Superact is a nonprofit arts organization based in

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

. Formed in 2006, Superact runs a number of community orientated projects focused on art, music and innovation. Superact is responsible for the running of the nationwide project the Bandstand Marathon, which was the main closing event of the London 2012 Festival. Superact is also involved in the running of a number of arts-based projects in the U.K and across Europe, including the NetBox project, PEETA and the IC Music Project. Superact also developed the Supporting Employability and Personal Effectiveness (SEPE) qualification in partnership with the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...

; the qualification is accredited by

Edexcel Edexcel (also known since 2013 as Pearson Edexcel) is a British multinational education and examination body formed in 1996 and wholly owned by Pearson plc since 2005. It is the only privately owned examination board in the United Kingdom. It ...

and is designed to help those who may find accessing traditional routes to employability challenging to build confidence and gain a meaningful qualification.

Projects

Bandstand Marathon

The Bandstand Marathon is a cultural event that began in 2008 and sees a range of free live music concerts take place simultaneously at bandstands and other outdoor venues across the U.K. In 2012 the Bandstand Marathon became an official part of the Cultural Olympiad and it was announced in September of that year that it would be the official finale event of the London 2012 Festival. The 2012 Bandstand Marathon was officially endorsed by

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

, who allowed participating bands to perform their song " Viva La Vida" simultaneously across the country to tie in with their performance of the song at the closing ceremony of the Paralympic games.

IC Music

The IC Music Project sees musicians from England,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

participate in a cultural exchange that provides them with opportunities to work and perform across Europe. Superact is responsible for providing the musicians with training that will enable them to deliver training and perform in potentially challenging environments, such as nursing homes and hospitals.

PEETA

The Personal Effectiveness and Employability Through the Arts (PEETA) project saw partners from across Europe work with prisoners from institutions in seven countries. The project had artists go into prisons and coach inmates on a variety of art forms, with the goal being to help them turn their lives around by developing their confidence, communication and teamwork skills. This project drew upon the SEPE qualification which was developed by Superact in conjunction with the

NetBox

NetBox is a community-focused initiative that aims to enrich communities and help make them more self-sufficient. By researching the needs and skills of individuals in towns across Europe (including Wiveliscombe,

), this project will explore how communities can be made more resilient by drawing upon the resources and knowledge of their inhabitants.{{cite web , url=http://www.wiveliscombe.com/netbox/ , title=The Netbox Project: Making Links for Local Learning , date=16 August 2012 , work=Wiveliscombe Area Website, publisher=Wiveliscombe Parish Council, accessdate=5 October 2012

References

External links

Superact Website

IC Music Homepage
Organisations based in Taunton Arts organisations based in England