Our experience, our strength, our identity
As a community we come together to encourage you to focus on your strengths – not the barriers of the system around you. We will work to educate employers and universities of the value that racially diverse students bring to our vibrant communities – but as individuals you must believe in yourself, your abilities, and the strengths that you have.
This is why at STRIVE we adopt a strengths-based framework called, KcVETS model
STRIVE will recognise, harness, celebrate and value your identity and the capital that you have!
STRIVE KcVETS Model
Knowledge and co-creation
We encourage you to share your lived experience, your knowledge (you are the expert of your experience) to help us co-create a programme that will have a legacy and positive impact on your peers. We encourage you to use your expertise, views of the world to contribute to discussions on our discussion boards, our ‘Talk about race’ forums and other shared spaces, so that we learn as a community and can support each other. You will also be asked to complete surveys, questionnaires, take part in group activities and listening rooms. This data will help us better understand the areas of the programme that is working and not working, where the programme is having impact and areas that need improvement. Additionally, and most importantly, this data can be used more broadly to improve the experiences of other *BAME* students studying within our universities.
Values and Ethics
At the heart of STRIVE is an unwavering belief that all students deserve and should have access to opportunities that will transform their lives. The values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) and those that run throughout the whole programme and that we hope our STRIVERS embody. We believe in an inclusive culture where compassionate conversations drive learning. We create an environment in which everyone matters, everyone is valued and celebrated, and everyone belongs.
We aim to create an equality of opportunity, that recognises the intersecting characteristics of our STRIVERS. As such, we adopt an inclusive targeting approach to identify and address our STRIVE community members’ needs.
Experience
We value your experience and want to create safe spaces for you to be able to share your experiences with others. As such, periodic Talk about race forums provide a safe space for exchange and dialogue relating to racialised experiences. We provide opportunities for you to share ideas and expertise of your subject in our ACE workshops.
This programme puts STRIVERS at its heart. You are seen and you are heard. We know that all students experience higher education differently. We know that our differences are what make us and that to support you in being the best version of yourself we need to recognise those differences because not everyone is the same.
Watch: Let’s talk about being Black in the Academy
Iwi Ugiagbe-Green x TEDxKeeleUniversity
In 2020, Iwi delivered a TEDx on ‘Being Black in the Academy.’
The Academy is a word we use to describe the higher education system. Here is Iwi is talking about what it is like being Black in the academy.
Our aim on STRIVE is to support our STRIVERS to be the best version of yourselves that you can be. We recognise your uniqueness as an individual and look forward to the privilege of supporting your personal and professional growth, whilst you are with us on the programme.
Stop and Reflect:
Complete the individual differences survey below.
- What did you think?
- Are you clear about the things that you want to achieve on this programme?
- What can you to ensure that your experience is a positive experience, and you are not a statistic of unrealised potential but a successful STRIVER?
Complete the Individual differences survey here.