In the framework of the IV Saint Petersburg International Cultural Forum the conference ‘Culture. Health. Quality of Life’ was held
On December, 9 culture and healthcare specialists gathered together at Ambassador Hotel to develop a cooperation platform, as a part of public well-being.This conference became the first event of the international ‘Culture for Health’ project. The project aims at promoting culture’s role in healthy lifestyle and also engaging cultural institutions and organizations in rehabilitation and socialization programs together with healthcare institutions. The conference is coordinated with cooperation programs of the Northern Dimension Partnership in Culture.
National Research University ‘Higher School of Economics’ in Saint Petersburg and Michael Matz, Senior Advisor for Culture in the Nordic Council of Ministers, who presented the research describing Nordic countries’ experience in implementing culture and healthcare cooperation programs.
The program of the conference comprised two thematic units; the first one – ‘The Health of the City’ – was moderated by Christopher Gerry, Professor, Doctor of Science, Economics, CEO of Economy of Health Center of National Research University ‘Higher School of Economics’ in Saint Petersburg, who made a presentation that was called ‘Culture is Good for Health: how do We Know About That’.
Among the keynote speakers at this section there were Johanna Reiman, Executive Director of Baltic Region Healthy Cities Association, Töres Theorell, Professor of the Social Sustainability Center of Karolinska Institute Research Center, Alexander Nikolaevich Kolesin, Secretary-General of the Expert Advisory Board of ‘Bright World’, long-term artistic rehabilitation and social adaptation of visually challenged children program of the Federal State Budgetary Cultural Institution ‘The State Museum of the History of Religion’, Elena Georgievna Belova, Academic Secretary of the International Centre for Social and Economic Research “Leontief Centre” (Saint Petersburg).
The speakers of ‘Healthy Cities’ section and participants of the conference discussed the following topics: ‘Culture and Health in the Life of Cities’, ‘Cultural Events Housed by Healthcare Institutions’, ‘Petersburg model of artistic rehabilitation’, ‘Cities for People: the Main Results of Nordic Council of Ministers ‘The City SAGA’ project in Saint Petersburg.
The second thematic unit of the conference was dedicated to ‘Culture for Health’ subject, the moderators were Boris Andreevich Stolyarov, Doctor of Pedagogic Sciences, Professor, Honoured Cultural Worker of the Russian Federation, the Head of Russian Center for Museum Pedagogy and Children’s Crafts of the State Russian Museum and Olga Yurievna Ustinova, Ph.D. in Pedagogic Sciences, Honoured Cultural Worker of the Russian Federation, CEO of the State Library for Blind and Visually Challenged People in Saint Petersburg.
The keynote speakers of this section included: Olga Yurievna Scheveleva, Head of the Department for Working with Children of the State Museum-Preserve ‘Tsarskoye Selo’, Svetlana Vladimirovna Kudrina, Candidate of Pedagogic Sciences, Assistant Professor of Oligophrenopedagogics Department at the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution HVE the Herzen State Pedagogical University, Irina Leonidovna Borovskaya, Associate Professor, National Research University ‘Higher School of Economics’ in Saint Petersburg, Tigran Vladimirovich Saakov, Artistic Director of ‘PUPPETS Theatre – an Accessible Theatre’, Marina Sergeevna Korshakova, Head of the Department for Working with Visitors of Republic Karelia Museum of Fine, Yulia Andreevna Fokina, Methodologist of the Department for Working with Visitors of Republic Karelia National Museum (Petrozavodsk), Zoya Alexandrovna Popova, Executive Director of ‘Vykhod (Way Out) in Petersburg’ Charitable Foundation (Saint Petersburg)‘, Maria Nikolaevna Korosteleva, CEO of ‘ArtTerra’ Bureau, Yury Alexeevich Petrov, Chief Specialist in International Cooperation and Public Healthcare of Saint Petersburg Health Committee, etc.
Speakers of ‘Culture for Health’ section and participants of the conference discussed the following topics: ‘Museum and Health’, ‘Museums, Libraries, Theatres as Platforms for Inclusion of Special Groups of Population into the City’s Cultural Life’, ‘Festive Culture as a Resource for Improving the Quality of Life of Children with Special Needs’, ‘Helping Each Other. Museums and People with Special Needs’, Saint Petersburg participation in ‘Healthy Cities’ project, art therapy influence on health condition of various groups of population. 
Cultural institutions have accumulated an extensive experience in offering cultural projects for special groups of the population and including cultural resources into traditional healthcare. The conference allowed professionals representing Nordic and Baltic countries, the North-West of Russia and Saint Petersburg to exchange experience and present best practices accumulated over the recent years and also to learn which techniques can be used for a more active application of these practices in order to create a more favorable environment for human life.
The pictures of the conference are available at the following link:http://www.interpress.ru/index.php?page=photo&id=562738