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.
The Post Office Scandal: Putting Relationships Last
Mostly on the Relationships Project blog we talk about the value and importance of putting relationships first. The Post Office Horizon scandal, dominating the news in recent days, has made us think about the grim consequences of doing the opposite - putting...
#SolidaritySpaces
Working in relational ways is joyful, empowering, revolutionary. In putting relationships first we unlock our shared humanity, we bring love into unloving spaces, and we acheive things we couldn't otherwise achieve. But working in relational ways can also be tough,...
Our dreams for 2024-2029
In brief In 2021 The Relationships Project was delighted to secure funding for a 2 year project to start to build towards a 20 year vision for a relationship-centred world (you might remember we shared our original application here). With 9 months to go until the end...
Sources of inspiration from across the field
Earlier in the Summer of 2023, we launched The Relationships Map: a growing directory of the many brilliant individuals and organisations putting relationships first in all that they do. It's our hope that the map will act as a springboard for connections to be made,...
Coventry, Captured: A Convening of Convenors
In brief In July 2023, the facilitators and conveners of 35 networks and coalitions gathered in Coventry to explore what we can achieve together, in pursuit of a more relationship-centred world, that we can’t achieve alone. Here, we share some of the many themes that...
‘Rewilding Care’: Could letting relationships flourish revolutionise social care?
In brief Bob Rhodes is the founder and President of LivesthroughFriends CIC, a social enterprise that demonstrates how those who have acquired the most complex reputations can live good lives when attention is paid to building relationship networks and a sense of...
Bringing People Together: The story so far
In brief Back in July 2021, we shared our proposal to the National Lottery Community Fund’s Bringing People Together Fund. We were delighted to be awarded the funding and we now find ourselves one year into our two year plan towards a 20 year vision of a world built...
Relational Councils: Learning from crisis
Mutual aid was driven from the ground up but flourished with appropriate support from local councils. The UK response to refugees arriving from Ukraine was led from the top down but could only succeed with local engagement. What can we learn from this approach to the...
In conversation: Mayday Trust and Relationships Project
In brief In this blog, Relationships Project founder David Robinson, and Alex Fox, chief executive of Mayday Trust, reflect on the role that relationships and relationship-building play in creating effective public services and charities, and what connects and...
The Relationships Learning Network
Coming soon The Relationships Project is planning an interdisciplinary learning network focused on Relationship-Centred Practice. Along with our friends from the After Disasters Network, we are hosting an open Zoom meeting to talk about the plan at 2-4pm BST on 21st...
