Creative Wellbeing is a strategic collaboration between the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Office of Child Protection, Department of Mental Health, and the Arts for Healing and Justice Network, as part of the LA County Arts for All Children, Youth, & Families: Los Angeles County’s New Regional Blueprint for Arts Education.

Creative Wellbeing integrates arts and mental health strategies to support social-emotional development and healing from trauma. The goal of this work is to make systemic change toward healing-centered arts engagement. The approach is being implemented at school sites, congregate care facilities, online for caregivers and providers, within County departments, and as part of the Los Angeles County Suicide Prevention Network.

Over the past four years the Creative Wellbeing network has evolved to include educators, mental health professionals, advocates, youth content advisors, youth development workers, teaching artists, the staff of the Department of Children and Family Services and Department of Health Services, UCLA and more. In partnership with the UCLA Prevention Center of Excellence and the Wellbeing for LA Learning Center, we are forming a Creative Wellbeing Learning Community and will host virtual quarterly gatherings for those who have participated or been involved in a Creative Wellbeing initiative. There will also be a virtual hub on the Wellbeing for LA Learning Center platform for ongoing asynchronous networking. 

The Creative Wellbeing Learning Community is a collaborative and generative space for adults who support youth and families from Los Angeles County to be present together, nurture community care, and uplift collective wisdom to explore strategies, tools, and resources relating to healing-centered arts engagement and mental health promotion. This Learning Community builds on previous Creative Wellbeing offerings including the Introduction to the Creative Wellbeing Approach, Wellbeing for LA retreats, self- and community-care sessions, and programming at school districts, county, and community locations. 

These virtual learning community gatherings will feature conversations with peers and subject matter experts. There will be opportunities to share insights, challenges, and perspectives. The gatherings will also introduce resources and walk-throughs of sample activities. The gatherings will nurture community-building and provide structured ways to discuss, ideate, and uplift collective wisdom to move conversations and practice forward regarding integrating healing-centered arts and mental health promotion into practice and systems. The goal is to help more individuals and groups to adapt and implement a healing-centered arts approach into their work, healing journeys, and systems-change efforts. 

We look forward to including you in a supportive Creative Wellbeing community that provides connection, healing, and opportunities for transformation and growth to better effect change for young people across LA County.