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Communication for Social Change Consortium
The CFSC Consortium is a nonprofit organization working globally to help people living in poor communities lift their voices, stories, ideas, and beliefs in order to influence the change they need in their societies and in their lives.
Founded in early 2003 as a nonprofit organization, the Consortium builds upon work that began in 1997 at the Rockefeller Foundation as a special grant-making exploration. Since our founding, we have worked through advocacy, research, publications, teaching and training to enhance the practice of communication for development and social change with a special emphasis on participatory approaches such and public and private dialogue leading to community-based decision-making and collective action leading to long-term social change.
We also work directly within and for a number of development and international aid organizations to influence the way communication for development and social change is done.
We have grown into a network of committed practitioners and scholars who believe that communication must be bottom-up (as opposed to top down and externally generated), empowering, and based upon principles of tolerance, equity, justice, and unleashing the voices of the previously unheard.
Among our partner organizations are many of the UN agencies, international NGOs, foundations, international aid organizations and divisions within the World Bank, IADB and universities in the North and South.
We have included on the site many of the CFSC publications, speeches and meeting proceedings generated during the past few years. Soon, the site will become more interactive, with public space for dialogue about critical issues facing communicators.
We want all our visitors to take advantage of the CFSC resources included here, so most documents are available in down-loadable format. The site that you are visiting today will continue to grow, with new entries added weekly. So please remember to come back often.
In the meantime, if you are moved by what you read, you can help us do our work by sending your ideas, suggestions and monetary contributions to:
Communication for Social Change Consortium
2 W Northfield Road, Suite 204B
Livingston, NJ 07039 United States
info@communicationforsocialchange.org
All contributions are tax deductible according to the United States Internal Revenue Service guidelines. We are also a registered charity in the United Kingdom and Wales, charity registration number: 1125636
Thanks for your interest and we look forward to a long-lasting relationship.
Denise Gray-Felder
President and Chief Executive Officer
Communication for Social Change Consortium
Veuillez cliquer ici pour la plaquette du Consortium CFSC en français.
Oprime aquí para el folleto del Consorcio CCS en español.
What's New
CFSC Consortium Announces Leadership Change
The board of directors of the Communication for Social Change® Consortium announced today that Denise Gray-Felder will retire as president and CEO of the Consortium effective 1 March 2014. At that time she will become chief communication officer of the University of Michigan Health System.
Highlights of the Communication for Social Change Consortium’s Leadership
Since its earliest days, the Consortium has focused on changing thinking, practice and the priorities of development programming in many parts of the world, but especially in developing countries. Many influential development agencies, funders and other nonprofit organizations today take for granted that participatory, community-led communication strategies must be an essential part of their work. Over the past two decades, communication for social change proponents have played pivotal roles in advocating for participatory communication and community level storytelling, ownership and advocacy.
Message from CFSC Consortium on the occasion of World Radio Day 2014
UNICEF Special Event for World Radio Day
Special Event for World Radio Day Thursday 13 February 9:00 am – 11:00 am Kick-off for UNICEF’s 2014 Spotlight series on “C4D Innovations for Equity” Spotlight:“Innovations in the Use of Radio in Achieving Results for Women and Children”
Nelson Mandela: Warrior for Justice
The Board and Staff of the Communication for Social Change Consortium join the world in celebrating the life and contributions of President Nelson Mandela. A widely celebrated warrior for human rights, Madiba was among the best role models for our children – a model of personal commitment to all that is just and right. His intelligence, charisma, love of all people, and kindness inspires us to continue in his footsteps – as the struggle for social change to benefit all people continues, worldwide.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to President Mandela’s family and to his fellow South Africans, for whom he dedicated his life
CFSC Anthology - Kindle Version Now Available
For convenient reading anywhere.
We are excited to announce that the Kindle version of our CFSC Anthology is now available on Amazon.
"Democracy and Anti-Corruption in Africa"
"Democracy and Anti-Corruption in Africa," an article by John G. Ikubaje, was published originally in the 6th volume of The Ugandan Journal of Management and Public Policy Studies, August 2013 issue and is reprinted here. The opinions expressed in this paper are by no means associated with the African Union but are strictly those of the author. In the current issue of The Ugandan Journal of Management and Policy Studies (August 2013), John G. Ikubaje, reviews democratization efforts and anti-corruption policies in Rwanda and Kenya for lessons that can be learned about Africa in general. He concludes that for anti-corruption policies and democratization efforts to be successful a greater emphasis must be put on popular participation by African citizens. John G. Ikubaje is a governance and development expert at the African Union Commission. He holds degrees from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) of the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom and the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.Formerly, Ikubaje has worked as the pioneer senior governance officer for the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption, and as governance and public administration officer in the AU’s Department of Political Affairs. He has been published in several international journals and is well quoted on issues of governance and development beyond the African continent.
CFSC Water and Sanitation Efforts in Pigu, Ghana
The CFSC Consortium is committed to helping provide sustainable sources of clean water and reliable sanitaition to people living in poverty in Africa. We have worked on water and sanitation efforts in Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Ghana.
Launch of the African Shared Values website
We are pleased to announce that as of December 1, 2012, the African Shared Values website is now live!
View our Photo Gallery
Take a look at our Photo Gallery and see what the Consortium is doing on-the-ground with its partners.
Public Conversation DVD Now Available
The Communication for Social Change Consortium has launched a new DVD on how to conduct public conversations on sensitive issues particularly around the subject of AIDS, how communities address stigma, youth engagement, and people who engage in behavior that makes them vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. We have compiled diverse examples from public conversations held in Mexico, Cameroon, Senegal, San Francisco, and Jamaica.
This DVD is a great learning tool for facilitators who want to explore public conversations as a way to build the communication capacity of stakeholders. It has been featured in the Soul Beat Africa section of the Communication Initiative website due to its relevance to the African context. The Public Conversations DVD includes tips on how to organize, facilitate the activity effectively and suggestions on how to follow through.
Future Connect: A Review of Social Networking Today, Tomorrow and Beyond, and Challenges for AIDS Communicators
Social networking sites and services (SNS) are radically changing the communication landscape. Development organizations and communicators must understand and use online social networking if they are to influence and effectively communicate with young people about social issues like AIDS. The report "Future Connect: A Review of Social Networking Today, Tomorrow and Beyond, and Challenges for AIDS Communicators," produced by the Communication Working Group of aids2031, discusses how youth are actively engaging with SNS and strategies on how to tap into digital technologies. The "Future Connect" report also recommends how HIV AIDS communicators can use the learning to productively engage young people based on insights gathered from SNS research, experiments, and case study observations from across the globe.
Positive Reviews for the CFSC Anthology
This month, we feature two reviews of the Spanish edition of the CFSC Anthology: Historical and Contemporary Readings. Click here to read the critical evaluation of Prof. Amparo Cadavid Bringe from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, Colombia which was published in Signo y Pensamiento and that of Morelis Gonzalo which appeared in Humania del Sur. The Antologia continues to receive positive reviews in various book launches in Latin America. Visit our site regularly to read other articles featuring this book.
Communication For Social Change Anthology: Historical and Contemporary Readings
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| English Version | Spanish Version |
This groundbreaking book brings together a broad variety of views and features more than 150 key thinkers throughout the world. Edited by Alfonso Gumucio-Dagron and Thomas Tufte, the anthology reviews the evolution of communication for social change thinking from the early 20th century to the present. With more than 1,000 pages, this reference work is essential for communication and development experts as well as for anyone conducting business globally.