Improving community health and well-being

A new research project led by the School of Social Sciences will use creative arts practices to help inform health-related policy and service development. Funded jointly by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the 'Representing Communities' project, will use innovative research techniques to promote engagement between communities and policy makers. The project will take place across five distinct case-study communities in Wales, Scotland and England and connect these to relevant policy-makers, researchers and arts practitioners in each country, and in each locality. The work is being undertaken with colleagues at the universities of Birmingham, Highlands and Islands, Leeds and South Wales, and the Glasgow Centre for Population Health. The study will begin by analysing existing representations of local communities - in statistical evidence, policy documents, media, literature and film. These representations can sometimes be quite negative, often being designed to point out what is missing from or what is wrong with communities.  Each case study will then use creative engagement methods (including life mapping, drama, music, storytelling and photography) to generate new community self-representations, working in partnership with local arts and health organisations.