Organizer: Dr. Guislain Museum,
Iedereen Leest,
Red Star Line Museum,
Solentra
Who is it for: Public, academic, third sector, and cultural professionals
Conference Dates: November 27-29, 2024
Where: Dr. Guislain Museum, Ghent, Belgium
Register
here.
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About the International Conference on Culture & Mental Health: Refugees
The second
Culture & Mental Health international conference will take place in Ghent, Belgium on
27 and 29 November 2024. This conference seeks to promote learning, discussion and debate around cultural interventions aimed at improving the wellbeing of people recovering from mental health difficulties or people in vulnerable situations. The focus of this edition is on supporting the mental wellbeing of forcibly displaced people through art and culture.
In a 2022 report by the EU and
WHO, it was noted that art and culture play a significant role in supporting forcibly displaced people's mental wellbeing. This conference aims to explore how investing in the arts contributes to the health and resilience of refugee communities.
Key Themes of this year's conference:
- Art and cultural initiatives for mental health recovery: Investigating how art and heritage can support the recovery of forcibly displaced individuals.
- Creativity as a tool for resilience: Examining how cultural projects can help refugees process trauma and rebuild their lives.
- Cross-sectoral collaboration: Bringing together professionals from diverse fields to create integrated approaches for supporting refugees' mental health.
Attendees can expect a rich program with research presentations, case studies, interactive workshops, and inspiring keynote speakers. The conference also invites projects from the Global South to share how arts and culture initiatives in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania (excluding Israel, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand) have successfully supported displaced individuals.
Conference Chair:
Bart De Nil, PhD researcher at UCL, has a decade of experience leading projects in culturally mediated well-being in Belgium and internationally.
Keynote Speakers:
- Sulaiman Addonia (Nov 28): British-Eritrean-Ethiopian author and founder of the Creative Writing Academy for Refugees.
- Marit Törnqvist (Nov 28): Swedish-Dutch author and illustrator known for projects supporting refugee children worldwide.
- Nils Fietje (Nov 29): WHO expert leading the first-ever report on arts and health.
- Sarah Linn (Nov 29): Researcher specializing in creative methods with refugee communities.
- Manon Parry (Nov 29): Historian of medicine and expert in humanities' role in health and wellbeing.
Discover the full conference program and register
here.
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Image Credit: Dr. Guislain Museum
