Exploring what it means to be a relational council
In December, we gathered to discuss what it means to be a relational council, the challenges in putting relationships at the heart of how council’s operate, and the pathways forward. Here, we draw out the key themes and questions from the discussion and invite you to...
Active Neighbours – Anna
“In the past I’ve done very much paper-based volunteering, because I guess that’s where my skills lie – but maybe I’ve realised that I quite enjoy meeting people and having that interaction. In particular, I think I’ve enjoyed meeting people that are outside my social circle – because you know, we’re all guilty of having our own little group […], so seeing that people have very different lives – not better or worse, just different, you know – I think has been really interesting for me.”
Active Neighbours – Brianne
“So it’s just the connections that have been made, the nice people and the people who have really needed the help that I’ve met. And just seeing everyone come together. I’ve always thought this area has a great sense of community, but this has shown it even more. And it’s shown the people that don’t normally have the time to give to this community – they’ve gone ‘here you go’.”
Carnegie Trust UK – Heatmap in Action
In our work on kindness and flourishing towns, we’ve thought a lot about how we create the conditions for relationships in communities. We were interested to use the Heatmap to see how it works and what we could learn about our relationships with a much broader network of people and organisations.
Sustaining and evolving the best of Mutual Aid
In brief In this blog, David explores the possibilities for Mutual Aid 2.0 and shares our plans for a peer sharing group for anyone interested in the question of how we nurture and sustain community activity into the future. A year ago, You Gov research, undertaken...
At the turning of the year
In brief In this reflective piece, David Robinson looks back at the lessons we have learned in 2020 and what they might mean for the year ahead. Running off-road Politicians and policy people have always loved roadmaps, and so do many managers. It makes the journey...
The Good Life: Book Club
On 28th March 2023, a group of us came together for The Relationships Project’s first ever Book Club. Hosted by the wonderful Christine Frazer from her kitchen table in Gateshead, we gathered together to share thoughts and reflections on The Good Life by Marc Shulz...
Letting the nation in: how a drive to promote relational practice could boost mission-based government
Introduction Nine months have passed since the general election. A new PM and a new generation of ministers have settled into post. They have had time to assess the legacy from the last administration and familiarise themselves with the ongoing work of every...
