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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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Voces Moviles (VozMob) - Mobile Voices

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On this digital/mobile platform, young and adult Latino immigrant workers in Los Angeles, California, United States (US), can create stories about their lives and communities directly from a cell phone. Vozmob appropriates technology to promote popular communication. This initiative began as a collaboration between the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California (ASC & J, USC), the Institute of Popular Education of Southern California (IDEPSCA), and the Popular Communication team of Day Laborers and Household Workers to design the system, analyse stories, develop shared knowledge, and create training materials [PDF format].

Communication Strategies

The platform is based on the Drupal content management system using a free software that can display video, audio, and text, designed with the idea that those with limited or no access to computers can tell their own stories and gain more participation in the public digital sphere.

 

Through various digital tools, VozMob provides an online publishing location to capture stories directly from mobile phones. It includes a system of multimedia messages (MMS). It includes audio, photo, video, blogs, a news feed and a day labourers newsfeed, and an urgent action posting page.

 

Periodically, a team analyses the multimedia stories, develops and shares knowledge, works on the system design, and creates training tools to promote the content management system.

Development Issues

Youth, Rights, Mobile Populations.

Key Points

From the idea of making digital media accessible for low wage and migrant workers, organisers have incorporated volunteers and staff from IDEPSCA, students and professors from ASC & J, and programmers and media activists to give voice to those who have traditionally been "estadosilenciadas/os" - in a state of silence or silenced by the state. Organisations that joined with support for assessment, development of teaching tools, or technical support include: Macarthur/HASTAC (alliance of humanists, artists, social scientists, scientists and technologists) Digital Media and Learning Competition, Nokia, Social Science Research Council, Annenberg Innovation Lab, Annenberg Program on Online Communities, and Netsquared Mobile Challenge.

Partners

Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California (ASC&J), the Institute of Popular Education of Southern California (IDEPSCA), the Popular Communication team of Day Laborers and Household Workers, Los Angeles Community Action Network (LACAN)

Sources

VozMob website, March 26 2015.