The important role of arts and culture for the lives of people across generations has been a consistent theme in the headlines in the last month. The National Arts Council, Singapore has recently released the findings of Arts for Ageing Well, a two year study which looked at the impact of arts engagement for Singaporeans aged 50 and over. The research looked at both attendance and participation, and the findings support growing evidence that seniors engaged in the arts experience a greater sense of mental and physical wellbeing.
In the United Kingdom, the Arts Council of Wales is also working to improve the lives and wellbeing of older people through arts and culture, by offering a free event to share skills, knowledge and good practice, and help the Council develop better ways to engage with older people and improve their quality of life and wellbeing through involvement with arts, culture and heritage. At the other end of the generational scale, the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has announced that £40 million will be invested in the Youth Investment Fund, which will boost the skills and life chances of young people living in disadvantaged areas. Further south, Creative New Zealand is supporting the upcoming third annual Pacific Heritage Arts Fono, which will bring generations together, with a focus on passing on knowledge from older to younger arts practitioners.
Our themes portal includes a wealth of news, information and publications, so if you are looking for more to read on these topics, you can simply visit the dedicated pages for youth,older people, and the value of the arts.
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