Profile
David Robinson is co-chair of our board and founded We Are What We Do, the social movement inspiring people to use their everyday actions to affect social change, from which Shift evolved as an independent organisation.
David was an early advocate of using behavioural insights as a tool for tackling social issues and was a social innovator before the term became widely used. Whilst Shift has gradually adapted its approach to become a very different kind of organisation to We Are What We Do, David’s ambition to drive mass behaviour change and create solutions that appeal to their users remains, like David himself, at the heart of our work.
David is a community worker and the community development lead on our Relationships Project. He has founded and led several other organisations including Community Links, the Children’s Discovery Centre and Changing London. He led the Prime Minister’s Council on Social Action for Gordon Brown and the original London Advisory Board for what is now the National Lottery Community fund. His policy work has been recognised with an honorary doctorate from the Open University and he was the first Practitioner in Residence at the LSE’s Marshall Institute. David is an Ashoka Senior Fellow and was once described by the Guardian as “the godfather of the community sector, equally admired on the left and right”.
david.robinson@shiftdesign.org.uk
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Introducing the Relationships Observatory
Inviting you to observe, capture and share amazing examples of responses to COVID-19 that have relationships at their heart – all to help us learn for the future.
Coronavirus and social disruption
A view from the Relationships Project on how our lives and relationships are changing as a result of coronavirus.
Imagining a relationship-centred London
In brief In this blog, David shares his reflections on an thoughtful, energetic event in which 25 Londoners reimagined the …
Joining the dots: Wallpaper and relationships
In this contribution to Joining the Dots, The Relationships Project Founder David Robinson reflects on the importance of visual clues …
Joining the Dots: Politics as usual or a new beginning?
In this Joining The Dots blog (written back in the days when parliaments sat and terms were predictable, which is …
Joining the Dots: Time for ‘relationship-centred government’? How about it Mr Johnson?
In this Joining the Dots blog, David Robinson, who leads the Relationships Project, challenges the UK’s new Prime Minister to …
Joining the Dots: We can do this, we’re doing it now
In this Joining the Dots blog, Shift board member and community worker David Robinson shows what a relational approach looks …
Joining the Dots: A Common Field
The Relationships Project is working with others on sharing and discussing ideas. We hope this work will ultimately help to …
Extending the Circle
Amongst the responses to the previous blog from the Relationships Project (Talking a little, learning a lot), which discussed ‘circles of …
Talking a little, learning a lot
As we have been shaping our ideas about relationship centred design we have been talking a little and learning a …
Rebooting relationships
I have been collecting some very short stories over the summer. Here’s a handful: The doctor sits on the bed, …
The You and Me Principle
Sign up to stay in touch Loading… Add to the conversation #youandmeprinciple Get in touch D.Robinson3@LSE.ac.uk @davrob5 Page Menu Introduction …
What have we learnt and now what? Part ten of Connecting Well.
David Robinson is Shift’s founder and a community worker in east London. He is currently exploring new work on social isolation at the Marshall Institute. This is the tenth in a series of blogs.
Beauty of Care: Part nine of Connecting Well
David Robinson is Shift’s founder and a community worker in east London. He is currently exploring new work on social isolation at the Marshall Institute. This is the ninth in a series of blogs.
The Heart of the Matter: Part eight of Connecting Well
David Robinson is Shift’s founder and a community worker in east London. He is currently exploring new work on social isolation at the Marshall Institute. This is the eigth in a series of blogs.
Relational offset, the new imperative: Part seven of Connecting Well.
David Robinson is Shift’s founder and a community worker in east London. He is currently exploring new work on social isolation at the Marshall Institute. This is the seventh in a series of blogs.
Humbug or Hallelujah? Part six of Connecting Well
David Robinson is Shift’s founder and a community worker in east London. He is currently exploring new work on social isolation at the Marshall Institute. This is the sixth in a series of blogs.
Joining the Dots: Part five of Connecting Well
David Robinson is Shift’s founder and a community worker in east London. He is currently exploring new work on social isolation at the Marshall Institute. This is the fifth in a series of blogs.
Land of our children: Part four of Connecting well.
David Robinson is Shift’s founder and a community worker in east London. He is currently exploring new work on social isolation at the Marshall Institute. This is the fourth in a series of blogs.
Doing what anyone would do: Part three of Connecting well.
David Robinson is Shift’s founder and a community worker in east London. He is currently exploring new work on social isolation at the Marshall Institute. This is the third in a series of blogs.
Human beings being human: Part two of Connecting well
David Robinson is Shift’s founder and a community worker in east London. He is currently exploring new work on social isolation at the Marshall Institute. This is the second in a series of blogs.
Connecting Well
David Robinson is Shift’s founder and a community worker in east London. He is currently exploring new work on social isolation at the Marshall Institute. This is the first in a series of blogs.
Unconditional Leadership
David Robinson eloquently and honestly distils 35 years experience of starting and building inspiring local, national and international charities and social enterprises, drawing out lessons on unleashing people’s potential that have application across business and government.
@Shift_org
Research
Active Neighbours: Understanding the experiences of Covid volunteers
March 10, 2021
A field guide from the Relationships Project, presenting five ‘types’ of Covid volunteers and key considerations for supporting them to carry on caring.
Turning to the Light: Looking back and looking forward after one year of Covid
March 8, 2021
Reflecting on what we’ve learnt from one year of Covid, this report makes the case for reflection and recuperation, and then for building energetically on the many positives from this period.
Relationship Makers Impact Report
December 18, 2020
Drawing together our learning from a twelve week peer learning programme with a cohort of community businesses committed to building better relationships.
The Moment We Noticed: The Relationships Observatory & Learning from 100 Days of Lockdown
July 7, 2020
Bringing together learning from 50+ contributors after 100 days of lockdown, this report explores how we can build back better post-Covid, with stronger connections and relationships.
The Relationship-Centred City: Building a better London by building better relationships
March 13, 2020
A report from the Relationships Project unearths learning for cities the world over.
Case studies: relationship-centred practice
February 2, 2020
A collection of inspiring examples of relationship-centred practice from across the UK.
VIDEO: The You and Me Principle
October 9, 2018
How relationships change the world and where to go with what we know. Film of lecture by David Robinson.
Coverage
Changing London will help to change lives
The Guardian, November 2013