A couple of weeks ago, at our Laidlaw Scholars Conference in London, Rachael Williams, CEO of Streetwise Opera, joined us to lead a workshop on tackling complex social challenges. With Ambition as this year's conference theme, her contribution offered a valuable perspective on the work involved in pursuing meaningful change. This week, we're sharing her reflections on the determination, resilience and sense of purpose needed to sustain that work over time.

Rachael Williams: "Creating change can be a long and challenging process and requires a lot of determination and resilience. Knowing why you want to work in a particular field, or why a particular change is meaningful to you, will be the fuel that keeps you going through any setbacks, and can act as your north star when you have difficult choices to make."

Making Opera a Place for Everyone

Streetwise Opera works with people who have experienced homelessness to create and perform opera, offering opportunities for artistic expression, connection and personal development. By bringing participants together with professional artists, the charity also seeks to challenge perceptions of homelessness and who belongs on an opera stage. Its ambitions, however, extend beyond any individual performance. Creating lasting opportunities for participants and changing deeply rooted attitudes require sustained investment, strong relationships and a willingness to keep working towards outcomes that may take years to achieve. For Rachael and the team at Streetwise Opera, maintaining that commitment involves navigating the practical challenges of running a charity while keeping sight of the people and purpose at the heart of its work.

Putting Ambition into Practice

During her Wicked Problems Analysis workshop, Rachael invited us to consider one of the practical challenges involved in sustaining that vision. Working in interdisciplinary teams, we explored the underlying causes of Streetwise Opera's fundraising challenge and developed proposals to address them. Ideas ranged from new fundraising campaigns to a skills-sharing scheme, with the winning proposal now set to be developed alongside the charity, supported by funding from the Foundation. The workshop brought a practical dimension to our discussions about ambition and highlighted the importance of understanding the challenges facing an organisation before deciding how best to support its goals. It also offered a glimpse into the sustained effort behind social change, from identifying the right problems to developing solutions that can be carried forward. With our North American Laidlaw Scholars Conference approaching in New York, Rachael's perspective is a timely one to carry into our next gathering and the research, projects and causes we hope to pursue beyond it.

Values in Focus

Rachael's words reflect the Laidlaw value of being #Ambitious and the Oxford Character Project virtue of #Transcendence. Her perspective highlights the importance of having a clear sense of purpose when pursuing meaningful change, and the determination to remain committed to that purpose through challenges and setbacks.

A Call to Reflect

As you consider Rachael's words, we invite you to reflect and share your thoughts in the comments. What motivates you to pursue the work or causes you care about, and how might that sense of purpose guide you through setbacks or difficult decisions?