Mapping of Initiatives on Culture, Health and Well-being

Since 2014, Novi Sad has become a shelter for ‘Reflective Citizens’ in Novi Sad. The specificity of the Novi Sad workshops is an intensive relation with art, cultural heritage, the exchange of ideas about diversity, which can be the basis for togetherness and the inclusion of the youngest reflective citizens – children. The activity was recognized by the Novi Sad European Capital of Culture Foundation 2022.
Partners of the Society of Group Analysts in the implementation of this project were the Elementary School “Ivan Gundlic” Novi Sad in cooperation with artists from the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, the association “Almašani” which nurtures cultural heritage and preserves the old region, the association “Smile” of medical students in Novi Sad, the association “Kultoks”, which deals with the promotion of dance culture.

A new integrated, transversal and solid Hospital Clowns’ Model to bring emotional care for patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals. Covid-19 revealed a reality that for a long time we ignored: our systems of care no longer fit the challenges of today's society. After the shock, it becomes urgent to redesign the healthcare experience in a way that is not centered only on cure effectively, but also care for all in the broadest sense of the word. The new approach must enable patients, caregivers and professionals to deal with their health problems with dignity and to grow in adversity. Hospitals are witnessing daily stories of pain, suffering, uncertainty and stress, but also moments of achievement and hope.
Hospital Clowns can contribute to create a new approach of the healthcare experience through humour. Humour can unblock fears, tensions and distress and brings life to hospitals and celebrate it. And, above all, Hospital Clowns project provide the opportunity to work side by side with healthcare professionals to improve their care plans.

The project is an artistic and cultural action on the scale of the territory to collect the words of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease in the residential facilities for dependent elderly people (EHPADs) of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region willing to get involved in this process. The words of people with Alzheimer's disease are often ignored or considered incomprehensible or even senseless. However, these words and phrases often carry meaning for those who know how to listen to them in the light of the history of the person who utters them. Following the collection of words by professionals from more than 120 EHPADs in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, the author Renaud Borderie was commissioned to write a dramaturgical text based on all these words. Once this text was written, three companies were commissioned to produce a production based on it. After a joint residency at the Molière-Scène d'Aquitaine, performaces were presented in the territories of New Aquitaine.

The pan-European project Film in Hospital is an online platform dedicated to film screenings and audience engagement for children at the hospitals, revalidation centres and children recovering at home. The organizers focus on a qualitative approach rather than obtaining a quantitative goal. Cooperating with several hospitals, revalidation centres and intermediates to reach as many children as possible. Offering exclusive festival films from different European countries with extra material to engage the audience to participate with their own stories and creativity. Lastly they encourage other European festivals and organisations to participate in this great adventure create and even wider European platform, with a wider audience.

The project is implemented by the OECD and the European Commission as part of the European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage. It aims to provide evidence and guidance to European cities and regions on ways to maximize the economic and social value of cultural heritage and support the emergence of the creative economy. It focuses on knowledge building, peer learning and training in four areas. It acknowledges the fact that culture is playing an increasingly important role on the political agendas of cities and regions, both on its own and as a strategy for economic growth and the well-being of residents. According to this initiatve, there is growing evidence that increased levels of cultural participation have positive effects on well-being and health as well as encourage social cohesion by supporting the integration and inclusion of marginalised groups. The role of culture in spurring innovation as well as supporting well-being, health, life-long learning and the creation of social capital have become prominent. To increase the impact of culture on local development, cities and regions need to mobilise a wide spectrum of policies ranging from culture and tourism to employment, skills, health, business development, innovation and spatial planning. OECD’s partners in this project are: the European Commission (DG EAC), the European Creative Business Network , the World Cities Culture Forum and the International Council of Museums.

The project explored the meanings and possibilities of art and its participation in culture in preventive and rehabilitative work for the elderly. The project took place in the folllowing places from the South Karelia region of Finland: Kotka, Lappeenranta, Hamina, Joutsenoja and Kuusankoski.

Armas is a national festival that celebrates aging. The first edition of the Armas festival took place in 2017 and over two weeks provided around 250 diverse events, including a beer tasting session combined with the music of The Beatles, guided tours of the National Art Gallery by current and retired staff, a photography project at the iconic Finlandia Hall curated by people living in a care home, and a performance by an older people’s choir organised by the Miina Sillanpää Foundation which provides services for older people. Armas is a major addition to the growing movement of arts and older people activity around the world.
Armas is an umbrella organization that brings together artists, artists, art institutions, organizations for elderly care and municipal actors without bias. The ARMAS network already includes 16 municipalities, 20 artists, 16 organizations for the elderly and two research organizations.

After the first edition of the Street Art Festival, in 2022, for the second edition of the festival, Théophile Roussel Hospital prepared a week of activities that was focused on Popular Culture and Urban Arts. The Pop'Hop Festival took place from June 13th to 17th, 2022. Workshops to create murals in the park with spray paint for patients and caregivers, led by the graffiti artists Horor, Auch and Ju from the Art Osons collective, "live painting" by artists, an exhibition on urban arts and a show. These actions allowed the public to discover this contemporary artistic trend while creating works that animate the park of the healthcare establishment. The realization of this festival favors the entrance of art in the hospital,by allowing the patients and the personnel to benefit from innovative actions.

The initiative consists of a billboard being painted live on Avenida João Durval Carneiro, close to Colégio Polivalente. The artistic intervention, authored by the plastic artist Gesiel Ramos, alluded to the international movement for the prevention of prostate cancer, the Blue November. In addition to enjoying the live process of painting, those who pass by received informative pamphlets and also the mustache treat, representing the maturity of men for health care and prostate cancer awareness.

In December 2019, the Doutores da Alegria association implemented an artistic intervention inspired by Christmas into nineteen public hospitals. In São Paulo and Recife, the clowns reinterpret the theme and perform for hospitalized children, their companions and health professionals. In Rio de Janeiro, artists and musicians who have passed through the Plateias Hospitalares project made a musical procession through the hospitals.