Globally, there are an estimated 258 million international migrants, and 763 million internal migrants. Whilst much of the mental health literature on migration explores negative risk factors for ill health, there is growing recognition within health care and development fields that such a focus may obscure our understandings of people’s positive capabilities for mental health resilience, and this in turn can lead to over-reliance on expert-led top-down interventions at the expense of bottom-up community-based approaches. In response to this, applied arts practices have been turned to as a means of unearthing the authentic voices of communities and developing genuine participation and agency. New collaborations are now forging between academics and practitioners in health care and applied arts to find innovative methodologies in research.
The aim of this conference is to examine mental health resilience in relation to internal and transnational migrants as well as public mental health and how the applied arts can facilitate this investigation. We also explore how such resilience might best be supported and developed in ways that are practical, acceptable and appropriate. The conference examines how innovative participative methodologies – particularly community theatre and other participatory arts – can help explore and give voice to migrants and their stories, particularly in relation to mental health and resilience. This conference is for medical, health and social care professionals and service providers as well as for those engaged in health based arts work; including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, community artists, theatre in health practitioners, social workers and educationalists; it is also for service commissioners, service users, carers, academics, policy makers and voluntary sector organisations.