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Can arts projects improve young people's wellbeing? A social capital approach

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  • Hampshire, Katherine Rebecca
  • Matthijsse, Mathilde

Abstract

Community arts projects are widely believed to have positive impacts on health, wellbeing and social inclusion. Such beliefs underpinned the UK Government-funded SingUp programme for children. Drawing on data from participant observation, extended interviews, focus groups and a questionnaire survey, we examine the experiences of children in three SingUp choirs. We focus specifically on social and emotional wellbeing as they relate to social capital: this being one of the key pathways through which arts participation is thought to impact on health and wellbeing more widely. For many (particularly girls from relatively privileged backgrounds), the experience has been largely positive, providing opportunities to develop social capital, make new friends and build confidence. However, others' experiences have been more equivocal, entailing risks of disconnection from existing networks of friends. We argue that, while arts projects can impact positively on young people's social and emotional wellbeing, we cannot assume that the changes will be unequivocally good or straightforward. We follow Bourdieu and other critical theorists in arguing that social capital operates in association with economic and cultural capital, and cannot be understood in isolation from the wider constraints of people's lives.

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  • Hampshire, Katherine Rebecca & Matthijsse, Mathilde, 2010. "Can arts projects improve young people's wellbeing? A social capital approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(4), pages 708-716, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:71:y:2010:i:4:p:708-716
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Victoria Ateca-Amestoy & Mariana Gerstenblüth & Irene Mussio & Máximo Rossi, 2016. "How do cultural activities influence happiness? Investigating the relationship between self-reported well-being and leisure," Estudios Económicos, El Colegio de México, Centro de Estudios Económicos, vol. 31(2), pages 217-234.
    3. Shier, Micheal L. & Gouthro, Stephanie & de Goias, Rochelle, 2018. "The pursuit of social capital among adolescent high school aged girls: The role of formal mentor-mentee relationships," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 276-282.
    4. Javier Reyes-Martínez & David Takeuchi & Oscar A. Martínez-Martínez & Margaret Lombe, 2021. "The Role of Cultural Participation on Subjective Well-Being in Mexico," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 16(3), pages 1321-1341, June.
    5. Brian Garrod & David Dowell, 2020. "The Role of Childhood Participation in Cultural Activities in the Promotion of Pro-Social Behaviours in Later Life," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-16, July.

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