We will make it our mission to reinforce the positive impact of cultural well-being. As a result, public bodies are making the urgent changes needed to promote culture and creativity, enhance the fabric of communities and promote multi-culturalism and the Welsh language.

Culture is the beating heart of a community. Cultural well-being has equal weight with environmental, social, and economic well-being in the WFG Act, recognising the enormous role that it plays. 

A society with good cultural well-being is one where people benefit from culture, heritage and the Welsh language and can participate in the arts, sports, and leisure.  

We know, however, that public bodies often find cultural well-being the most difficult area to understand and are also under increased funding pressure which can put our culture and leisure services under threat. Our own analysis has found that culture, creativity, cohesive communities, and the Welsh language are not always understood as being at the heart of achieving other well-being goals and that well-being plans and objectives are not doing enough to ensure cultural well-being outcomes are supported.  

Harnessing the power of creativity, and bringing people together to co-imagine a better future, will be key to addressing some of the big challenges we face, such as climate change, social isolation, and economic inequality.  Culture brings hope, positivity, and optimism to thinking about the long-term.  

There is an opportunity for us to support a step-change. Our unique role in this space will be to shine a spotlight on examples that solve challenges through culture; work with public bodies to raise their ambitions around culture and community in well-being objectives; and to collaborate with the creative sector to communicate the challenges and solutions of the future.  

Culture and Welsh Language Theory of Change 
We will make it our mission to reinforce the positive impact of cultural well-being. As a result, public bodies are making the urgent changes needed to promote culture and creativity, enhance the fabric of communities and promote multi-culturalism and the Welsh language.

Need  
Public bodies are not giving culture and the Welsh language sufficient attention in their well-being objectives and plans. 

We are not finding the best ways to communicate the necessary actions ahead. 

Lack of funding and short-sighted decisions are threatening community infrastructure and cohesion. 

Activity 
1. Advocate for cultural well-being and the Welsh language to be given more priority in approaches to well-being.   

2. Shine a spotlight on examples that solve challenges through culture and the Welsh language.   

3. Convene and collaborate with the cultural and creative industries to communicate the challenges and opportunities ahead.  

4. Ensure organisations look broadly at how they can improve cultural well-being, for example in areas like housing, land use planning, health, education, and community regeneration. 

5. Advise public bodies to take action to enhance the fabric of our communities and to value multi-culturalism. 

Outcomes 
There is a good understanding of what cultural well-being encompasses and the positive impact of culture and the Welsh language on the implementation of the WFG Act.  

Public bodies and Public Services Boards include cultural well-being within their well-being objectives.  

Progress is being made by public bodies to meet national Welsh language milestones (to reach a million speakers by 2050). 

Campaigns and action for positive change are more effective as a result of the contribution from cultural sectors. 

Inclusion and access to cultural activities has improved, especially for people with protected characteristics and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Impact  
Wales is making good progress in meeting the national well-being indicators that relate to culture, the Welsh language and community cohesiveness.  

Across Cymru, the percentage of people attending or participating in arts, culture or heritage activities is increasing and more people can speak Welsh.  

Communities are more involved in decisions affecting them. 
Read Cymru Can: our strategy for 2023 – 2030.

Our Missions:

 

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