The program is based on the assumption -now recognized and accepted by institutions such as the World Health Organization- that the arts have a beneficial effect on mental health.

The Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports, responsible for modern culture, Nikolas Giatromanolakis, and the Deputy Minister of Health, responsible for mental health and addictions, Zoe Rapti, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation for Cultural Prescribing, with the intention of planning and adopting initiatives that utilize the arts and culture as a preventive and therapeutic treatment in order to promote the mental health and well-being of citizens.

The program is based on the assumption -now recognized and accepted by institutions such as the World Health Organization– that the arts have a beneficial effect on the mental health of people suffering from dementia, depression, addiction, mental trauma, etc., and that participating in the arts has positive effects at the individual and social level.

With the Memorandum of Cooperation, the Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Ministry of Health lay the foundations for their future cooperation, structured around 3 main pillars:

training employees of cultural institutions and mental health professionals on cultural prescribing, developing and establishing such practices and conducting relevant research work
designing and implementing cultural prescribing programs
informing and raising awareness of the general population, mental health organizations, as well as artistic and cultural institutions for the development of participatory art programs within the field of mental health.

For the implementation of the Memorandum of Cooperation, an Inter-ministerial Working Group will be established, consisting of officials of the Contracting Ministries, officials of regulated bodies of the Contracting Ministries, professionals in the field of culture and mental health as well as representatives of legal entities active in the field of modern culture and mental health.