SUPERHERO ME is a non-profit inclusive arts movement that arms children from special needs and less privileged communities with creative confidence. It focuses on inclusive programming and training, creative advocacy and strategic cross-sector partnerships to shape the narrative of inclusion in Singapore and serves as a platform for social mixing where children of all abilities work together through creative experiences that encourage perspective, empathy and resilience. Seeded by the Lien Foundation in 2014 as an early childhood programme in Lengkok Bahru, Superhero Me has reached out to more than 20,000 people through a myriad of efforts. It is now a registered arts company and is a recipient of the National Arts Council’s Seed Grant for the period of 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2020.
We are an agile community of practice with diverse backgrounds and skill sets and function as a network of creatives, producers and facilitators who assemble based on project and training requirements.
The arts is bursting with potential to ignite social change when bringing children of different social backgrounds together. It is a language that has the power to unite others despite their differences and to be that space for all parties involved to build creative confidence and turn diversity to strength.
Our vision is to make the arts accessible for children from less privileged and special needs communities and push its potential as a great levelling tool. Exposing children to various art forms through partnerships with artists allows them to experience the transformative power of creativity and empowers them with opportunities that foster inclusion and resilience.
From 2017 to 2020, we aspire to:
Inclusion at Superhero Me is a conscious effort by every individual in the room to support each other to Participate, Achieve and Belong. This means being clear about (a) Our Programme Narrative (b) Scaffolding options for children with special needs & (c) the Team Culture in the room.
We believe Inclusion is not a destination, but a journey of self awareness and aspiration in how we can uplift each other in the room. It will take time. We aim to kickstart this journey for the children we work with, not be an end goal in itself. Inclusion is not a one-man show, but a whole team effort. Everyone can try to include. Skill-sets to facilitate inclusion are not limited to those who are trained to work with children with special needs. Our team approach is to be strategic about where your skills and energy can be applied.