The current Culture Plan 2020 of the State Secretariat for Culture, for the period 2017-2020, only includes a general reference to culture as a major factor for development and welfare, but, at present, it has not carried out any specific strategy on that issue.
At the project level, in 2015 the Ministry launched Culture and Citizenship which organizes workshops and meetings to reflect and promote initiatives on social change with a special focus on rural culture and inclusion.
At the local level, different emblematic cultural institutions, such as museums and music halls, are developing programmes to show the positive impact of arts in vulnerable groups. For example, the Centre for Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB) has promoted a study on the impact of culture on the welfare and social inclusion of those affected by Alzheimer’s disease, which has demonstrated the positive therapeutic effect that culture has when opening its doors to those affected by this disease and their caregivers. Similarly, the programme Apropa Cultura / Approaches Culture of L’Auditori in Barcelona organises music workshops for people with learning difficulties, as well as for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
There are also a number of national programs funded and run by philanthropic entities linked to the impact of arts for social improvement (for example Art for Change by “la Caixa” Foundation) or more specifically to the impact of arts education (for example Art in the Community by Fundación Daniel and Nina Carasso, Responsible Education by Fundación Botín, and Projects in Community by Fundación Cerezales Antonino y Cinia).
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