Goethe-Institut Brussels

This report is the result of a Brainstorming Session organised through the Voices of Culture process, a Structured Dialogue between the European Commission and the cultural sector represented by more than 30 people affiliated to cultural associations, NGOs, and other bodies. This process provides a framework for discussions between EU civil society stakeholders and the European Commission with regard to culture. Its main objective is to provide a channel for the voice of the cultural sector in Europe to be heard by EU policy-makers. In addition, it aims to strengthen the advocacy capacity of the cultural sector in policy debates on culture at a European level, while encouraging it to work in a more collaborative way. this report has shown how cultural projects can have important spill-over effects into almost all other parts of society. Projects with migrants and refugees can have a considerable impact on people’s health and general wellbeing; projects with jobseekers can enhance their chances for finding work and create incentives for new businesses; projects with people from different sides of a conflict can help in conflict resolution; etc. The cooperation between the cultural sector and other sectors however often remains implicit or even absent. Therefore, the participants in the brainstorming session leading to this report called on policy makers:
- To encourage cooperation between cultural and other actors, such as health professionals, welfare providers, unions, local authorities, entrepreneurial organisations, etc.
- To stimulate networks that are transdisciplinary
- To encourage other sectors working with migrants and refugees to have a look at what the cultural sector is doing. The report states that culture promotes social cohesion and well-being all round. It acknowledges the strengths of culture as an instrument to deal with the reality of migration and the fact that cultural action is always heavily intertwined with many other aspects of life, beyond the cultural sector (including health and well-being). Most cultural projects have significant spill-over effects into widely differing fields, such as education, social welfare, economic development, policy making, health, etc. A direct investment in culture therefore entails an indirect investment in many other segments of life, and does not remain limited to the cultural field on its own.