Associació Sociocultural l´Altre Festival
A Barcelona-based NGO that, like the l’Altre festival itself, was founded in 2015. It works for inclusion and to improve the well-being of people with mental health problems, as well as everyone else, through the arts. It raises public awareness of mental health and finds original ways to enrich cultural offering.
The international l’Altre festival, which annually takes place in Barcelona (but also boasts an offshoot in Argentina), combines performing arts with awareness raising and support in the area of mental health. Consisting of professional, amateur and mixed performances and concerts, its programme is created based on regularly published calls – l’Altre thus not only presents art but also stimulates artistic creation, including the work of the mentally ill or intellectually disabled. Annually, the event is attended by some 35 theatre companies and over 4,500 spectators.
The l’Altre festival is a large friendly gathering of people with mental health issues and their families, mental health professionals, artists and the general public. In addition to the reception of art, a dialogue between the two worlds and social integration take place right before the festival-goers’ eyes.
Visit laltrefestival.cat/en/
The aim of the workshop was to empower people with mental health issues, cultural workers and professionals from the mental health system to use the arts as a means to promote mental health and create more inclusive communities.
Exploring the Intersection of Participatory Arts Practices and Mental Health. This workshop aimed to discover the Otherness and the Other next to you through the arts.