Acting on Health: The Role of Arts in Well-being

The international conference explores how Arts on Prescription (AoP) promotes health and wellbeing across the Baltic Sea Region. The gathering at the National Library of Lithuania, an inspiring setting that honors both tradition and innovation, will bring together policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and community actors from the health and culture sectors. It will showcase the evidence and lived experience behind the AoP approach, creating space to reflect on how cross-sector collaboration can create healthier, more connected communities.

The event marks the Grand Finale of the Interreg BSR funded Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region project, which united partners from across the region to investigate how cultural activities can enhance mental health and wellbeing. We will celebrate the project's successes and discuss future steps, including how to sustain momentum, embed lessons learned, and expand its impact.

These themes will continue to resonate at the NDPHS Ministerial conference the following day, where Arts on Prescription will be among the topics of strategic relevance.

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The final conference on Arts on Prescription is co-funded by the European Union (ERDF) in the context of the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021 – 2027.

Programme - International Conference - 13 November 2025 (Print Version)

Venue: National Library of Lithuania, 5th Floor, Room 501, Conference Hall, Gedimino pr. 51, 01109 Lithuania

Moderation: Nils Fietje, WHO Regional Office for Europe and Ruutu10, Impro comedy theatre

09:00 – 09:30 Registration and morning coffee
09:30 – 10:00 Overture - Welcome and introduction to the event theme

• Marija Jakubauskienė, Minister of Health of Lithuania
• Nils Fietje, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Technical Officer on Culture and Health within the
  Behavioural and Cultural Insights (BCI) Team

10:00 – 10:45 Act 1
Keynote addresses

• Sven Grewe, AoP Participant, Bremen
• Mildred Mary-Jane Kealy-Jensen, AoP Link Worker, Odense
• Karsten Auerbach, AoP Artistic Facilitator, Odense

Artistic engagement by Karsten Auerbach

10:45 – 11:15 Coffee break and mingle

11:15 - 12:00 Act 2
Promising examples of Arts on Prescription (AoP) programmes in DK, DE, PL, LV and SE

12:00 – 13:45 Intermission: Lunch and poster exhibition
Lunch and poster exhibition

13:45 - 14:45 Act 3
Lessons learned and challenges of implementing AoP

• Ernests Pūliņš-Cinis, RSU Clinic of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy
• Carsten Hinrichsen, Assistant Professor, University of Southern Denmark
• Liisa Laitinen, Advisor, Arts & Health, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Finland

Artistic engagement by Helena Kozlova

14:45 - 15:40 Act 4
Political and economic context of implementing social prescribing

• Ülla-Karin Nurm, Director, NDPHS Secretariat
• Lina Parpatyte, Project Coordinator, EuroHealthNet
• Eglė Saudargaitė, Lithuanian Ministry of Culture, Head of the Strategic Development Unit

15:40 – 16:00 Coffee break and mingle

16:00- 17:00 Grand finale
Panel discussion: realising the potential of the AoP, mainstreaming from pilot to system

• Marija Jakubauskienė, Minister of Health of Lithuania (tbc)
• Beatrice Walker, Strategic Project Manager, National Academy for Social Prescribing, United Kingdom
• Anna Enemark, Director, Danish Cultural Institute in the Baltic States
• Atis Egliņš-Eglītis, Vice-Mayor of Cēsis, Latvia (tbc)
• Ülla-Karin Nurm, Director, NDPHS Secretariat

Artistic reflection on the event by Ruutu10, Impro comedy theatre

17:15 – 18:00 Guided tour through the library

18:00- 21:00 Reception Dinner
Welcome words by Neringa Grigutytė, Mental Health Advisor, Ministry of Health, Lithuania, and
Stine Eskesen Keiding, Odense Municipality, AoP project Lead Partner

Artistic reflection on the event by Madeleine Kate McGowan, poet

Programme - Internal Project Meeting - 14 November 2025 (by invitation only)

09:30– 12:00 Study visit

Meeting place for study visit: Monument to the victims of Soviet occupation, Aukų g., Vilnius, 01400 Vilniaus m. sav.

12:00 - 13:00Lunch
13:00 - 16:00 AoP internal project partner meeting

Venue for lunch and meeting: National Gallery of Art, 22 Konstitucijos Ave, Vilnius, Lithuania, http://www.ndg.lt/en.aspx

18:00 - open Dinner

Dinner Venue: Restaurant Grey, Pilies St. 2, Vilnius, Lithuania, https://www.restoranasgrey.lt/