Development action with informed and engaged societies

After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. 

Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

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Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma: Tips and Tools

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This resource is designed to provide online topical tools and tips on reporting and discussion of violent subject matter for journalists, educators, clinicians, and researchers and scholars. Presented by the Columbia School for Journalism Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma (United States), it provides resources on coverage and discussion of sensitive topics including:

  • Children and Trauma
  • Disaster
  • Domestic Violence
  • Homicide
  • Interviewing Victims
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Self-Care
  • Sexual Violence
  • Suicide
  • Tragic Anniversaries
  • Veterans
  • War
Each topical section includes discussion such as: "Children are not miniature adults, and they deserve special consideration when they end up in the news..." or "The death of one human being at the hand of another is a story that journalists are expected to tell. What are the special challenges posed by these stories of fatal violence?" The Disaster section includes links to resources such as shared tips and tools on using social media to find reporting sources, as well as how to fact-check and curate social media to augment coverage.

Dart Center resources for each topic include: "Behind the Story"; "Event Videos"; "Dart Awards winners in video-taped discussions"; and "Video Dispatches" - reports on reporting with embedded videos - as well as links to outside resources and publications.
Source

Women's United Nations Report Network (WUNRN) website, accessed on October 26 2009; and Tips & Tools website, accessed on March 28 2014. Image caption/credit: A young girl is given a blanket after being evacuated from Sandy Hook Elementary School following a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, US. Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters