Cross-Sector Collaboration in Wroclaw: Culture, Health, and Social Wellbeing at the Forefront

On 23 April 2025, Wroclaw hosted a significant meeting bringing together representatives of the international projects SP-EU (Horizon Europe), Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region (Interreg BSR), and the International Platform Culture and Health (Culture Action Europe). This collaborative event united experts from the scientific, cultural, and public administration sectors to explore new avenues for cooperation aimed at enhancing health, cultural engagement, and social wellbeing.

Participants included delegates from the Piast Medical University of Silesia in Wroclaw, the Institute of Urban Culture – City of Splits in Bielsko-Biala, and the West Pomeranian Region. The discussions focused on how interdisciplinary partnerships can benefit communities by promoting health, enriching quality of life, and fostering social cohesion. All parties emphasized the potential impact of combining efforts across these domains to address non-medical health challenges in innovative ways.

A central topic was the SP-EU project, an EU HORIZON-HLTH research and innovation initiative that aims to improve healthcare accessibility for vulnerable populations through Social Prescribing (SP). This approach integrates health and social services, creating a more holistic, person-centred healthcare model. It particularly supports individuals facing non-clinical health issues, offering tailored interventions rooted in community and cultural engagement.

Also highlighted was the Culture and Health Platform, an alliance of 16 organisations from 14 countries, including the Institute of Urban Culture – City of Splits. The platform previously organised the international conference Culture for Health and Wellbeing in November 2024, held in Bielsko-Biala. This landmark event marked a pivotal moment in the dialogue between the health and culture sectors in Poland. Encouraged by its success, Bielsko-Biala is already preparing the second edition of the conference, scheduled for February 2026 as part of the Polish Capital of Culture celebrations.

During the Wroclaw meeting, participants from Bielsko-Biala and Wroclaw had the opportunity to learn from the West Pomeranian Region’s experience with the Arts on Prescription programme. As the Piast Medical University continues its planning phase – identifying intervention types for three distinct social groups – the West Pomeranian Region shared valuable insights and presented the Arts on Prescription Online Guide, a key output of the Interreg BSR project.

This guide, set to launch this month on the Northern Dimension Partnership’s Health and Welfare website, offers vital tools, case studies, and best practices. It is designed to support organisations in planning, implementing, and evaluating Arts on Prescription programmes tailored to the needs of their communities.

The meeting in Wroclaw marks an important step in building stronger ties between culture, health, and social services – a collaboration that promises lasting benefits for individuals and communities across Europe.

Programme Manual Online

Choose