Wellbeing

Rachel Howfield Massey (Arts and Health Derbyshire) and Laura Phillips (Derby Museums) are hosting the second series of East Midlands CHWA Network Events, via Zoom. This is an opportunity to meet other culture and health practitioners from the region, find out how everyone is doing and think about what is wanted from a regional network. The discussions will be centred around the question: Have we found ways to create intimacy at a distance, particularly in relation to digital poverty?

The What Works Centre for Wellbeing is seeking someone to take responsibility for its overall coordination and administration, setting the stage, and providing the necessary foundations for the centre to thrive and deliver on its mission. The successful candidate will work closely with the Director, Head of Finance and Board as part of a small team with support from a Senior Administrator.

Full details of the role and how to apply can be found here. 

Public Health, an international, multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal, has issued a call for papers for a special issue centred around arts creativity and health. Submissions covering original research and reviews are welcomed from across the spectrum of arts and culture to include: performing arts, visual and creative arts, museums, libraries, archives and other types of heritage, such as archaeology and natural heritage, where creative tasks and activities have been invoked to support health and wellbeing.

Queen Mary University of London is running a one-day webinar on 19 June to examine contemporary encounters between the arts and mental health, as part of the Mad Hearts Conference. The webinar features Professor Femi Oyebode, Laura Fischer and John Richardson and will combine clinical, artistic and research perspectives for a contemporary reinterpretation of mental health science and practice.

The webinar is relevant for service users, mental health professionals, artists, and researchers and those interested in how the arts can contribute to mental health.

A study aimed at understanding the impact of Covid-19 on adult behaviours which contribute most to avoidable deaths in the UK has been launched by the UCL Department of Behavioural Science & Health and the UCL Centre for Behaviour Change. The survey, produced in collaboration with Action on Smoking and Health, Public Health England and Cancer Research UK, examines how the coronavirus pandemic has affected adult tobacco use, nicotine use (vaping), exercise, diet and alcohol use.

Since the beginning of lockdown artist Yvonne J Foster been creating miniature art packs to support the health and wellbeing of her community. Over the weeks they have been picked up by sharing on social media and are now being used by Safety Net Brighton and the Arc Centre in Stockport.

The packs are available for free download of there a limited number of art packs to be sent by post. Charities and organisations supporting health and wellbeing can purchase multiple packs for £2.50 each.

Open to those who work in community arts and wellbeing services, these online reflective practice sessions offer support and a space to explore and learn with other practitioners working in arts, health and wellbeing settings. They offer a non-judgemental place outside of work to unravel your thoughts and reflections on the challenges you face and your successes.

The online groups of up to 8 practitioners are led by trained facilitators and counsellors and are taking place on 19 and 24 June and 10 and 22 July 2020. The sessions run for two hours and cost £15 per person.