The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative
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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Lifeskills Global Learning Programme - Global

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As a part of a global internet distant learning programme, the School of Human Genetics and Population Health (SOHGAPH) has initiated a programme to train and network youth in life skills. Young teacher/volunteers, including teenagers and young adults, work to accomplish social change among youth in their own countries. The programme is being conducted primarily through Internet e-forums, but also involves regional and national workshops. The purpose of the programme is to help participants - and, by extension, youth worldwide - protect themselves from drug addiction and unsafe sexual exposures, build strong personalities, develop leadership qualities, and articulate life goals.
Communication Strategies
Youth volunteers need only to know how to read, speak, and write English and their local language. Each of these first-tier volunteers then recruits five more young persons and passes on the same training to them. The recruiting process and training process then continues with the newly trained youth. The training is accomplished through materials sent by email. These materials focus on helping youth gain knowledge about their minds and bodies to the end of helping them develop into better human beings.

Monthly meetings of trainees who are geographically close, and regional training workshops in peer counselling, are also part of the programme.
Development Issues
Youth.
Key Points
To date, volunteers hail from Mexico, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri lanka, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Georgia, Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, Canada, USA, and Australia. Youth from other countries have shown interest. SOHGAPH is seeking local/regional collaborators (to host regional workshops) and young volunteers (especially in Europe).
Sources

SOHGAPH site; and letter sent from Dr. Subidita Chatterjee to The Communication Initiative on May 4, 2002.