Connect
Collaborative spaces for learning, sharing and connecting
Upcoming Convenings
We’ll be scheduling an evolving programme of events for the coming months in due course. These will be both online and in person. Make sure you’re signed up to the newsletter and follow us on Twitter and Linkedin to keep up-to-date on what’s coming up. If there’s a topic that you’d like to see discussed or a conversation you’d like to co-host with us, please get in touch with immy@relationshipsproject.org
Relational terms an phrases: A Zoom conversation
18th November, 12-1.30pm GMT, Zoom
Over the last few years, many of us have been talking more and more about the importance of putting relationships first in our organisations, systems and communities. In being party to some of these brilliant conversations, and developing our own thinking, we, at the Relationships Project, have amassed an ever-growing list of useful terms of phrases that help us explore ideas around relationship-centred practice, and make the case for it. We share them here.
Some of these terms are, by now, well-established; others have made their way into the world more recently. You might have different definitions or explanations for some of the terms. Our aim in sharing this list is not to draw boundaries around their definition or lay claim to their usage, but rather to help expand our shared vocabulary and equip us all to advocate for relational ways of working.
What phrases do you draw on when you’re making the case for relationships? Are there any terms included here that you use differently? What else do you wish we had to words to talk about more coherently? We’d love you to join us.
Ways to connect
Being a relationship-centred practitioner can feel lonely at times. But you are not alone! Across the UK and beyond, there’s an ever-growing network of brilliant individuals and organisations who all share a belief in the power of relationships. We’re here to help connect you up, helping us all to feel less alone and realise more than the sum of our parts.
The Relationships Map
Explore the Relationships Map to find others who are grappling with similar challenges or working in similar areas, and make new friends, allies and collaborators.
Convenings
Take a look at our upcoming events – both online and in person – to learn from others, explore shared challenges, and share ideas and inspiration.
Past Convenings
Changing Our Permissions
On Friday 12th July, 120 relationship-centred practitioners came together in Birmingham to explore the norms, beliefs and rules that help and hinder us in putting relationships first in our communities, organisations and systems. The conversation stretched far and wide, kicked off by the excellent ActUp! team who are on a mission to put relationships at the heart of mental health support
Our wonderful Kitchen Table Guests, Sonal Mehta, Dionne Buckman, Rob McCabe, Maff Potts and Noreen Blanluet shared, with candour and openness, the permissions that have shaped their ability to put relationships first and we had a whole heap of fantastic breakout sessions, ranging from techniques to make relational ways of working more inclusive to 10 things we can do to work with the new government to centre relationships
Thank you to everyone who came along for their energy, passion, ideas and comradeship. Here are our reflections from the day. Please add yours.
Case Maker Launch
On 22nd April Elizabeth Oldfield and Matt Lloyd-Rose were joined by a few of the brilliant people who shared their stories in the Case Maker, namely Sarah Yardley, Christine Frazer and Russ Bellenie. It was a warm, lively and engaging conversation, elevated by some brilliant questions from those who joined us.
Towards a World of Good Relationships: LSE Lecture
On the 31st October 2023, David returned to the LSE to give a public lecture about the unfolding story of the Relationships Project. Kirsty McNeill, Gemma Mortensen and Professor Stephan Chambers offered reflections, and the audience shared a range of powerful comments and questions. Thank you to everyone who joined both in person and online.
Relationship-Centred Practice: Unpacking the how, what and why
On the 23rd November 2022, 80 Relationship-Centred practitioners came together in Newcastle to explore the how, what and why of relationship-centred practice. We were a varied bunch – thinkers, doers and enablers, from different sectors and disciplines, and with a wide range of skills and experiences, all bound together by a shared commitment to making relationships the first mile.
Building relationships in an increasingly online world
For many, the internet pre-Covid offered a cold web – a mechanism for effecting transactions rather than for enabling a warm web of meaningful relationships. Since 2020, lots of us have learnt about how to deploy digital tools to facilitate purposeful connection. In this session, co-hosted by Grapevine and Refugee Council, we heard ideas and tips for building connections online
Relational Councils: Stewardship approach to tackling loneliness
On 10th October 2023, The Relational Councils Network gathered to learn from stewardship approaches to tackling loneliness in East Sussex and Barking and Dagenham
Relational Networks
On 3rd October 2023, in partnership with Habitus Collective, we ran a practical and immersive session exploring how to become a Relational Network Builder and build a more powerful network by putting relationships first
Relationships Learning Network
On 21st September 2023 we hosted the first convening of the Relationships Learning Network, in partnership with the After Disasters Network. For those interested in joining the next one, please RSVP here
Relational Councils: Learning from Crisis
On the 12th July 2023, we were joined by Kate Cochrane, Head of Resilience for NHS Scotland, Paul Morrsion, Director of Homes for Ukraine, and Neil Denton, Co-Founder of the After Disaster’s Network to explore how top-down and bottom-up responses to crisis can effectively converge, and the lessons we can take forward
Can a transactional approach to co-production ever be appropriate?
On the 15th June 2023, 85 of us came together to explore whether a transactional approach to co-production can ever be appropriate. Co-production has become something of a buzz word. Done well, it can transform outcomes, but too often co-production becomes a tokenistic mechanism for fulfilling commissioning requirements.
Relational Councils: Sustaining the Care
On 16th May 2023, a subset of the Relational Councils Network came together to draw out learning from the community response to the cost of living crisis. We were joined by David Barclay who stewarded the Warm Welcome Campaign
Book Club: The Good Life by Bob Waldinger and Marc Schulz
On 28th March 2023, a group of us came together to discuss The Good Life which reveals findings from the world’s longest running study on human happiness.
Relational Learning with David Jay
On 16/03/23, we were joined by David Jay, network builder, physicist and founder of Relationality Lab who talked to us about the methods and approaches that he’s developing to support ‘relational learning’
Relational Councils: Fourth Convening
On 30/01, 60 of us from the Relational Councils Network came together to explore how a more relational approach can help councils tackle the consequences of the cost of living crisis.
Citizen's Rising: A special briefing with Save the Children
In partnership with Save the Children, we have been listening to young people about their experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic. In this event, we shared what we have heard and explored together what children and young people need from adult society to be able to thrive
Side by Side: A peer learning programme
Over the first half of 2022, we were honoured to host a group of Community Weavers to explore how we can nurture and sustain the community activity which erupted in the early lockdowns, without controlling and constraining it. Spanning 6 sessions and involving a host of fantastic speakers, it was a great programme covering a lot of ground.
Relational Councils: Third Convening
On 25/04/22, we were joined by Bryony Shannon, author of the excellent blog Rewriting Social Care, to explore how local authorities can develop a more relational lexicon. We discussed the impact of language on relationships, words that make us go hmm, and small steps towards shifting language.
Relational Councils: Second Convening
On 14/02/22, we hosted the second convening for local authorities from different parts of the country. We focused on relational approaches to statutory duties and risk management, hearing from Russ Bellenie and Eliot Fineberg who kicked off the discussion for us.
Relational Councils: First Convening
On 13/12/21, local authorities from across the country came together to unpick what it means to be a relational council. We heard from LBBD, Tony Clements and others about what they’re working on and surfaced lots of questions to keep the conversation going.
Nurturing and sustaining community activity
On 10/11/21, we came together to explore how we can nurture and sustain community activity without controlling and constraining it. We explored possibilities as well as challenges, and we plan to keep the conversation going into 2022.
Loneliness and political life: A transatlantic conversation
On 12/10/21 we teamed up with Pepperdine University to explore the effect that loneliness has had on our political lives. Bringing together speakers from different political standpoints, it was a lively and thought-provoking conversation. Our Twitter summary can be found here.
The Lookout: Reflecting on young people's experiences of the pandemic
On 22/09/21, we came together to reflect on the effect that the pandemic has had on young people’s relationships and what adult society needs to do to ensure ‘recovery’ takes into account their needs. This conversation supplements what we’ve been hearing form young people directly.
Measuring relationships: What's the problem?
On 09/06/21 we came together to discuss the ‘measurement problem’. What are we trying to measure when it comes to relationships? What are the risks? Where does potential lie? We surfaced as many questions as we did answers. Our Twitter summary can be found here.
Testimonials from participants
I gain such strength from this group and the people in it and the action that comes when we all gather together. I love all of your storytelling and the compassion with which you speak about the people that you obviously know very well. This personally for me is a very important part of my month so thank you everybody
Action Learning was absolutely phenomenal… it gave me that kick up the backside to make plans – pushing things forward. I really liked that the process was that I was trying to find out answers for myself
[What I enjoy about these sessions is] meeting other practitioners and hearing about their work, […] the diversity of the content and speakers […] the camaraderie and support. It can be lonely and draining work and I get a sense people are really valuing having a support network
You don’t always see the obvious. Our organisation does so much but the Heatmap showed us we don’t really promote it as best as we could… this work will have a knock on effect
Professionally this project has kept me going. To have some direction, to meet regularly with like minded people. To have the opportunity to share my thoughts, to be treated as an expert.
Being in this space has solidified how crucial relationships are – it’s affirmed how much can change if you have good relationships
Featured: The Community Weaver’s Companion
- How can we nurture strong communities in the good times as well as the bad?
- How can we sustain the community activity we saw in the early lockdowns without controlling and constraining it?
- How do we build a positive Covid legacy and resist the pull back to old ways?
Collaboratively created by the wonderful members of our Side by Side Convening in early 2022, the Community Weaver’s Companion offers handy tools and frameworks, inspiring insights and anecdotes, and useful resources for diving deeper into what it means – and what it takes – to build strong communities from the inside.