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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Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA) 2015

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"The annual SIMA Awards champion eye-opening impact films from around the world that inspire activism, compassion and social transformation."

The Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA) is an effort to unearth the stories of independent filmmakers, grassroots change-makers, and humanitarian organisations and to provide a springboard for creative and educational media to inspire social change.

There are 3 categories. In the categories of: Documentary Films (1) Features (40 or more minutes in length) and (2) Shorts (fewer than 40 minutes in length), SIMA is looking for "original, wise, brave, eye-opening and creative productions that increase the awareness of viewers to global injustices, to the resilience of humans facing depravation, to the politics of international development, and to efforts and agents of change worldwide....[SIMA] seek[s] productions that raise important questions about the state of our contemporary world, and inspire people to reflect on the meaning and potential of social activism, social justice and social transformation." Jury Prize winners receive prizes worth up to US$1000 per category. (Click here to view the categories and to submit your films.) Finalists receive entry in the SIMA Collection + Film Programs.

In the category of Impact Videos, SIMA is looking for videos between 3-25 minutes in length that highlight "unique development, social justice and education initiatives whose video productions capture not just what they do, but significantly emphasize HOW they work." Finalists are featured on SIMA's Impact Video Library and Youtube Channel. Jury Prize winners receive prizes worth US$500 per category. (Click here to view the categories and to submit your films.) The SIMA Winners Screening takes place in Los Angeles, California, United States (US) in March 2015.

Application Info

Films must be completed between Jan 2013 and October 2014 to be eligible for entry. Click here for full submission details and to apply. Please note that, while there is no cost associated with submitting an impact video, entries in both of the documentary categories must be accompanied by the appropriate entry fee:

  • Early Bird Deadline (September 8-25 2014): Documentary Features: US$20; Documentary Shorts: US$15
  • Regular Deadline (September 26 - October 9 2014): Documentary Features: US$ 25; Documentary Shorts: US$20
  • Late Deadline (October 10-27): Documentary Features: US$30; Documentary Shorts: US$25
Date
Source

SIMA website on September 11 2014.