Healing Arts Ukraine: Arts and Health Congress

From 27–30 June, Lviv will host the Arts and Health Congress, bringing together representatives of government and international institutions, as well as professionals from the healthcare, education, and cultural sectors working at the intersection of arts and health.

The programme will feature keynote talks, facilitated discussions, and collaborative working sessions.

The Congress aims to strengthen cross-sector collaboration, share research and practical experience from Ukraine and beyond, and develop recommendations for the Ministries of Culture, Health, and Social Policy, as well as relevant departments of the Lviv City Council. These recommendations will focus on integrating arts-based approaches, including arts on prescription, into healthcare and psychosocial support systems.

We welcome artists, educators, healthcare and social care professionals, policymakers, and representatives of international organisations to join the conversation.

Registration: https://forms.gle/2p93vXHUQFEygDrA9

Please note that places are limited. The organisers reserve the right to make the final selection of participants.

Programme

27 JUNE. OPENING

Location: Lviv City Council, Rynok Square, 1

17:00–17:30 – Registration
17:30–19:00 – Opening. Keynote speeches by organisers and guests

    Veronika Skliarova, director of Art Dot NGO / Art Therapy Force
    Christopher Bailey, former head of Arts & Health at the WHO, Co-founder of Jameel Arts & Health Lab
    Andrii Sadovyi, mayor of Lviv
    Henry Redwood, senior Lecturer in War Studies at King’s College London
    Lesya Khemrayeva, head of the Accessibility Policy Department at the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine

19:30-20:30 – Showcase event / “The Lift Manager” / The Unbroken Theatre and First Theatre production / Courtyard of the City Hall
Register for the performance: https://forms.gle/2tdC2jJCAVSrxzxn8

28 JUNE. ARTS AND HEALTH IN UKRAINE AND ACROSS THE WORLD

Location: Hotel “Dnister” (Park Hall), 6 Yan Mateyko Street

09:30–10:00 – Registration
10:00–10:30 – (key note) Ameer Shaheed, consultant, Arts and Health, World Health Organization / Jameel Arts & Health Lab
10:30–11:15 – Presentation: “Mapping Culture and Health Assets in Ukraine. Building Arts and Health Capacity (BACH) to mental and physical health and well-being in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine”

    Veronika Skliarova, director of Art Dot NGO / Art Therapy Force
    Ameer Shaheed, consultant, Arts and Health, World Health Organization / Jameel Arts & Health Lab

11:15-12:00 – Book presentation: “Support through Creative Practice: A Methodology for Artists Working in Humanitarian Contexts”

    Christopher Bailey, former head of Arts & Health at the WHO, Co-founder of Jameel Arts & Health Lab
    Olha Vasina, translator

12:00–12:30 – Coffee break
12:30–14:30 – Panel 1: “Evidence-Based Practices of Innovative Methods of Arts Integration into Medicine”

    Nigel Osborne, composer, art therapist, teacher, health Worker
    Vladyslava Andrushchenko, clinical psychologist, board member of the Ukrainian Association of Clinical Psychologists
    Iryna Holubetska, head of the Centre for assistance to ukrainians affected by captivity, torture and moral injury as a result of war
    Marc Boumeester, researcher, author, and developer of educational programmes in media and visual arts
    Moderator Jonathan Walton, musician, computer programmer, and clinical trials manager for Х-System epilepsy work

14:30–15:30 – Lunch
15:30–17:30 – Workshop 1: “Mapping Stakeholders in the Process of Implementing Arts and Health Policies”.
18:30–19:30 – Showcase event / Audio Walk “Callsign: Odyssey” / Starting point: Lviv City Hall
19:30–21:00 – Showcase event / A conversation with Yurko Vovkohon, Kateryna Mykhalitsyna, and Bohdan Kordoba as part of the exhibition “Novellas of the Characternyk Cat.”/ Stefanyka Street, 11
Register for the audio walk: https://forms.office.com/e/FHCgRmguTh

29 JUNE. ARTS ON PRESCRIBING

Location: Unbroken Centre, 25d Hetmana Mazepy Street

10:00–10:30 – Registration
10:30–11:30 – Tour of the Unbroken space
11:30–13:00 – Panel 2: “Arts and health in European frameworks”

    Sir Gregor Smith, GP and former medical director for primary care in NHS Lanarkshire
    Monica Urian, policy officer at the European Commission – Directorate General Education and Culture – responsible for international cultural relations.
    Kornelia Kiss, Head of Culture and Health at Culture Action Europe (CAE)
    Angela Kennedy, consultant clinical psychologist who comes from senior leadership roles in the NHS and Integrated Care System
    Moderator Ameer Shaheed, consultant, Arts and Health, World Health Organization / Jameel Arts & Health

13:00–14:00 – Workshop 2: “What international experience is the most relevant for adaptation to the Ukrainian context?”
14:00–15:00 – Lunch
15:00–15:15 – Keynote (Charlotte Osborn-Forde)
15:00–16:00 – Panel 3: “Arts on Prescription. Complementary Arts and Social Practices for the Healthcare System”

    Christopher Bailey, former head of Arts & Health at the WHO, Co-founder of Jameel Arts & Health Lab
    Oleh Bereziuk, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and Head of the Mental Health Service at the UNBROKEN Rehabilitation Center
    Iryna Kulynich, deputy mayor of Lviv for humanitarian affairs
    Charlotte Osborn-Forde, CEO of the National Academy for Social Prescribing
    Moderator Svitlana Soloviova, physician, clinical expert at the Association of Public Health Experts, Head of the NGO PROZDOROVYA

16:00–17:00 – Presentation of arts and health initiatives
17:00–18:00 – Presentation of opportunities in Arts and Health: Ukrainian and international organisations (British Council, UAx, ЗMIN Foundation, ZDOROVI Agency)
18:00–18:30 – Coffee break
19:30–20:30 – Showcase event / Concert on the Unbroken terrace featuring veterans, the Lviv Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, and the INSO Symphony Orchestra

30 JUNE. WRAPPING UP

Location: Hotel “Dnister” (Park Hall), 6 Yan Mateyko Street

09:30–10:00 – Registration
10:00–11:30 – Workshop 3: “Arts on Prescription” in Ukraine: from global experience to a national model. Effectiveness indicators for implementing the “Arts on Prescription” programme: criteria of relevance for Ukraine.
11:30–12:00 – Book presentation: “Trauma-Attuned Arts Framework”

    Veronika Skliarova, director of Art Dot NGO / Art Therapy Force
    Henry Redwood, senior Lecturer in War Studies at King’s College London
    Darren Abrahams, singer, trauma therapist, founder of The Human Hive, and co-founder of One World Orchestra

12:00–12:30 – Coffee break
12:30–13:30 – Panel 4: “Responsibility to Be: Cultural Practices of Healing, Imagination, and Presence”

    Yuliia Khomchyn, director of the Institute for Cultural Strategy
    Andrii Linik, director of LME “Lviv Radio”
    Grigory Semenchuk, Poet, Musician, and cultural practitioner, head of the Artistic Council “Dialogue”
    Ihor Kolesnyk, Cultural Studies scholar, Founder of the Laboratory of Secular Meditation
    Moderator Bohdan Shumylovych, researcher, cultural historian, and associate professor at the department of cultural studies, Faculty of Humanities, Ukrainian Catholic University

13:30–15:00 – Presentation and discussion of congress outcomes (Anna Valensa)
15:00–15:30 – Closing remarks. Congress closure / Photo
17:00–18:00 – Showcase event / Screening of the film “This is also Ukraine” / Dzyga Gallery


The Arts and Health Congress is part of Healing Arts Ukraine — an arts and health campaign to support military health, veteran recovery and civilian resilience in times of conflict.

Healing Arts Ukraine is implemented by Art Therapy Force as part of the global Healing Arts initiative by Jameel Arts & Health Lab, with the support of the WHO Regional Office for Europe under the Health Resilience in the Eastern Partnership programme, funded by the European Union. It is delivered through a national coalition of organisations working at the intersection of culture, healthcare, education, and policy, including the Lviv City Council, Lviv Radio Municipal Enterprise, the Institute of Culture Strategy, the UNBROKEN rehabilitation centre, and King’s College London.

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