Knowledge Exchange: Health & Wellbeing in Museums

This Knowledge Exchange event explored how museums and galleries can help to improve health and wellbeing within their communities as well as how they can effectively work in partnership with health and social care practitioners.

Speakers included Diana Morton, Senior Museum Development Manager at Museums Galleries Scotland,  Ruthanne Baxter, Civic Engagement Manager of Heritage Collections at the University of Edinburgh, and Alicia Watson, Learning and Access Curator at Glasgow Museums.

(00:00 – 02:57) Diana Morton, Museums Galleries Scotland.

Diana introduces the session and explains health and wellbeing as a priority area in Scotland’s Museums & Galleries Strategy.

(02:58 – 21:55) Ruthanne Baxter, University of Edinburgh.

Ruthanne is the founder of Prescribe Culture, the University of Edinburgh’s flagship heritage-based non-clinical health and wellbeing initiative. Ruthanne speaks about the programme and how it has been supporting those with mental health issues through social and cultural prescribing.

(21:57 – 55:31) Alicia Watson, Glasgow Life Museums.

Alicia leads on Glasgow Museums Ageing Well programmes. In her presentation, Alicia explores Glasgow Museum’s project with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland as well as Glasgow Museums health and wellbeing work across their multiple venues.

University of Edinburgh

University of Edinburgh’s Prescribe Culture programme.

Glasgow Life Museums

Glasgow Museums Ageing Well programme.

University College London (UCL)

UCL Museum Wellbeing Measures Toolkit.

This toolkit provides scales of measurement used to assess levels of wellbeing arising from participation in museum and gallery activities. The Toolkit has been designed to help people involved in running in-house or outreach museum projects, evaluate the impact of this work on the mental wellbeing of their audiences.

Wellness Action Plans are a personalised, practical tool we can all use to help us identify what keeps us well at work, what causes us to become unwell, and how to address a mental health problem at work should you be experiencing one. Includes guides for Employees; Line Managers and Working From Home

This PDF compiles the key trauma training resources from the National Trauma Training Programme. It aims to support the Scottish workforce to know how to adapt the way we work to make a positive difference to anyone who has been impacted by psychological trauma and adversity.

“Guidelines for involving people with mental health challenges in heritage projects. These guidelines focus on projects that offer active participation to help improve the mental health of individuals who live with complex mental health challenges.” There are three accessible toolkits to download, written for Project Providers, Social Prescribers, and Potential Participants.

This report looks at the positive impact the Museum of Making has had on the community, including through volunteering, working together, and taking part in cultural activities. It shows how the museum has helped improve people’s wellbeing, develop new skills, and get more involved in the community over the past five years.

A reading list for thinking about our emotions in museum work.