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.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Sesame Street Road Safety Campaign

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In an effort to make the world's roads safe for children and their families, Sesame Workshop developed a series of public service announcements (PSAs) as part of its membership in the Global Road Safety Partnership. These PSAs feature Sesame Street's furry blue Muppet Grover, who has been named the Global Road Safety Ambassador in support of the United Nations (UN)'s Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020). The PSAs, developed in partnership with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) Foundation, were broadcast on stations throughout the world starting on May 11 2011 to kick off the global launch of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. The objectives of the Sesame Street Road Safety Campaign are to:

  • help children understand that vehicles are complex and technical things that need skill, caution, and preparation to ride in them and be around them;
  • build in children an "I can" attitude toward this positive mindset and behaviour;
  • develop a sense of respect for the car and the road and help children engage in their use with deliberate responsibility (rather than casual acceptance);
  • empower children to take action in communicating this positive and proactive attitude to their family and friends; and
  • make the safe use of cars and roads a priority and a shared family experience.
Communication Strategies

In these PSAs, part of an entertainment-education strategy to reach children and their parents, Grover sports the yellow UN Decade of Road Safety tag to help raise awareness about the dangers that children confront on the roads and to promote safe road practices. The nonverbal PSAs feature an animated Grover in different scenarios shown buckling up or putting on a helmet, and then giving a thumbs up - the universally used symbol by pilots, astronauts, race-car drivers, etc. to denote readiness, preparedness, and "all-systems go". The 3 PSAs, animated by LA-based Rubicon Studios, will be distributed to broadcasters in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

 

In addition to the PSAs, Sesame Workshop and the Global Road Safety Partnership jointly developed a Road Safety Education Framework intended as a practical guide for Road Safety educators, parents, and practitioners who are developing content, educational materials, and communication strategies to help children better understand the risks associated with travel on or near the roads. Click here to access a page from which you can download the Education Framework.

Development Issues

Children, Health.

Partners

Sesame Workshop, Rubicon Studios, FIA Foundation, Global Road Safety Partnership.

Sources

Emails from Robert Kneževic and Sabrina Huda to The Communication Initiative on May 7 2011 and July 29 2011, respectively; Sesame Workshop website, October 24 2011; and email from Sabrina Huda to The Communication Initiative on February 17 2012.