From 24-26 February 2015 we took over a small space in the members’ lobby at the Scottish Parliament to showcase the work from our recent Wellbeing Programme. The exhibition brought together the findings from our six funded programmes and provided a way of engaging in discussions with MSPs and Government officials. The programme was seeking to address three broad questions:
- What influences individual and societal wellbeing?
- How best to measure wellbeing and what influences it to help shape and guide policy and practice?
- How best to promote and embed improved wellbeing?
The objective of the initiative was to make a contribution to the development of policy and practice in Scotland and elsewhere, including the development of Scotland’s National Performance Framework, ‘Scotland Performs’.
A wellbeing approach attempts to take a balanced look across social, economic and environmental dimensions at understanding what influences the wellbeing of citizens and society at large, and measuring progress. It’s not about any one factor such as health or income, it’s about a range of influences – Charlie Woods, Director SUII
MSPs were invited to add their own ideas to the ‘wellbeing tree’. And they were soon getting in on the act:
Suggestions from MSPs around what influences wellbeing included ‘autonomy’, ‘status’ and ‘rural connections’.
The exhibition, which was designed and created by the Flourish programme team at the Glasgow School of Art, will now go on tour, so look out for it at a venue near you! In the meantime, you can read the summary report of the Wellbeing Programme here:
http://www.scottishinsight.ac.uk/AbouttheInstitute/OccasionalPapers.aspx
Insights 