Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) is the national development body for Scotland’s museum sector. We support museums and galleries through strategic investment, advice, workforce development and advocacy. We’re excited to be taking part in this year’s conference and speaking with the Community Link Workers who can help create vital connections with those who could most benefit from engaging with their local museum.
We know museums and galleries can play a vital role in supporting health and wellbeing. They provide spaces where people can boost their confidence, develop skills, build communities, and connect with culture. A single museum visit can have a positive impact on an individual’s wellbeing, and the benefits can grow when people take part in wider museum opportunities. We highlighted in our 2021 literature review of the evidence of impact of museums in the fields of health and wellbeing how visiting museums has been associated with:
· Increased longevity
· Positive impacts on general wellbeing
· Lower risks of developing depression
There are specific health and wellbeing benefits evidenced for Mental Health service users, Older People, People with dementia and their caregivers, and hospital patients. Across Scotland, museums offer rich and varied ways to experience those benefits – including volunteering, reminiscence sessions and even boatbuilding!
However, from our research into the effects of systemic exclusion in museums we know that folk who could benefit most from these opportunities, often don’t feel able to access them. That’s where this year’s conference theme, Rooted in Communities, Growing Together, strongly resonates – because museums are most impactful when they are shaped by, and responsive to, the diverse communities around them. We’re looking forward to speaking directly with Community Link Workers across Scotland, learning from their experiences and insights, and exploring how museums can play a fuller role in supporting positive health, wellbeing and social outcomes. By growing these relationships together, we can help more people discover museums as welcoming community assets that support confidence, creativity and belonging.
Many museums are already rooted in their communities, but there is much more we can do together to make Health & Wellbeing opportunities visible, accessible and useful for the people who could most benefit from them. We hope the conversations at this conference will be a starting point for stronger partnerships that help people feel more connected to culture, heritage, and one another.
