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

Time to read
1 minute
Print
a- a+
Published 13 years ago
Last updated 2 years ago
Read so far

Y Touring Theatre Company

0 comments

"How do you interest anyone in the convolutions of science? How do you explain the ethical dilemmas that affect our daily lives? How do you make exciting drama that is enthralling to watch?..." - Dame Joan Bakewell, patron of Y Touring

Y Touring works in the arena of health, sex education, and science ethics - communicating and interacting via performances that have taken place in settings ranging from theatres, schools, and science venues, to prisons and youth offenders' centres. Y Touring integrates theatre, new media, drama workshops, and educational resources in an effort to enable audiences to explore and debate difficult and sensitive scientific and health-based issues. Established in 1989, Y Touring is an operation of Central YMCA, a United Kingdom (UK)-based organisation. Its audiences are young people and adults.

Communication Strategies

Y Touring uses live performance and other communication tools, including technology tools, in an effort to engage young people emotionally and intellectually with scientific issues that may not be high on their agendas. For instance, the 1995 play, "The Gift", focused on genetic selection. Since then, plays have covered a wide range of topics, such as mental health, clinical trials, and the use of animals in medical research.

 

To explore one Y Touring initiative in depth, "Dayglo" is designed for 14 to 16-year-old students. It aims to explore the issues raised by advances in pharmacogenetics and genetic testing - specifically, the new science of personalising medical treatments according to our genes. The story revolves around Stella, a character who "is desperate to explore what choices are open to her mother Evelyn, who is battling breast cancer - she is eager to fan the flames of hope and have a mother restored to her but the odds are precariously stacked against them." Each performance is followed by a live debate, using electronic voting technology, during which students are encouraged to explore what they think and feel about the issues posed by the play. In addition, Y Touring created an interactive, multimedia flipchart which is designed to be used prior to a live performance of Dayglo in a school or to be used by any teacher looking at advances in medical research in relation to the outcomes of the human genome project - specifically, genetic tests, inherited genetic disorders (sickle cell anaemia and forms of breast cancer), and advances in pharmacogentics. It features interviews with the playwright and the National Health Service (NHS) Chair of Pharmacogenetics. It also contains interactive student activities on breast cancer and the ethical questions posed by advances in pharmacogenetics, genetic screening and testing, and punk music, as well as extensive background notes for teachers.

 

Y Touring's website includes details about all projects/performances, links to resources, and a blog that features a series of essays and interviews with those who have contributed to the company's work.

Development Issues

Health, Youth.

Partners

Funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Sources

Wellcome Trust Summary Annual Review 2011 [PDF]; "Y Touring Theatre Group Celebrates 21 Years", Wellcome Trust, October 28 2010 - accessed September 25 2012. Image: Actress Danielle Calvert in a Y Touring production of Starfish. Credit: RightAsRain on flickr