Arts on Prescription: Bremen Adult Education Centre Inspires Nationwide Interest in Mental Health through Art

Since 2023, the Bremen Adult Education Centre (Bremen vhs) has played a pioneering role in the international Interreg project Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region. Known in German as Kultur auf Rezept, this innovative programme brings together art, culture, and health to promote mental well-being through creative engagement.

Over the course of three successful pilot phases, the Bremen vhs implemented the Arts on Prescription model in close cooperation with local healthcare providers. General practitioners, psychotherapists, and counselling centres could prescribe participation in selected art courses to individuals experiencing mental health challenges. These participants took part in regular cultural courses – such as painting or singing – complemented by reflective group sessions that explored the connection between artistic expression and mental health. The Arts On Prescription programme in Bremen follows an inclusive model in which particpants join art courses from the regular cultural programme of the Bremen vhs (adult education centre) – see also this news with more details on the programme.

The results were overwhelmingly positive: the programme was met with high demand and enthusiastic feedback. Many participants continued their creative journey at Bremen vhs even after the programme ended. In addition to personal success stories, the initiative attracted attention from both the media and the broader cultural sector, positioning the Bremen vhs as an enabler and pinoneer for arts-based health promotion and interdisciplinary collaboration.

From Pilot to National Dialogue

To share these valuable experiences and encourage broader adoption, Bremen vhs hosted an event titled Arts on Prescription as a Model for Adult Education Centres. Targeted at regional associations and fellow adult education institutions, the event combined presentations, discussions, and working groups to explore how the Arts on Prescription model could be implemented across Germany.

Participants learned about the programme’s holistic, person-centred approach: a diagnosis-free space focused on creativity, community, and personal well-being. Inspired by the World Health Organization’s 2019 findings on the role of art in health promotion, this model taps into the growing field of Arts & Health and the social prescribing movement.

Towards a National Network

One of the key outcomes of the event was the decision to establish a nationwide network for Arts on Prescription and Arts & Health in adult education. A coordination group is now being formed, and an online platform will be set up at Bremen vhs to facilitate exchange and collaboration.

Momentum is growing: the Brandenburg Adult Education Association has announced the formation of a cross-disciplinary working group on Arts & Health, and similar initiatives are already underway in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Bavaria.

Bremen vhs is proud to contribute to this transformative movement that puts art at the heart of mental health and social well-being—and looks forward to shaping the future of Arts on Prescription with partners across Germany.

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Stay tuned on our Arts on Prescription Guide – an online resource including how-to guides, fact sheets, lessons learned, and audiovisual guidance for link workers, project managers, culture and arts facilitators, and decision-makers. The guide covers various aspects of setting up, monitoring, evaluating, and financing Arts on Prescription programmes.

Programme Manual Online

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