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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Reporting War

1 comment

Author

  • Sharon Schmickle

This Dart Society handbook reports that: "Military leaders are beginning to understand that they can boost troops' strength and endurance by responding to combat stress. It’s time for news organizations to do the same." The society is a group of journalists who support sensitive coverage of trauma and care of those covering it. A group of their "seasoned veterans" of war reporting held a meeting in October 2005 where they concurred that journalists who are equipped to care for themselves emotionally can stay in the field longer, deliver more compelling reports, and return home with fewer problems. The group launched a project to help prepare journalists, which culminated in the publication of this handbook.

 

Contents include:

  • Introduction
  • Chapter 1: The Stakes
  • Chapter 2: Getting Ready to Go
  • Chapter 3: During the Assignment
  • Chapter 4: Coming Home
  • Chapter 5: For Editors
  • Chapter 6: For Family & Friends

Publishers

Publication Date
Number of Pages

36

Source

Dart Center website, August 11 2010.

Comments

Submitted by EugeneOmolo on Mon, 08/16/2010 - 06:55 Permalink

During conflicts and disasters, as journalists, the world (and even ourselves) expects us
to carry out our work like machines and detatch ourselves from the devastation that surrounds us. We are made and encouraged in some journalism schools to shed our humanity for the sake of our calling. But the truth is most uf us cannot.
Kenya has not had that much in terms of mass conflict or disaster. Thus during the violence that broke out following the disputed results of the general election in December 2007, a number of journalists could not cope with the sheer magnitude of the atrocities.
Luckily, for those who covered the violent "hot-spots" and returned traumatised, a support group was formed to cater for post-traumatic stress counselling on a peer-to-peer format as well as from professional counsellors.
I feel that Sharon Schmickle's handbook is of great import and comes at a great time.

Eugene Omolo
Ag.Communications Coordinator
Kenya Young Greens
+254 722 989 044
eugeneomolo@gmail.com
www.kenyayounggreeens.org