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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Lyceum of Arts and Crafts - Brazil

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The Lyceum of Arts and Crafts was founded in 1872 by craftsmen and artists to offer professional training to ex-slaves and their children, educating through art. Today, it is a non-profit self-sustained social enterprise which aims to educate youths through work.
Communication Strategies

It currently has about 250 apprentices, 14-17 yrs., in different Apprentice Programmes (Wood and Furniture, Building Maintenance and Renovation, Video, and Graphic Arts). Apprentices attend classes daily, for a four-hour period, and learn not only technical skills, but more importantly, citizenship and participation. In addition to technical information, activities cover a variety of skills, such as photography, capoeira (an Afro-Brazilian fight-dance), reading workshops and paper recycling workshops. There are also talks, exhibitions, theatre, cinema, and video presentations.
Development Issues

Youth, human rights, child rights, economic stability, education.
Key Points

Lyceum's apprentices are regarded as training professionals, with duties and responsibilities throughout the learning process. Lyceum sells its services and products, thus raising funds to pay staff and apprentices (they earn half a minimum wage during their first year and three-quarters in the following years) and reinvest in its activities. Lyceum's play Look After Me, produced as part of the programme "You Preserve What You Love" in partnership with the Board of Education of the State of Bahia was seen by over 60 thousand people. It received a number of state and national awards. Also, Lyceum's community TV presentations proved to be very powerful communication tools. For a year, they brought to the streets a video wall on which Lyceum production were shown. These focused on community information, culture and entertainment, and featured conservation and environmental issues, interviews with members of local community.
Sources

Material provided by Lyceum of Arts and Crafts to The Communication Initiative.