Arts, Health and Wellbeing.
Employers are gradually getting the message about the need to gain a balance in your working life. Work-life balance isn’t just a ‘work-related’ sop. It’s actually important to wellbeing of the ‘self’ and extends far beyond working life.
How is it though, that we forget how to have ‘balance’ in our lives and manage to lose touch with simply feeling GREAT? Things like the need to move around often enough, to engage the right side of the brain, to absorb colour, to feel vibrations, to breath deeply, to continue to develop self-awareness, to learn and to understand what elements we need in our lives to make it all ‘feel right’ – we all NEED this.
I was pleased to see “The Arts, Health and Wellbeing” report back in 2007 which came out of Arts Council England which showed their commitment towards ensuring they raise awareness in health contexts about how the arts contribute in a massive variety of ways to health and wellbeing. Last year, in my last role at Voluntary Arts England, I instigated the development of the publication (as part of the annual series of publications) “Restoring the Balance – the effects of arts participation on wellbeing and health.” Which was brilliantly put together by Paul Devlin information officer at VA England and launched at a recent celebratory conference in Liverpool with BBC Radio Merseyside and the Media Trust. This book shared case studies from the voluntary and amateur arts – real people, real examples of how the arts create good health, wellbeing and balance.
The arts can been seen influencing and making a difference to millions of people around the country, every day. PCT’s and health professionals are showing a clear inclination to use the arts and we see doctors surgeries prescribing arts activities to ‘cure’ many different conditions; not to mention the “Clown doctoring” approach rolled out by the Arts Council.
This year I’m pleased to see the National Association of Local Government Arts Officers embracing the agenda through their forthcoming seminar on the topic. Moreover I’m doubly pleased to say my current employer has agreed to host the seminar on 19th and 20th July at the prestigious Bolton School. Maybe I’ll see you there? I’m giving a short singing concert during the many activities on offer over the lunch break on the 20th July, but the evening before promises to be lots of fun too with interactive arts sessions and an interactive dinner plus speeches from our recently retired CEO George Caswell who championed the ground-breaking housing percent for arts service with the next day introducing our new CEO Jon Lord OBE who upon my questioning said himself “I’m wedded to the housing percent for arts service”. Good stuff I say.
Download a programme and booking form here: http://www.nalgao.org/e107_images/custom/wellbeingseminar.pdf
