FFI Senior Fellow Gary Anderson, a theater director and producer with over 36 years of experience, makes a compelling case for centering the arts as a pathway to wellbeing and democracy. Drawing from personal experiences, historical context and contemporary research, Anderson explores how art serves as a transformative force that can heal trauma, build empathy and strengthen social connections. His paper, “You Got a Right to the Tree of Life,” weaves together JFK’s vision of arts as a measure of civilization’s quality with FFI’s wellbeing frameworks, demonstrating how accessible, meaningful artistic experiences are essential to creating an equitable society where everyone can thrive.
These are a number of different case studies of different people that may be used for training purposes.
Marietta's story showcases how someone going through a traditional systems experience would have a drastically different experience than one going through an experience designed with wellbeing.
This resource describes how caseworkers at On the Rise applied wellbeing to support their constituents.