick leave for stress-related problems, mental illness and/or unspecified long-term pain. A culture-assisted rehabilitation lasts for ten weeks. The participants could try different forms of cultural activities, such as theater, crafts, movement, music and choir singing. The group also takes part in cultural experiences such as concerts, theater performances and art exhibitions. The participants meet twice a week with a reunion after completing rehabilitation.

In multi-week missions, professionally trained clown artists support children and their families living in crisis situations to develop strategies to cope with their challenging situation. These are people who have lost almost everything, who have witnessed and survived conflicts or natural disasters, who were forced to flee, and who live in dire and stressful situations.
With our artistic and interactive clown interventions, the children are given the possibility to express their feelings in a playful manner. The clowns can trigger a shift of focus, concentrating on the positive, the strength and the abilities of the children. The reconnection to positive feelings helps to regain resilience and hope.
The programme is implemented on a regular and on-going basis since 2013.

The demographic change in Europe is resulting in a growing population of 65+ and a growing need for arts projects that address the wellbeing of the elderly. Senior citizens, and their general well-being, constitute a group whose needs often go unmet. RED NOSES Clowns are engaging with senior citizens since more than 25 years. They are meeting them with respect and empathy, integrating their personal history and activating all their senses. That means singing songs together, recalling familiar smells, sharing recipes, connecting with memories from their “golden years” or dancing a gentle waltz.
When it comes to elderly people, RED NOSES senior programmes aim at contributing to the development of compassionate, respectful and person-centred care. RED NOSES International recognizes the need to provide the highest standards of healthcare and wellbeing at all ages. During the interactions, humour is used to convey respect for human dignity and for the personal history of the other. For elderly people, humour at their bedside conveys the message that they are acknowledged as valuable member of society that deserve to receive empathetic attention.
Besides regular visits, RED NOSES also developed Varieté - a theater workshop for seniors. Senior citizens in need of care often have the impression that they are no longer needed because they no longer have any tasks. The workshop shows how much the elderly participants have to offer. Here, residents of nursing homes study stage acts from the magical world of vaudeville alongside the clowns and playfully become stars. For three days, nursing home residents enter the magical world of vaudeville. On two mornings, the clowns sensitively support the senior citizens as they rehearse their stage numbers in the areas of dance, artistry, magic and curiosities. The program is designed in such a way that people with a wide range of physical and cognitive impairments can also participate. After two days of rehearsals, the curtain is raised in front of a selected audience (residents, relatives, nursing staff) - the senior citizens perform what they have learned in a show. The applause and their successful performance boost the residents' self-confidence and show them what forgotten skills they still have.

Creating We Make Health is an initiative that seeks to promote inclusion and access to creative practices oriented towards community health and well-being, developed by collectives, groups and individuals, who promote therapeutic processes, health promotion, socialization and participation of people in community life, through arts and crafts. A space for dialogue in health is proposed considering the experience of these collectives that connect performing arts, music, visual arts and collaborative entrepreneurship with the well-being of the target groups. It includes: meetings of health managers working through the arts and the creation of a network; exhibitors of informative stands in open spaces of the Faculty of Medicine; reflexive activities and exchange of methodologies.

La Colifata is an non-governmental organization that develops activities in the area of investigation and that offers mental health services utilizing the media to create “spaces of health”. The radio is commonly known as LT 22 Radio ¨La Colifata¨, the radio of the current and former internal patients of the Borda Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the first radio in the world to air from within a psychiatric hospital. The mentally ill patients broadcast through a radio station around the world from an Argentine mental asylum.