Section 00

Social Impact of Creative Arts

How creative arts generate change beyond the artwork itself, and why helping young people see and take responsibility for that impact is one of the most meaningful things a mentor can do.

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Section 01

Introduction

The following activities are grounded in reflections, discussions and questions that emerged during the online workshop Social Impact of Creative Arts. Rather than offering fixed definitions or measurable outcomes, the workshop approached social impact as an ongoing process of awareness, responsibility and context-sensitive decision-making within creative practices.

Participants highlighted that social impact often becomes visible through small but meaningful shifts: in how people relate to one another, how spaces are used, how questions are raised, and how voices that are usually unheard are given room to emerge. Creative arts were understood not only as finished artworks, but as a mindset and a form of active practice that enables expression, participation and critical thinking in everyday and public contexts.

These activities are designed to support mentors and educators in opening space for reflection with young creatives, helping them consider questions such as: why they work in a certain context, who is involved or excluded, what kinds of change their work might enable, and how impact can continue beyond the duration of a project. The focus is not on prescribing themes or methods, but on encouraging long-term thinking, care and attentiveness to social relationships and environments.

All activities are adaptable, require minimal resources and can be used across disciplines. Reflection questions accompany each activity to support dialogue, self-reflection and mentoring conversations around the social dimension of creative work.

Section 02

Tools and Resources

PDF

The publication explores how arts participation contributes to social engagement, empowerment and community development, while also critically questioning instrumental approaches to culture. It provides an important theoretical and evidence-based reference for understanding long-term social outcomes of participatory artistic practices.

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Research Article

This peer-review article maps trends in research on the social impact of the arts across decades. It examines how the field has evolved and identifies key thematic clusters, offering a broad overview of how creative practices relate to participation, empowerment and social context.

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Assessment report

A research compilation assessing how participation in arts and culture affects areas like community pride, social cohesion, behaviour and self-esteem. It consolidates international evidence on participation as a mechanism for social outcomes, supporting arguments for arts in community development.

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Report

A research compilation assessing how participation in arts and culture affects areas like community pride, social cohesion, behaviour and self-esteem. It consolidates international evidence on participation as a mechanism for social outcomes, supporting arguments for arts in community development.

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Section 03

Cross-Thematic Resources

WHO – Arts, Health and Wellbeing

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Report

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YouCreate Project Guide – Arts and Wellbeing

The YouCreate Project Guide presents practical methods for youth-led creative projects focused on wellbeing...

Toolkit

The YouCreate Project Guide presents practical methods for youth-led creative projects focused on wellbeing, resilience and community participation. The guide connects artistic expression with five “Wellbeing Pillars”: feeling safe, connected, worthy, respected and hopeful. Young people are encouraged to use creative and digital arts to explore challenges in their lives and develop collective “Art-Action” projects that improve wellbeing and social cohesion in their communities. The resource strongly links participatory arts, youth empowerment and emotional wellbeing

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Film svima

Film svima is an inclusion-focused project launched in 2016 by Filmaktiv...

Organisation

Film svima is an inclusion-focused project launched in 2016 by Filmaktiv in partnership with organisations supporting deaf, hard of hearing and visually impaired communities. The project aims to make audiovisual culture accessible while promoting inclusive cultural practices and participation.

Through adapted subtitles and Croatian Sign Language interpretation, Croatian films become accessible to deaf and hard of hearing audiences. The project includes public screenings, educational programmes and the development of an online media library of accessible films.

Since 2016, 71 films have been adapted and presented to more than 5,000 viewers, contributing to greater accessibility, visibility and inclusion in culture and community life.

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Section 04

Topic-Related Activities

The following activities are designed to address the social impact of creative arts through simple, transferable practices rooted in reflection, dialogue and collaborative creative processes. They respond to the need for clearer ways to approach participation, context and responsibility within creative learning and mentoring environments.

Creative work often unfolds within complex social realities. Artists and young creatives make decisions that influence how people interact, how stories are shared and how spaces are experienced. These activities aim to support mentors and educators in helping participants recognise these dimensions, consider who is involved or affected, and reflect on how creative actions can open space for exchange and understanding. Rather than focusing on artistic outcomes, the activities prioritise awareness, perspective and relationships within a broader social context.

Each activity can be adapted to different group sizes and settings, including non-artistic environments. No specialised equipment is required, and all activities can be facilitated by mentors or educators without formal arts training. Reflection questions are included to encourage individual and collective consideration, helping participants connect their creative practice with its wider social relevance.

Art and Empowerment

Building a Safe Space

Full Activity Details

Participants reflect individually on a moment when creative activity had a visible impact on someone’s confidence or sense of agency (their own or a young person’s). In small groups, they share the example and identify what made that moment empowering: participation, visibility, choice, collaboration, or recognition. Groups then map these elements on a shared board or paper.

The exercise helps clarify how participatory arts can empower young people and makes implicit knowledge explicit. It also reveals differences between assumed and experienced empowerment.

1. What elements most contributed to empowerment in the examples shared?

2. Where do you already apply these elements in your practice?

3. How could you recreate this sense of safety in your everyday learning or working contexts?

What Do We Mean by Social Impact?

What Do We Mean by Social Impact?

Full Activity Details

Participants individually write down three different meanings of “social impact of the arts” based on their own experience. In small groups, they compare definitions and identify overlaps and contradictions. The group then discusses which interpretations guide their current practice and which remain abstract or aspirational.

This exercise surfaces differing understandings of social impact and highlights the lack of shared language as a practical barrier.

1. Which definitions felt most grounded in experience?

2. Where do misunderstandings or assumptions appear?

3. How does embodied listening differ from everyday conversation?

Recognising Social Outcomes

Recognising Social Outcomes

Full Activity Details

Participants review a completed creative project and identify outcomes beyond artistic results . They then discuss which outcomes were intentional and which were unexpected.

The exercise supports awareness of social value that is often overlooked or undocumented.

1. Which social outcomes were most visible?

2. Which ones are hardest to measure or explain?

3. Where do you experience similar uncertainty in your professional life?

Identifying Support Gaps

Identifying Support Gaps

Full Activity Details

Participants map areas where they feel confident (facilitation, themes, group work) and areas where they feel less prepared (conflict, inclusion, evaluation, community engagement). They then prioritise one gap they would like to address.

This exercise directly responds to the expressed need for further tools and training.

1. Which gaps appear most frequently across the group?

2. What prevents these gaps from being addressed?

3. What signals could help you recognise stress earlier in daily life?

Asking for Support

Participation or Instruction?

Full Activity Details

Participants analyse a real or hypothetical workshop with young people and list moments where decisions were made by the facilitator and moments where participants had agency. They then identify one point where agency could realistically be increased.

The exercise shifts focus from content to power dynamics within creative processes.

1. Where is control concentrated in your current practice?

2. What risks emerge when participation increases?

3. How can mentoring spaces actively support help-seeking behaviours?

Section 05

Mentor Insights

Tanja B
Mentor 1

Tanja Blašković

For me, the biggest social impact comes from creating a safe space

“

What is one thing you have found works well when mentoring young people in relation to this topic (social impact)?

For me, the biggest social impact comes from creating a safe space for creative exploration and building connections between mentees in group settings. This helps not only in creating, but also in imagining the broad spectrum of what creative careers can be, and in putting into perspective how someone’s creative work can influence people and the spaces around us.

I usually approach this by introducing quick creative exercises at the beginning of a mentoring process. These include things like experimental drawing within very short timeframes (1–2 minutes), based on very specific prompts. Some prompts are concrete, such as drawing portraits of each other, while others are more abstract, like inclusion or happiness. The short timeframe makes the process more fun and spontaneous, encouraging participants to explore even complex themes intuitively.

All of these quick drawings can then be used as a starting point to explore specific themes more deeply.

 

“

Kiki photo
Mentor 2

Kristijan Mamić

i found that putting things in perspective and creating safe space for personal expression works well

“

In my experience with working on permaculture workshops for young people (age 8 to 11) i found that putting things in perspective and creating safe space for personal expression works well hand in hand. With me, there are two other mentors. There are usually eight kids per workshop. In total workshop lasts 5 hours.

During two day workshop we start to create trust in between kids themselves and in between mentees and mentors. We use jokes and funny little scenes to create relaxed athmosfere. We like to use songs and kids ways of talking to create safe space. We talk about our life, our daily strugles. Kids feel that they can express their feelings. Second thing i mentioned was putting things in perspective and context. by that i mean talking about small scale (microorganisms in soli) and talking about big scale (universe and our place as planet earth in that universe). In between those two extremes we manage to help kids to see how important it is to guard nature and life in general.

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Section 06

Documentation

Photo Gallery

Videos

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Section 07

Online Workshop Output

Online Mentoring Session

16 December 2025 · Online · P2CC Community of Practice
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Workshop Summary

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