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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It Gets Better

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"Many LGBT youth can't picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults. They can't imagine a future for themselves. So let's show them what our lives are like, let's show them what the future may hold in store for them." This is the inspiration for the It Gets Better project, which was created to show young lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the United States the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives can reach - if they can just get through their teen years. In September 2010, syndicated columnist and author Dan Savage created a YouTube video with his partner Terry Miller to inspire hope for young people facing harassment. In response to a number of students committing suicide after being bullied in school, they wanted to create a personal way for supporters everywhere to tell LGBT youth: yes, it does indeed get better. The project has turned into a worldwide movement, inspiring more than 50,000 user-created videos viewed more than 50 million times.

Communication Strategies

This advocacy project revolves around the use of video, the internet, and social networking to spark communication on the part of anyone seeking to stand up for the rights of - and stand by - LGBT youth. Visitors to the It Gets Better website sign a pledge that reads: "Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I'll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work. I'll provide hope for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and other bullied teens by letting them know that 'It Gets Better'." They can also submit and watch videos. To date, the project has received submissions from celebrities, organisations, activists, politicians, and media personalities. Organisers say: "For us, every video changes a life. It doesn't matter who makes it."

 

The It Gets Better website also features links to various resources and places where young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender can seek help, such as through: (i) the Trevor Project, which works to end suicide among LGBT youth by providing resources including a nationwide, 24/7 crisis intervention lifeline, digital community, and advocacy/educational programmes; and (ii) GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), a national education organisation working to: convince education leaders and policymakers of the need to address anti-LGBT behaviour and bias in schools; protect students by advancing safe schools law and policies; empower principals to make their schools safe places to learn; and build the skills of educators to teach respect for all people.

 

On March 22 2011, It Gets Better released a book, It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living. It includes essays and new material from more than 100 contributors; all proceeds from the book will be donated to LGBT youth charities.

Development Issues

Rights, Youth.

Key Points

The failure to address and prevent bullying and harassment against LGBT violates Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in schools on the basis of a student's sex, including his or her failure to conform to stereotypical notions about gender.

 

It Gets Better can also be accessed on: YouTube, Facebook, and via the Twitter hashtag @itgetsbetter

Sources

It Gets Better website, January 25 2012 and June 19 2012; and "The Civil Rights Division Releases Anti-Bullying Video as Part of National 'It Gets Better' Project", by Tracy Russo, December 9 2010, The United States Department of Justice website, accessed January 25 2012.