Abstract
Neoliberal economic policies separate us from deeply soulful practices that allow cultural and spiritual wellbeing to be lived. Cataclysmic world events have refocused societies worldwide to questions what living well means, prompting a rethink of meaningful social connections and relationships with natural ecosystems. While some governments now include wellbeing into social and health policy, focus has been on discrete measurement rather than workable methodologies that incorporate a nexus of relationships between people, place, arts and culture. This paper presents a Cultural Wellbeing framework from research with diverse communities over 15 years that identifies five key elements in the Creative Cultural Wellbeing Framework (CCWF). These are 1) Belonging 2) Creative cultural practices 3) Environment 4) Shared experience 5) Transformational processes. The CCWF demonstrates the interconnected nature of lived wellbeing in communal ecologies, and offers policy makers and creative communities a way to map and respond effectively to rapid changes that impact upon cultural wellbeing.
Presenters
Karin MackayLecturer in Cultural Wellbeing and Creativity, School of Education, Western Sydney University, Australia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Public Health Policies and Practices
KEYWORDS
WELLBEING, CULTURE, CREATIVITY, ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNITY, ARTS, HERITAGE, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, NEOLIBERALISM
