Arts Wellbeing Collective

The Arts Wellbeing Collective is an Arts Centre Melbourne initiative that comprises a consortium of arts and cultural organisations who work together to promote positive mental health and wellbeing in the performing arts in Australia.

In 2016, Entertainment Assist and Victoria University’s report, Working in the Australian Entertainment Industry: Final Report (van den Eynde, Fisher & Sonn, 2016) uncovered startling statistics. Of the entertainment industry workers surveyed, 15.2% experienced symptoms of moderate to severe depression and 44% experienced symptoms of moderate to severe anxiety.

In 2019, the Arts Wellbeing Collective delivered 45 workshops, 38 presentations, and held meetings with leadership teams of 27 performing arts companies. Initiatives to date have focused on supporting touring parties, performing artists, and technical and production teams through the development of specifically tailored tools and techniques; on sharing stories of positive change; and on enabling help-seeking through the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline and delivering accredited Mental Health First Aid across the sector.