**This is a repeat of the skill practice session taking place on January 29th 2025, for community members in Asia-Pacific region**
True power in movements come from the people, and the relationships we build with one another. Relationships based on shared values spark action and commitment, the engine of our organizing work. And at the heart of effective relationship building lies a powerful practice: the 1:1 meeting. It’s what differentiates organizing from mobilizing, and transformative connections from transactional interactions. They turn strangers into allies, fuel shared purpose, and unlock the collective power hidden within your community. Want to master this powerful tactic? Join us for an interactive workshop where we’ll dive deep into relation building and jump on the bike to practice 1:1 meetings with other members.
In this session, you’ll deep dive into the craft of relational 1:1 meetings and put them into practice. This is your chance to hone a skill that transforms relationships into the foundation for impactful movements and campaigns.
Register now and let’s build more powerful movements, one meaningful conversation at a time.
Content & learning points
Learning Objectives:
- Understand why relationship building is a key organizing practice, which builds momentum and allows for the scaling of organizing efforts in a campaign.
- Recognize how 1:1 meetings are used as a tool to building, establishing, maintaining and growing relationships in organizing, based on shared interests, values and resources
- Understand how 1:1 meetings are structured and used to foster commitment.
- Practice a 1:1 meeting, and get feedback, so that you can leave equipped to conduct 1:1s that forge bonds that drive tangible action.
Facilitator
Shay Leighton is a unionist, social activist, and community organizer with 25 years of experience working to build stronger, more resilient communities who He believes deeply in empowering individuals to drive collective, community-based change. He is committed to empowering individuals to create collective, community-driven change and dynamic democracy. His efforts centre on using collaborative strategies, difficult conversations, collective narratives, and leadership development to address pressing social issues and to build power for those who require change. Throughout his career, Shay has focused on organizing activist groups, running street-level political campaigns, and union education with a particular focus on the young unionists of the next generation, as well as creating community organizations to bridge gaps in health and political coverage. In 2012, Shay created Tough Guy Book Club, an international men’s civic organisation dedicated to combating isolation, improving mental health, and fostering camaraderie through reading, leadership, and community organising. Shay has worked extensively on issues such as mental health, power imbalance, community democracy, loneliness, community fragmentation, utilising personal narratives and community organizing frameworks to rebuild the civic network and people power.
Questions & answers
Upcoming Events
This year has taken a lot from us. As we move through deep uncertainty — politically, socially, and personally — and experience great injustice, many of us have found ourselves questioning how best to respond, and where our leadership is most needed. At times we’ve acted boldly, at times we’ve paused, adapted, or leaned into care. This session is an opportunity to reflect on how we've each acted in response to challenge — and to reconnect with the agency and clarity we need to move forward. Together, we’ll surface the range of ways people across our community have navigated this moment — whether by building bridges and connections, disrupting and raising the stakes, or other meaningful ways — and explore what each of these approaches makes possible. This isn’t about finding the one “right” way to respond, but about learning from the diversity of leadership choices and archetypes that
