Supporting initiatives that link art or creative expression with mental health
A financial and professional support for Croatian community mental health projects that foster a creative or artistic approach, by Solidarna Foundation and Fund for Others. The goal of the KRIK program is to support initiatives that link art or creative expression with mental health care at the individual and collective level through artistic productions, creative and therapeutic activities, discursive and experiential educational content, media productions and other empowering, interactive formats for social development.
Activities
After the two stressful years of COVID pandemic have shown profound changes in daily lives of people and the necessity of additional investments in mental health care, on the International Human Rights Day, December 10th 2021, the SOLIDARNA Foundation and the Fund for Others launched a public call for applications for KRIK – crisis and creativity, a newly established pilot program of financial and professional support for community mental health projects that foster a creative or artistic approach.
The idea for the KRIK program came to Solidarna from following the real needs of society and being aware that every creative process brings a common psychological good, both to professional artists and lay people, and indirectly to everyone who consumes a work of art. The process of selecting the beneficiaries is conducted by the Council of the Culture in the Community program, which consists of representatives of the SOLIDARNA Foundation and the Fund for Others and external experts from relevant fields. The selection process is guided by the following key qualitative criterias: the potential positive impact of the project on mental health protection and project quality in artistic, therapeutic and communication terms, as well as meeting the eligibility requirements set out in the public call. In addition to the flexible financial donation that each selected project can focus on its priority needs, the KRIK pilot program will provide targeted professional support through individual consultations, as well as through two mandatory educational meetings (spring and autumn 2022) of the KRIK Forum for the beneficiaries of the program and the collaborating professional circle in the field of art, education, psychotherapy and civil society.
Program Launch and Participants
Program launch took place as a charity cultural event “CRY FOR RECOVERY” held on November 10, 2021 in Urania in Zagreb. In a dance performance at program launch, Love Will Tear Us Apart, by Petra Hrašćanec and Saša Božić, did a dance performance produced by art organisation De Facto, the audience was involved (and danced). Furthermore, independent artists and art organisations, psychologists, psychotherapists and community therapy programs, civic initiatives and associations, as well as academic and student projects aimed at self-help and recovery, and informal groups and initiatives are invited to consider applying to the Solidarna public call as a source of support in mental health innovation.
Karla Pudar from SOLIDARNA Foundation said: “The idea for the KRIK program came from following the real needs of society and being aware that every creative process brings a common psychological good, both to professional artists and lay people, and indirectly to everyone who consumes a work of art. Through KRIK we wish to make the healing process much easier for all in need”