Media development action with informed and engaged societies

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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Transformational Process

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[1] Adapted from Delaney et al.
"The Transformational process, includes building human, cultural, and social capital through strategies devolving around the elements of transformation viz., gender role transformation, transformation of groups with specific vulnerabilities, social and economic empowerment, environmental management, and local capacity building. With this approach development will be sustainable especially when all players (including the state, private enterprise, non-governmental organisations, and community based organisations) come together for a public-private participation."


[2] "Transformational learning is defined as learning that induces more far-reaching change in the learner than other kinds of learning, especially learning experiences which shape the learner and produce a significant impact, or paradigm shift, which affects the learner's subsequent experiences."

"Transformational learning often includes new realizations pertaining to one's belief and value system and shifts in meaning of experiences. It can be personal, deep and enduring. Frequently [people] encounter new concepts and behaviors which render obsolete their old ways of thinking and doing. For example, many people regard illness, pain, or disease as simply a problem to be conquered, defeated, and vanquished from their life. Transformation of that belief may lead to a new view of illness and symptoms as information from the body, as a "wake-up" call to instigate healthy lifestyle changes; as a signal that they are undergoing emotional, physical or spiritual drains on their life force, or that their own negativity, stress and absorption in their personal problems may be contributors to the development of disease and the perpetuation of symptoms. Another example would be the realization that past traumas or other disadvantageous or dysfunctional experiences can be interpreted as learning experiences, removing the individual from the privilege of being a victim and launching him into a new identity of self-empowerment and personal responsibility."
Source
[1] Gauthamadas, U. "Social transformation of the tsunami affected fishing community: The concept and the need", Academy for Disaster Management Education Planning and Training,(ADEPT), pps 6-7. Retreived June 6 2007. [top]
[2] Cooper, Sunny. "Transformational Learning", November, 2001. No longer available online. [top]