Social norms 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.
 
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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RealityTrek!'s Make It Fair!

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Founded by a young university student in Australia, RealityTrek! Resources is a company running the project "Make It Fair!", which is designed to inform young people about social justice and human rights/equality issues such as HIV/AIDS, human trafficking, humanitarian aid, landmines, poverty and unequal distribution of resources, child slavery and soldiery, fair trade, and others. It is designed for late-primary- and high-school-aged students.
Communication Strategies

Make it Fair! is intended to be fun and interactive, wherein light-hearted games are played to teach the concepts and accommodate different learning styles while teaching difficult topics. There is a 45 minute seminar/introduction session, a half-day session, or a full-day session to choose from. Participants are encouraged at the end of all the options to start to formulate their own opinions and to actively participate in the RealityTrek! Canvas, where ideas about how they plan to make change in the world and what they learned from the sessions are hung in a public place to remind them and others of their commitments.

Twenty percent of the presenter's fee goes toward a charity which helps out in one of the areas talked about within the programme.

Development Issues

Social Justice, Rights, Fair Trade.

Key Points

As of this writing, RealityTrek! Resources is in the process of producing other resources such as books and board games (which are in the design stage). Other goals for expansion include: a business which will allow passionate students from the Make It Fair! programme the opportunity to visit local businesses and help them become fair trade. This business will also allow other businesses to purchase fair trade products through the company. Proceeds from this business would allow students from Make It Fair! to attend RealityTrek! trips to developing countries, where they could immerse themselves in local cultures while working on community/building projects. It is expected that the first group of students will be visiting East Timor later in 2010.

RealityTrek! Resources would also like to do a television series or documentary showing the "other side" of developing countries, the issues and inequalities that are not revealed on the glamorised tourism and travel shows. The goal would be an "in your face" guide to travel that might encourage people to do volunteer work through their travels.

Finally, RealityTrek! Resources hopes to build a developing village school/leadership camp.

Sources

Email from Nathan Fletcher to The Communication Initiative on April 19 2010; and RealityTrek! Resources website, May 6 2010.