A Collaborative Platform Enhancing Arts, Culture and Health Policies, Practice and Research

Europe is facing growing pressures on mental health and wellbeing, alongside rising levels of loneliness, social isolation, and the challenges of an ageing population. Arts and culture have real potential to help, yet this remains underused in mainstream health policy.

European Culture and Health Hub (ECHH) is a Horizon Europe project that wants to bring the arts and culture into Europe’s health agenda.

A key aim of the ECHH project is to connect policymakers and practitioners across culture, health, social care, education, humanitarian and youth sectors to build stronger collaboration. Our aim is to further understanding of how engagement with the arts and culture can contribute to population health and wellbeing across these different sectors. Ultimately, the project strives for creating a momentum for broader systemic change: embedding arts and culture more deeply in public health approaches at European, national, regional and local levels.

Research from the World Health Organization for Europe suggests that engaging with the arts can support psychological wellbeing and strengthen community resilience by helping people reconnect with each other and the places they live. Participation in cultural activities has also been linked to improved mental health, stronger social cohesion, and more resilient communities.

To achieve it’s aims, ECHH focuses on:

1. Strengthening the evidence base underpinning culture and health policy and practice via producing three broad online evidence gap maps
2. Fostering the implementation, adaptation and replication of the best cross-sectoral culture and health practices via evaluations and training
3. Increasing awareness of the impacts of arts and culture on health, wellbeing and social inclusion among policymakers and practitioners across sectors at European, national, regional and local levels by implementing a wide reach awareness raising campaign, and targeted awareness raising sessions
4. Fostering policy discussions, knowledge exchange and cross-sectoral cooperation among policymakers, professionals and academics across culture, health, social care, humanitarian, youth and education sectors through a dedicated interdisciplinary, interactive, hybrid platform European Culture and Health Hub
5. Equipping the policymakers with recommendations and practical guidelines to implement sustainable cross-sectoral policies and programmes in the field of culture and health.

Event: Singing against the shadow – overcoming postpartum depression

Afternoon coffee event

24 Nov 2026 · Online · 13:00 – 13:45 CET

How can participating in a singing group help new mothers experiencing moderate-to-severe depression?

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects 10–15% of new mothers, causing emotional exhaustion, severe anxiety, and impaired mother-infant bonding. This poses a major clinical risk to the infant’s cognitive, language, and emotional development.

Our second afternoon coffee event will introduce the ‘Music and Motherhood’ Project by the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS). This initiative — adapted from Melodies for Mums (UCL/Imperial College) — supports the mental health of mothers experiencing PPD via singing programmes.

We will be joined by Giovanni Capelli (Director of the National Centre for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion – ISS), Ilaria Lega (Psychiatrist and Senior Researcher – ISS) and the team of the ‘Music and Motherhood’ project. Together, they will share their valuable experiences and insights from pioneering this initiative in Italy.

This event will be particularly relevant for midwives, gynaecologists, perinatal mental health specialists, family social workers, and cultural operators, but everyone is welcome.

REGISTER NOW

Event: European Culture and Health Hub Launch

Launch Event

11 December 2026 · Online · 10:00–11:30 CET

Join us for the European Culture and Health Hub (ECHH) project launch to discover the project’s ambitions, planned activities and resources, hear the latest EU policy developments, including the new EU Work Plan for Culture 2027–2030, and connect with the wider culture and health community.

The event will also feature interactive breakout discussions, where participants can exchange ideas and experiences on key topics, including mental health and wellbeing, social inclusion, healthy ageing, Artificial Intelligence and digital transformation, and international cultural relations.

The event is open to stakeholders from across sectors and anyone interested in the intersection of culture and health. Choose the topic that interests you most when registering to help us organise meaningful discussions.

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Project partners:

Nord University / Norwegian Resource Centre for Arts and Health (Norway)
Turku University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
University College London (United Kingdom)
The Center for Primary Health Care Research Region Skåne (Sweden)
Culture Action Europe (Belgium)
EuroHealthNet (Belgium)
University of Porto (Portugal)
Cultural Welfare Center ETS (Italy)
Cultura en Vena (Spain)
University of Groningen/ Arts in Health Netherlands (Netherlands)
Latvian Academy of Culture (Latvia)
Mozarteum University Salzburg (Austria)
Cluj Cultural Centre (Romania)
University of Southern Denmark (Denmark)
Hope (United Kingdom)

ECHH project is additionally supported by associated partners contributing international expertise, policy engagement, and cross-sector collaboration: Arts + Health Ireland / Réalta (Ireland), Secretariat of the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture (Latvia), United Cities and Local Governments (Spain), UNESCO (France), and the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (Sweden).

Liisa Laitinen, Chief Content Officer
Arts Academy, Turku University of Applied Sciences
liisa.laitinen@turkuamk.fi