Mapping of Initiatives on Culture, Health and Well-being

Horizon Europe is the EU’s multiannual funding programme for research and innovation between 2021-2027. Three strategic documents outlining the implementation of the programme in its first years reveal the link made between culture and health so far:
1) The Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2021-2024 defines the key strategic orientations for the first four years of programme. The document aims to ensure an effective interface between EU policy priorities, and programme activities and ultimately, the research and innovation projects funded by Horizon Europe. Pillar II of the Programme, Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness has 6 clusters, including one for Health (cluster 1) and one for Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society (cluster 2). The promotion of social cohesion and inclusiveness and the health and well-being of its people are central aims of the European Union’s policies and programmes. The Strategic Plan acknowledges cross-cluster complementarities between the Health cluster and the Culture cluster.
2) Horizon Europe Work Programme 2021-2022. Health cluster is the action plan for the implementation of the first two years of cluster 1 Health. It contributes to six expected impacts set out by the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2021-2024: 1 - Staying healthy in a rapidly changing society; 2 - Living and working in a health-promoting environment; 3 - Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden; 4 - Ensuring access to innovative, sustainable and high-quality health care; 5 - Unlocking the full potential of new tools, technologies and digital solutions for a healthy society; 6 - Maintaining an innovative, sustainable and globally competitive health related industry. The document also stresses that importance of cross-fertilisation and other synergies between EU-funded projects under the different pillars and clusters of Horizon Europe. For instance, it mentions the welcome intersections with cluster 2 Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society, such as on health inequalities, on other inequalities affecting health, or on citizens’ behaviour and engagement, but also on health economics and economic models, on cost-effectiveness, fiscal sustainability and accessibility of health care, or on adaptation of public health systems to societal challenges (climate change, environmental degradation, migration, emerging epidemics, etc.).
3) Horizon Europe Work Programme 2021-2022. Culture, creativity and inclusive society is the action plan for the implementation of the first two years of Culture cluster. It includes several calls for proposals that are relevant for the link between culture and health. One example is the call - New ways of participatory management and sustainable financing of museums and other cultural institutions, which also aims to promote the role of museums and other cultural institutions in well-being, health, resilience, social inclusion and society’s dealing with trauma and post-crisis recovery.

EU's flagship programme supporting the culture and audiovisual sectors. It has 3 main strands: Culture (covers cultural and creative sectors with the exception of the audiovisual sector), Media (covers the audiovisual sector) and the Cross-sectoral strand (actions across all cultural and creative sectors). The Programme encourages inclusion, equality, diversity and participation, which, where appropriate, shall be achieved through specific incentives that: (a) ensure that people with disabilities, people belonging to minorities and people belonging to socially marginalised groups have access to the cultural and creative sectors and that encourage their active participation in those sectors, including in both the creative process and audience development; and (b) foster gender equality, in particular as a driver of creativity, economic growth and innovation. The Programme encompasses the fundamental role of European culture and media in citizens’ well-being and in empowering them to take informed decisions.

EU's flagship programme supporting the culture and audiovisual sectors. It has 3 main strands: Culture (covers cultural and creative sectors with the exception of the audiovisual sector), Media (covers the audiovisual sector) and the Cross-sectoral strand (actions across all cultural and creative sectors). The dual objective of the Programme was to safeguard cultural and linguistic diversity and strengthen the competitiveness of the European cultural and creative sectors. The programme encouraged organisations to cooperate across disciplines and borders, as well as to develop new practices and innovations to reinforce the competitiveness and the resilience of the cultural and creative sectors. The programme funded a significant amount of projects addressing the connection between arts and culture and well-being or health (see the programme results platfom : https://culture.ec.europa.eu/creative-europe/projects/search).

National Gallery UK has a program entitled '5-minute meditation', in which online visitors can take five minutes with Christina Bradstreet from their Learning team to look, slowly, at Redon's dream-like pastel -Ophelia among the Flowers. The National Gallery team recommends finding a quiet spot and watching on 'full screen'.

The program consists of medical clowns visiting the elderly in 31 senior facilities and geriatric wards of hospitals throughout Slovakia. Seniors are not only bothered by declining strength, but they also often face loneliness. In addition, days in hospitals and social services tend to flow slowly and monotonously. Through the Laughter Doesn't Know Age program they bring patients pleasure and encouragement.

Hospital days are associated with worries and difficult issues. The health clowns bring a smile not only to children but also to adults, who are more aware of their health than children. The mission of the clowns has a clear goal: to lighten the atmosphere, to bring new stimuli and to help patients get rid of gloomy thoughts, at least for a while.

A day in the hospital can be difficult this is why at the Red Nose Clowndoctors help heal wounds with medical clowns. Clowns who go through special training visit sick children in hospitals and medical facilities. Their presence will change the atmosphere and bring unexpected lightness. This can help small patients who are trying to recover from their sickness.

The Lovosice Health Days brought lectures with experts, the possibility to have the blood pressure measured, for example, or to have a breast self-examination. They took place in the Lovoš Culture Center and offered the visitors a program for about three hours.

The aim of the project is to raise awareness on the topic of social exclusion, socialize a marginalized group of the population and sensitize the general public to homeless people through the performing arts. The aim is to adapt, rehearse and premiere a play by Russian playwright Daniil Charms, featuring homeless people, people with disabilities, seniors and people with a psychiatric diagnosis. The result of the project is an avant-garde theater, which is performed for the public in Slovakia and abroad.

Dana Dinková used the short story Memento, by Radek John, as a literary model for a dramatic musical and dance theater bringing to stage the problem of drug addiction. Martin, a young man, is sitting in an investigation cell. He is accused of intentional bodily harm resulting in death. The central motif of the story is the personal confession of a man who "went through hell" and found himself at the very bottom. He wonders where drug addiction may lead and whether he can step out of this vicious circle. At the same time, the actors of the story are looking for their own identity, dealing with their sexuality and issues of justice in society.