Download Policy Brief
![Supporting the mental well being of forcibly displaced people](https://crooked-antechinus.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/Supporting-the-mental-well-being-of-forcibly-displaced-people.jpg?w=173&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1720020098&s=61801ef25316a2bba532dc13b7fe6d16)
Arts and Health
Supporting the mental well-being of forcibly displaced people
Related Case Studies
![Yazidi Cultural Archives](https://crooked-antechinus.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/Policy-Insights/Yazidi-Cultural-Archives.jpg?w=173&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1720020058&s=fadc6164e819e6b04f34783a6f11934b)
Case Study
Yazidi Cultural Archives
Introduction
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that in 2021 global forced displacement likely exceeded 84 million, a sharp increase from the 82.4 million reported at the end of 2020. As a result of the war in Ukraine, so far more than 4.8 million people are believed to have fled the country, while over 7.1 million more people remaining in the country are thought to be displaced from their homes. Around the world, people who are displaced because of natural disasters, persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or human rights violations have invariably experienced significant loss, physical hardships, and other stressors that can result in psychological distress.
The UN’s Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings outlines many important ways that governments and other relevant actors can support the mental health and wellbeing of forcibly displaced people. Access to and engagement with the arts is included in this framework of relevant activities to improve health and wellbeing, promoting multiple different psychological, behavioural, and social processes. For example, arts activities can improve self-confidence, promote healthy behaviours as well as social inclusion and, importantly, offer hope.
Key Points
- Globally, an estimated 84 million people were forcibly displaced in 2021. Up to and including the first half of 2022, more than 11.9 million people have had to leave their homes because of the war in Ukraine alone
- Arts activities can play a role in psychological, behavioural and social processes that are linked to improved mental wellbeing, such as supporting the preservation of personal identity, heritage, and experience
- Engagement in arts activities can positively impact forcibly displaced people, as well as their host communities, by promoting social inclusion, social cohesion, social acceptance, and belonging
- Artistic expression is an indicator of and a contributor to vibrant, resilient, and healthy societies. Investment in the arts means investment in the wellbeing and social cohesion of both forcibly displaced people and their host communities
Policy Considerations
The following considerations are relevant to everyone involved in responding to humanitarian crises, including health workers, policy-makers, relief workers, cultural organizations, arts therapists, and artists:
- Investment in the arts means investment in improving social integration and cohesion, and can contribute to mental wellbeing for all
- Arts and cultural activities can be an important part of an organized mental health and psychosocial support response
- Cultural and community assets can play an important role in supporting the health and wellbeing of forcibly displaced people
- Artistic methods and practices can contribute to skill-building among those involved in humanitarian responses
Testimonials
Related
![Jameel Arts Health Lab 7](https://crooked-antechinus.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/Headers/Jameel-Arts-Health-Lab-7.jpg?w=480&h=320&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1720019917&s=d04ab0178c9e777a93c330fa6a6462cb 480w, https://crooked-antechinus.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/Headers/Jameel-Arts-Health-Lab-7.jpg?w=720&h=480&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1720019917&s=78c84afd053421bffb2cb8eee02db7b3 720w, https://crooked-antechinus.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/Headers/Jameel-Arts-Health-Lab-7.jpg?w=960&h=640&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1720019917&s=fbdfbe9d833c1dd9f4b98ba4dacadca8 960w, https://crooked-antechinus.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/Headers/Jameel-Arts-Health-Lab-7.jpg?w=1280&h=853&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1720019917&s=80d2bb1205555f7d6c1d86497681e400 1280w, https://crooked-antechinus.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/Headers/Jameel-Arts-Health-Lab-7.jpg?w=1600&h=1067&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1720019917&s=28f090e7c5df2083e660696857b91920 1600w, https://crooked-antechinus.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/Headers/Jameel-Arts-Health-Lab-7.jpg?w=1740.3687221869&h=1160&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1720019917&s=ee9921d23a149c0cf9eec87ff71c79fa 1740w)
Case Study
Yazidi Cultural Archives
The Yazidi Cultural Archives project aimed to improve the mental health of female Yazidi survivors through participation in a series of artist-led workshops and a multi-media digital archive of Yazidi cultural heritage at risk.
Learn more about our Research, Outreach and Policy Insights
![Nisha Sajnani Edge Hill Keynote](https://crooked-antechinus.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/NishaSajnani_EdgeHill_Keynote.jpeg?h=260&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1720019984&s=b00c063060e20a4d9a10ec2f645b860b 390w, https://crooked-antechinus.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/NishaSajnani_EdgeHill_Keynote.jpeg?h=520&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1720019984&s=e00be8e9243426f4eec4fb5c0565be3c 780w)
Research
Discover how the Lab is advancing the science and evidence of how the arts impact health
![2023 04 08 Healing Arts Concert WHO A Tardy 299](https://crooked-antechinus.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/2023-04-08_Healing-Arts-Concert___WHO-A.Tardy-299_2024-04-16-164455_rzss.jpg?h=260&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1720019786&s=845deac2f15990b0198ee25d2e0ee7d1 390w, https://crooked-antechinus.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/2023-04-08_Healing-Arts-Concert___WHO-A.Tardy-299_2024-04-16-164455_rzss.jpg?h=520&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1720019786&s=59af54a3ffa6ea6b795db12382d85aad 780w)
Outreach
Explore the Lab’s events, community building and global Healing Arts campaign
![Screenshot 2024 02 29 at 18 50 36](https://crooked-antechinus.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/Screenshot-2024-02-29-at-18.50.36.png?h=260&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1720020093&s=bd2855f094a806c62d42b06d749be84d 459w, https://crooked-antechinus.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/Screenshot-2024-02-29-at-18.50.36.png?h=520&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1720020093&s=6bc180a081a8344bdf1e972281319f75 917w)
Policy Insights
Delve into policy briefs that support informed decision-making about arts and health