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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Women's Justice Center / Centro de Justicia Para Mujeres - California, USA

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The Women's Justice Center was organised to provide advocacy, free of charge, for victims of rape, domestic violence, and child abuse, particularly in the Latina and other under served communities of Sonoma County. They also provide advocacy training and community education and coordinate the Task Force on Women in Policing with the goal of increasing the number of women and minorities in our law enforcement agencies.
Communication Strategies

Since their founding in October, 1998, they have helped over 350 women escape from violence with their children, and they've given information and consultation to over 1500 others [figures from June 2001]. They launched a bilingual website in September 2000, that now has more than 70 paired English/Spanish documents on rape, domestic violence, and child abuse.

They are currently [2001] working to produce a series of ten bilingual booklets on violence against women. Four titles now completed are How to Help a Friend, Special for Immigrant Women, Tips for Testifying, and 12 Teaching Scenarios. Copies are available free of charge.

Every year Women's Justice Center gives 25 to 30 talks and trainings in English and Spanish around the community. Women's Justice Center coordinates the local Task Force on Women in Policing with the goal of increasing the number of women and minorities in local law enforcement. Currently they are participating in two working groups with Santa Rosa Police; one to improve non-English language response and the other to establish internal quality controls on police case response to violence against women. Women's Justice Center publishes and distributes 2000 copies of it's quarterly newsletter, "Justicia".
Development Issues

Women, rights.
Key Points

In a major speaking event last October, the Task Force brought two national experts on integrating police to Sonoma County; Penny Harrington, director of the National Center for Women and Policing and Ron Hampton, director of the National Black Police Officers. Currently, the Task Force is focused on ending the sex and race discrimination at the local SRJC Police Academy which resulted in the loss of 5 out of the 8 female cadets from the year 2000 evening class.
Sources

Letter from Marie De Santis.