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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No Papers No Fear: The UndocuBus Campaign

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In the summer of 2012, immigration activists of the organisation No Papers No Fear publicly planned to present the situation of undocumented workers in the United States (US) through a campaign that culminated with a bus ride through states in the southern part of the US, in order, as stated on the website, "to confront power with the stories, voices, and actions of those directly affected by ...immigration policies."

Communication Strategies

Riders are undocumented people from all over the country, including students, mothers and fathers, children, people in deportation proceedings, day labourers, and others. Using public storytelling, speeches, rallies, and a calendar that schedules stops in locations where advocacy of policymakers might be possible, where news media might be accessible, and where immigration laws have been enacted that require locally-funded and state-funded officials to enact federal immigration policies, this advocacy, participatory action, and information dissemination campaign aims to advocate for changes in public sentiment and changes in policymaking to enable undocumented workers to continue various forms of employment without fear of harassment, detainment, and deportation. For example, one stop is scheduled at the US Democratic National Convention.

 

The campaign includes a website with social networking features, including:

 

 

  • a route map updated with blog posts and reports
  • a Share With Your Networks section of poster art that can be downloaded and used to illustrate messages, videos, Facebook, Twitter, and email connections and a place to upload artwork supporting the campaign
  • a section of celebrity and political figures with connections to their Twitter accounts so that supports can send them tweets
  • an endorsement section where readers may endorse the campaign 
  • a calendar of convergence locations where readers may plan to meet the bus at its destinations
  • a blog section
Development Issues

Rights, Population

Key Points

From the website: "Every year the Department of Homeland Security removes 400,000 people from the United States. Over the last four years, president Obama has deported over 1 million people. There is a rise of collaboration between local police and immigration agents through programs like Secure Communities, implemented in over 98% of counties in the country. And in June, the Supreme Court gave permission to police officers in Arizona to ask people for their immigration papers, if they are suspected of being undocumented."

Partners

Puente Movement

Sources

No Papers No Fear website, July 24 2012.