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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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Arts For Global Development Network (Art4Development.Net)

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Arts For Global Development Network (Art4Development.Net) is an online voluntary initiative that works to further interdisciplinary, multisectoral, and creative approaches to social change worldwide. Based in the United States, the initiative uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) as a tool to promote awareness and form a worldwide network whose mission is to mobilise the creative sector and stakeholders of development to together empower socially and economically disadvantaged individuals and communities, particularly children, youth, and women. Art in any form (fine arts, performing arts, digital art) is the medium here for "tackling challenges in the development field and transforming societies into more socially conscious, tolerant, responsible, and creatively active groups of people."
Communication Strategies

Arts For Global Development Network (Art4Development.Net) undertakes the following:

  • Promoting awareness of an interdisciplinary approach in development - a more "creative approach" for constructive change for the younger and underprivileged people of the world
  • Forming a worldwide network of arts and development advocates (artists, artisans, independent consultants, non-governmental
    organisations, national and multilateral development agencies, corporate entities, galleries, arts councils, museums)
  • Providing information about the creative sector and its role in the development field
  • Co-developing socio-economic, educational, and arts-infused projects in an effort to increase the practice of arts in the social change process, particularly in third-sector-support and corporate social/societal responsibility programmes

The Art4Development.Net website (in English and Turkish languages) is used to construct and sustain a database that constitutes the network referenced above. This website is also designed to serve as a marketplace for creative social enterprises, allowing website visitors and e-community participants to find related data and to contribute content. That is, ICTs are used to provide a global learning opportunity on the application of art to various development topics. Some of the organisation's specific online projects include:

  • E-Community: interested individuals and
    organisations from 80 countries, as of this writing, representing each continent. This interactive forum provides digests on arts and development issues,
    such as arts in community development, health, conflict resolution, prevention of HIV/AIDs, gender empowerment, youth, and poverty reduction
  • Events Center: lists arts and development events information worldwide
  • Knowledge Center: a resource bank that contains
    publications, working papers, research, best practices, articles, and reports
  • Message Board for Funding: fund seekers may use this tool to announce their project needs.

Art4Development.Net volunteers also provide organisational and project development and management consultancy services for nonprofit
organisations in education and arts, organise social marketing activities, design artwork and collaterals, and work on social responsibility programmes. The group's field projects/services are, as of this writing, being conducted in Turkey. They include supporting non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in becoming sustainble social enterprises; providing assistance in a primary education programme for children between the ages of 6 and 14 in rural areas; helping set up an arts centre in Istanbul; and organising a travelling arts exhibition.

Many of the organisation's activities are carried out online. For instance, Art4Development.Net sets up web pages for arts and development activists who otherwise do not have web presence in an effort to help them increase their global visibility. The group also organised an online awareness-creation campaign on volunteerism called "How Voluntary is Turkey?". Volunteerism is a (re)emerging phenomenon in Turkey; the organisation sought to study the profile of active volunteers and advocates, facilitate the flow of information on volunteerism, and give a voice to volunteers seeking to share their stories with the rest of the local as well as global community. Launched on December 5 2003 to highlight the United Nations' International Volunteer Day, the project included an online questionnaire that and the creation of a report [PDF] addressing volunteerism, ICT, and development.

Development Issues

Economic Development, Children, Youth, Technology, Women, Political Development.

Sources

Emails from Nil S. Navaie to The Communication Initiative on July 8 2002 and November 9 2004.

Comments

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 11/30/1999 - 00:00 Permalink

Very interesting, inspiring work! Congratulations to the concept creators! A great idea for Public Relations professionals to sell to their clients who are planning to undertake Corporate Social Responsibility Projects