The impact of the arts on the well-being of young people
The Arts, Health and Wellbeing, is a recent report by the Cultural Learning Alliance and Place2B addressing youth mental health and the impact of the arts. The short report is certainly worth the read, but a few key points are highlighted below:
Mental health:
- Young people are twice as likely to report feeling depressed than their 1980 counterparts
- Youth in the UK rank a worrying 14th out of 15 countries for well-being
- The annual cost of metal ill health is between £11,030 and £59,130 per child
Prevention and the arts:
- Participating in creative or cultural activities leads to a 38% increase in reported good health, in some reports this increase is as high as 60%.
- Activities that can enhance young people’s well-being include: visiting museums and cultural spaces, visual arts theatre, dance, music-making, drama
- https://culturallearningalliance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Arts-Health-and-Wellbeing-Briefing.pdf
