CARE - Culture for Mental health
More than 85 million citizens in the EU are affected by mental health problems and innovative and interdisciplinary solutions are required to address the issue. CARE - Culture for Mental Health explores the social transformation through culture, by testing and scaling up effective culture, health and well-being initiatives across Europe. Stakeholders from culture, health, education, and business collaborate to create innovative approaches proposing individual and structural solutions to increase the mental health and well-being of youth, the working population, and other vulnerable groups through access and participation in culture.
As a legacy of the CultureForHealth and Art&Well-being projects, the CARE project has the premises to develop capacity building activities for cultural and partner sectors (health, social care, education, business), to set up arts and health social innovation laboratories and advocate at the European and national levels on the potential of art and cultural experiences to enhance mental health and well-being.
Key Directions
LEARN: Knowledge Sharing, Capacity Building, Cross-sector Dialogue
Capacity building in cultural and partner sectors (health, social care, education, business) through training sessions, expert panels, workshops, and counselling. The project establishes a community of practice via an Arts and Health think tank and festival makers’ working group. It also develops a digital catalogue of artworks on health and well-being.
INNOVATE: Social Innovation Laboratories
The project sets up arts and health social innovation laboratories focusing on youth mental health, culture and work-related well-being, and culture on prescription and accessibility for people with disabilities. Guidelines and toolkits are prepared to support transnational transfer of piloted models.
SHARE: Engagement, Networking, Advocacy
The project organises six CultureForHealth mobile hubs, a travelling festival-like event across European cities. It boosts awareness, cross-sector exchange and showcases relevant artworks. In addition, advocacy actions inform policy recommendations presented to local, national and EU decision-makers. An international Culture and Well-being forum and EU-wide communication campaigns provide the means for onsite and online dissemination of the outcomes.
Main Activities
- CultureForHealth Mobile Hub - Brussels, Cluj, Ljubljana, Vienna, Riga, Vilnius;
- Arts and health innovation laboratories: Lab 1: Youth Mental Health; Lab 2: Culture for Work-related Well-Being; Lab 3: Culture on prescription;
- Trainings for artists, cultural workers and for professionals from partner sectors;
- Workshops, mentoring sessions, conferences for the well-being of artists (read about the Festivals Care! Arts and Health workshop at the Arts Festivals Summit 2025);
- Roundtables online discussions;
- Other dissemination events and practices.
