The Art of Staying Healthy
Project Duration
19 July 2021 – 31 October 2022
Exploring how culture can improve well-being.
Keywords
Arts and health, well-being, cross-sector collaboration, creative industries, Northern Dimension
Summary
Can culture improve well-being?
The Art of Staying Healthy was designed to explore exactly this, empowering collaboration between the arts and health sectors to pilot creative interventions supporting people’s well-being across the Northern Dimension region.
What made this programme unique was its hands-on approach, providing funding, mentorship, and knowledge-based workshops for pilot projects that connected creative and health sectors, demonstrating the real potential of culture to enhance individual and community well-being.
Launched as a joint initiative by NDPC, EUNIC Global, and the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS), and supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland, the programme received 56 unique project proposals from 10 countries through an open call. From these, 11 projects across 7 countries were selected, each demonstrating strong cross-sector partnerships and a commitment to sustainability and impact.
As part of the NDPC and EUNIC joint project “Support to the NDPC” (co-funded by the European Commission), the programme supported a growing recognition that the creative and cultural industries can make a sustainable difference in health and well-being.
Objectives
- Foster collaboration between the creative and cultural industries and the health and well-being sectors
- Pilot arts-based interventions to support individual and community well-being
- Build capacity within arts and health practitioners for cross-sectoral approaches
- Generate learnings to guide future culture and health collaborations in the region
Key Activities
- Open call for pilot project proposals from cross-sector teams across the Northern Dimension region
- Selection and funding of 11 pilot projects in 7 countries
- Provision of mentoring and knowledge-based workshops for participating teams
- Ongoing support for project implementation and learning
Results
- Implementation of arts-based pilot projects demonstrating creative approaches to well-being
- Strengthened cross-sector partnerships between cultural and health professionals
- Generated practical insights and tools to guide future initiatives
Read the Talking Points: Arts and Health in Communities guide
Following the programme, NDPC and NDPHS co-produced “Talking Points: Arts and Health in Communities”, a practical guide for practitioners interested in creative approaches to well-being, rooted in learnings from The Art of Staying Healthy.
This guide encourages active listening and co-production, essential for impactful culture and health collaboration, and offers five vignettes and principles authored by Dr. Diana Walters (UK) and Inga Surgunte (Latvia).
Download and read the guide here