European Parliament: Healthcare Clowning and Mental Health

Natalie Porias, Managing Director of RED NOSES International was invited to the European Parliament to speak at the seminar “Culture as a driver for health and well-being in the EU*”, which was jointly organised by Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, and Sabine Verheyen, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education.

The aim of the seminar was to discuss the role that culture plays for health and well-being. Specifically, together with Nils Fietje from World Health Organization, Kornelia Kiss from Culture Action Europe and other experts, we had the opportunity to talk about the importance of breaking the silos between health and culture and to offer solutions to today’s complex challenges regarding mental health and well-being.

Natalie Porias, Managing Director of RED NOSES International talked about the impact of healthcare clowning in the hospital setting and in crisis areas, but also about the international project “Clowning Connects Us” which is co-funded by Creative Europe, where international clown artists from seven countries develop new artistic formats and approaches together with their co-creators: elderly with dementia and children with autism.

*This seminar on “Culture as a driver for health and well-being in the EU” was one of the actions undertaken by the European Commission and the European Parliament to inspire a true policy change in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on everyday life, as it became necessary to address the topics of culture, health and well-being at a larger scale. The seminar was part of the Commission’s work on mental health, whose importance has been underlined by President von der Leyen in her latest Sate of the Union address.

Source: European Commission, European Parliament and Culture For Health

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Full video of the seminar: Culture: a driver for health and wellbeing in the EU (europa.eu)