Through Thick and Thin
How an infrastructure for relationships could unlock the collective action we need to accelerate progress towards a world designed for and around relationships
Lots of people in lots of different spaces are doing amazing work around building better relationships, but the connections between these nodes are often weak or non-existent. Drawing on conversations with over 100 people in late 2020 and early 2021, we (led by Iona Lawrence) explore the challenges we share in prioritising relationships in the places that we live and work and the work that needs to be done to address those needs.
Our shared and uniting goal is to build a world that is designed for and around relationships: a world where relationships are the first mile, not the extra one.
Building a Relationship Collective: Our Proposal
Building on the insights unearthed in Through Thick and Thin, we submitted an expression of interest to the Bringing People Together Fund at the National Lottery Community Fund to bring to life the idea of an infrastructure for relationships. Drawing inspiration from Joe Mills and friends in the democracy centre, we decided to publish the proposal in the open so everyone can see what we’re hoping to do and more easily explore ways to collaborate.
In short, the expression of interest we submitted is for a two year project to design, test and build the necessary infrastructure to support shared learning and collaboration in the field of relationships and relationship-centred practice in the coming decades.
We are delighted to say that our application was successful and, as of Autumn 2022, we are focused on developing the infrastructure for a thriving field of relationship-centred practice. Find out more about our plans for the next two years below.
Observatory Sighting #3: The recalibration of trust
In this Observatory Sighting, we explore how trust is being recalibrated and the impact this is having on relationships both now and in the futureOver the last couple of weeks we have reported on what we see on the surface: Thousands of new community groups, new...
Observatory Sighting #2: Relational poverty and inequality
In this Observatory Sighting, we reflect on the link between relational poverty and other forms of inequality during Covid 19Observation Offline modes of socialising are moving online, widening the web of participation. But significant numbers slip through the...
Observatory Sighting #1: Stories, language and framing
In this first Sighting, we reflect on the role that stories, language and framing will play as we decide, as a society, how to rebuild. Observation The stories we tell now about how society is responding to COVID-19 will shape how we look back on this time and...
Podcast: The Ethics and Emotions of the Coronavirus Emergency
In brief In this episode of the 'It's Bloody Complicated' podcast produced by our friends over at Compass, guest speakers Julia Unwin, Jennifer Nadel and David Robinson discuss the questions: How do we relate to each other socially and politically now, in the...
The Relationships Observatory
In brief In this blog we lay out our plans for The Relationships Observatory and invite you to share relationship-centred responses to COVID-19 and its challenges.Our plan In my last two blogs I talked about how we can learn from the crisis and embed effective and...
Inventing the Future
In brief In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, David asks the question: What do we need to do now to be able to look back on 2020 as the year when we not only helped one another in a crisis but as the year when we changed for good? What do we need to do now...
Podcast: A Better Way for social policy
In brief In this Joining the Dots podcast, hosted and produced by our partners at Ratio, Steve Wyler of Better Way discusses the work of the network and what it can do to support a fairer social policy.
Coronavirus and social disruption
In brief As social behaviour is disrupted by the Coronavirus, David Robinson says that disruption is neither good nor bad. What matters is what we make of it. I spoke last night to a church minister who had already cancelled the Older Peoples Wednesday group and was...
Calling the Mayor to get behind a London Relationships Commission
In brief In the wake of our latest report, 'The Relationship-Centred City', David calls on the Mayor of London to create an environment in which relationships can thrive by getting behind a London Relationships Commission. A couple of weeks ago I asked the Big...
Podcast: A relational social policy
In brief In this Joining the Dots podcast, hosted and produced by our partners at Ratio, David explores the potential of a relational social policy and reflects on the Islington Green Paper Fairer Together.
