The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative

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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Nrityanjali Academy - India

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Folk Dance and Folk Theatre have been a vital means of Communication during ancient times, owing to its interpersonal and interactive appeal. Nrityanjali Academy has taken up the role to use these popular art forms to address various social problems of the society and use this as a medium of social communication.
Communication Strategies

Nrityanjali Academy has conducted several workshops and performances for Andhra Pradesh AIDS Control Society and others. The Academy has also taken up training of youth in the slums on the nuances of Folk theatre. They are taught to prepare a script, how to play different parts and finally to communicate, using the medium of Folk theatre, in their propaganda for social development at the grassroots level.
Development Issues

Children, Health, HIV/AIDS, Environment, Women, Rights.
Key Points

The role of Folk dance and theatre in social development is a widely acclaimed fact today. Literacy campaigns and several issues such as adult-education, Environment, child labor, Population control, women abuse and the problem of dowry have been skillfully dealt with the medium of Folk dance and theatre.

Voluntary Organization Nrityanjali Academy is a voluntary, non-political, not-for-profit, secular development organization registered under the Andhra Pradesh Societies Registration Act, working with broad objectives to:
  1. identify socio-economic problems and to encourage various groups, especially the marginalised sections in urban and rural areas and help in solving these problems.'
  2. develop leadership, competence and faith of marginalised people in themselves.
  3. disseminate correct information through various media and make effective use of available resources.
  4. assess and analyze the health and human care needs of the slum an rural population.' Nrityanjali started its activities with social awareness campaigns against various social problems like AIDS, Women rights, Dowry, Environment, Adult Education, Drug abuse etc. Then encouraged by the response and assessing the problem from close quarters, the Academy felt the need for more active and sustained intervention to deal with these problems. With this objective in mind, Nrityanjali has initiated social development projects in the slums of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
Source
Nrityanjali Academy website.