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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Getting the Message: Making the Biodiversity-Sprawl Connection

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Author

  • Karen Bassler
  • Karen Bassler
The Biodiversity Project produced this message kit as "a resource and springboard for outreach by non-profit organisations on issues related to biodiversity and sprawl" [the build-up of natural areas for human use]. The kit, now out of print (2009), contained two sections: fact sheets that include information about biodiversity and how it relates to sprawl, and a section of communications tips and specific recommendations for talking about sprawl and related issues. The fact sheets were designed to stand alone, so that they can be copied and given to journalists, public leaders and other interested parties for concise background information on biodiversity and sprawl. The communications sheets were designed for internal use by smart growth advocates, to help... develop and refine more effective and powerful communications strategies and messages.

The kit included the following sections listed below:

  1. Introduction
  2. Fact Sheets
    • Biodiversity Is…
    • Personal Actions to Help Preserve Biodiversity
    • Sprawl Is…
    • Tools and Measures that Can Help Curb Sprawl
    • Habitat Loss at a Glance
    • Air and Water Impacts at a Glance
    • Farmland Loss at a Glance
    • Open Space Loss at a Glance
    • Community Impacts at a Glance
    • Human Health Threats at a Glance
    • Economic Costs at a Glance


  3. Communications Sheets
    • Crafting a Communications Strategy
    • Getting the Message Out: Pathways to the Public
    • Talking about Biodiversity
    • Talking about Sprawl: Key Messages
    • The Words We Use
    • Talking about the Solutions
    • Responding to Common Concerns
    • Finding the Right Messenger
    • Lessons from the Field


  4. Resources
    • Smart Growth/Anti-Sprawl Ads
    • Biodiversity Ads
    • Biodiversity Slogan and Logo
    • Glossary

As a resource for those using the kit, the Biodiversity Project and Green Team Advertising produced a series of ads on biodiversity, sprawl, and smart growth that incorporate the sprawl and biodiversity messages in poster format and logos, available here. These ads cannot be used without the express permission of the Biodiversity Project. For permission, please contact the organisation at project@biodiverse.org

Publishers

Source

Biodiversity Project website on September 17 2007 and January 9 2009.