Mapping of Initiatives on Culture, Health and Well-being

Sharing the Museum – Sharing the Douglas is an art therapy program designed for people with eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia).
Once every six weeks for six months, participants come for an encounter with art and take part in a creative workshop. In the safe and affirmative setting of the Museum, they can break through their isolation, develop a feeling of belonging within their community, and build a positive body image. The program explores the challenges and best practices of working with people undergoing treatment for eating disorders.

The MMFA’s art therapy program offers creative workshops aimed at ending the isolation of teenagers and young adults living with speech disorders or sensory impairments, such as dysphasia, deafness and auditory processing disorders (APD). Led by an art therapist and IRD staff, such social and cultural activities are intended to facilitate the development of young people’s communication skills, boost their self-esteem and foster socialization.

KULTUR FORMEN is a hub for art in the context of cognitive and multiple impairments. They are dedicated to discovering, promoting and reflecting on the creativity of artists with cognitive disabilities and support their artistic expression in terms of holistic further development.
Together with employees of KULTUR FORMEN and disabled artists from the "Atelier Schön", the students try to work through a topic artistically. The resulting works are presented and discussed together. The art workshops are dedicated to students from the 8th grade, for a duration of 90 to 120 minutes.

Move Dance Feel is a project developed between April 2018 and April 2019 in collaboration with three leading cancer support organisations across London. The project was open to all adult women aged 18+ and offered free, weekly dance sessions centered around artistic practice, where women could come together "to dance instead of talk about their cancer.

A new series of Trauma Recovery project realized through the ‘Restoring Smiles through Dance’ curriculum was implemented in 5 centres (3 child care institutions in Maharashtra, and 1 child care institution and 1 community setting in West Bengal). This module consists of three thematic areas: Awareness and Sensation, Emotional Balance and Social Integration. It consists of 48 DMT sessions, spread across 1 year.

Strategic policy document adopted in 2018, which provides the framework for cooperation on culture at the EU level. It builds on the 1st European Agenda for Culture launched in 2007 ”to address current societal challenges through the transformative power of culture”. The New Agenda establishes enhanced working methods with Member States, civil society organisations and international partners. It has 3 strategic areas, with social, economic and external dimensions.
The social dimension is where ”well-being” is explicitely mentioned in the policy text. Aimed at harnessing the power of culture and cultural diversity for social cohesion and well-being, the Agenda seeks to: ”foster the cultural capability of all Europeans by making available a wide range of cultural activities and providing opportunities to participate actively; encourage the mobility of professionals in the cultural and creative sectors and remove obstacles to their mobility; protect and promote Europe's cultural heritage as a shared resource, to raise awareness of our common history and values and reinforce a sense of common European identity.

The strategical policy document acknowledges that cultural participation improves health and well-being and cites research that confirm that cultural access is an extremely important catalyst for psychological well-being, preceded only by the absence of disease. Policy collaboration under the New Agenda is currently supported from 2021 by Creative Europe and other relevant programmes under the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027.

Vilnius City Municipality together with the Teachers' House, the Center and Šeškinė Polyclinics presents the project "Cultural Prescription". The doctors of these polyclinics provide invitations to various cultural events taking place in Vilnius for their patients with oncological, cardiovascular diseases and depression, together with a prescription for medication. 10 cultural institutions have agreed to take part in the project, offering monthly invitations or tickets to their events, giving participants the opportunity to listen to a concert, go to a performance or see an exhibition for free. It is planned that during the 12-month project, about 10 thousand patients will receive prescriptions for cultural events.

The international event "Access to Art: Museums, Communities and Social Exclusion Groups" focuses on how cultural and artistic creators and organizations can bring change into society. To be a community center, a museum must first become a learner and, further, a participatory organization which knows if it is part of its audience's life, stimulates interest, and strengthens the audience's emotional connection to culture. The museum's self-analysis and search for ways to communicate can offer ways for individuals facing the social exclusion to enjoy cultural values, participate in creative processes, and get to know themselves and others through art.
The International event, “Accessible Arts: Museums, Communities and Socially Excluded groups” is organised by NGO “Socialiniai meno projektai“ with the support of the European Commission and Lithuanian Council for Culture, and in a partnership with the National Gallery of Art, Nordic Council of Ministers office in Lithuania, Lithuanian Museums Association, Lithuanian Counties Association and Arts for Health at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The project was realized in cooperation with the Center for Mental Health of the Polyclinic and medical staff, doctors, social workers and nurses participated in the activities. The project entailed an art program to be set up inside the Polyclinic whilst the content sought to find mutually beneficial solutions for a smooth implementation of the project. The project also had a research component.

The project took place at the St. Joseph nursing home in order to tackle the many problems the residents of care homes face by using artistic interventions. When planning the project, it was agreed that the St. Joseph's would define a target group of participants and provide everything needed, such as information on the needs of this group, assistance in the implementation artistic program and research. A group of 15 people started participating in the project but only 14 completed it. The group of participants consisted only of persons in good physical condition who were able to move independently or using special compensatory measures (wheelchairs, walkers).