Strive
Strive is our Anti-Racist Strategy, our long term commitment to creating a more equitable, inclusive and caring organisation – one that actively challenges racism and celebrates diversity in all its forms.
Our Anti-Racist Strategy
This work deepened after 2020, when global movements for racial justice and the shared experiences of the pandemic brought long standing inequalities into sharp focus. In the years since, as social divisions have continued to grow, we’ve recognised more than ever that change must come through intentional, everyday action.
At Chol, we believe addressing racial inequity is not only a moral responsibility, but essential to creating a healthy, creative and thriving workplace where everyone feels they belong.
What Strive means to us
Strive isn’t a policy or a checklist, it’s a living, evolving framework that sits at the heart of who we are and how we work. It’s about embedding equity and care in every part of our organisation, from recruitment and pay to creative projects and partnerships.
Our journey with Strive is personal and ongoing. We don’t see it as a one size fits all solution, but as a shared practice of learning, unlearning and reimagining. It informs every decision we make and every relationship we build – with our team, our collaborators and the communities we work alongside.
Strive challenges us to ask hard questions about the systems we operate in and the privileges we hold. It reminds us that being anti-racist means being active, intentional and accountable.
Our approach
Through the Strive Framework, we commit to:
- Continuous learning, unlearning and reflection – building our understanding of race, identity and equity through open dialogue, curiosity and care.
- Zero tolerance for discrimination – creating environments where everyone is treated with fairness, respect and dignity.
- Shared responsibility – recognising that anti-racism isn’t one person’s role; it’s everyone’s.
- Culturally inclusive practice – ensuring our projects, policies and spaces reflect and respect the diversity of the people we serve.
- Intentional environments – creating spaces for honest conversations, even when they’re uncomfortable, where difference is valued and everyone is heard.
- Accountability – learning from mistakes, being transparent about our progress, and holding each other to the same standards of care.
Our culture of care runs through everything we do. It shapes how we work internally and how we engage with the children, young people, artists and communities who are part of our story.
Action and evaluation
We embed Strive across every project, developing action research questions that help us understand how anti-racist practice lives and evolves in real time. Each project team includes a Strive Lead who supports reflection, evaluation and learning from start to finish.
This helps us move beyond good intentions to measurable, meaningful change, making sure anti-racism is not an idea we talk about, but a practice we live.
We also recognise that creating equity in the arts means tackling structural barriers – from who gets to lead, to who feels welcome in creative spaces. That’s why Strive is connected to every part of our organisation, including recruitment, pay equity, and our inclusive Chol-Operative model.
A culture of belonging
We embed Strive across every project, developing action research questions that help us understand how anti-racist practice lives and evolves in real time. Each project team includes a Strive Lead who supports reflection, evaluation and learning from start to finish.
Our full Strive Strategy and Framework – including our definitions, humanifesto and resource list can be found at the link below.
