New evidence base for Culture and Health initiatives across Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia

The report Status Quo in the Field of Culture and Health Interventions for Vulnerable Groups in the Baltic Countries (2025) provides the first comprehensive overview of how culture and health are interconnected across Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, mapping policy frameworks, education and training opportunities, professional practices, and end-user perspectives at the macro, mezzo, and micro levels.

Developed within the Erasmus+ project Inclusive Wellbeing Through Arts and Culture in the Baltics (WITAC) by Rīga Stradiņš University, the Latvian Academy of Culture, the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture, the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, and the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, the report consolidates international and national evidence demonstrating the positive impact of cultural and artistic engagement on health and well-being, while also identifying key gaps in regulation, professional training, cross-sector collaboration, and impact evaluation.

The report provides a systematic mapping and analysis of cross-sector initiatives linking culture and health in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, with a particular focus on programmes serving vulnerable groups, including individuals with mental health challenges and other vulnerable communities. Combining extensive desk research with qualitative research based on in-depth interviews with stakeholders from the cultural, health, and social sectors, as well as representatives of vulnerable communities, the analysis is structured around a three-tier framework. At the macro level, the report reviews national and municipal policy frameworks that support collaboration between the culture and health sectors; at the mezzo level, it examines professional education and training opportunities, institutional support mechanisms, and existing practices; and at the micro level, it explores on-the-ground initiatives and the lived experiences of end users from vulnerable groups. To further contextualise the Baltic findings, the report includes good-practice examples from Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, and Finland), illustrating effective models and approaches in the culture and health field. By addressing themes ranging from policy development and capacity building to community engagement, the study offers practical insights and evidence-based recommendations for policymakers, educators, practitioners, and researchers, supporting the development of more coherent, inclusive, and sustainable culture and health ecosystems across the Baltic region.

The evidence generated by the report has also served as the foundation for the development of the micro-qualification programme Culture and Health: Managing Cross-Sectoral Initiatives. By systematically identifying gaps in policy frameworks, education and training provision, and professional competencies at the intersection of culture, health, and social work across the Baltic region, the report informed the design of the programme’s learning outcomes, curriculum structure, and interdisciplinary competency framework. The programme is designed to equip professionals with the skills required to develop and lead cross-sector initiatives that promote inclusive well-being and cultural participation among vulnerable groups, directly responding to needs identified in the research. Targeted at professionals from the cultural, health, and social sectors in Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, the programme runs from September 2025 to June 2026 and awards a 10 ECTS micro-qualification. Fully supported by the Erasmus+ project Inclusive Wellbeing Through Arts and Culture in the Baltics (WITAC), the programme translates research findings into structured, practice-oriented training that strengthens cross-sector collaboration and sustainable professional development.

Full report