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. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com. 

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

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Our Time

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Our Time is a youth-oriented television talk show that aims to give youth an opportunity to express themselves and inform themselves. Broadcast since 1997 on Africa Independent Television (AIT), the programme aims to motivate and inspire youth to become potential life changers and to affect one another positively. It encourages young people to campaign for peace in the world and against HIV/AIDS by creating awareness and publicity that AIDS is real.
Communication Strategies
Project organisers believe that the only effective medium to reach out to young people is a television programme that is designed especially for them. The youth-generated television programme is designed to foster discussion: "Our Time is packaged and designed for the youth to discuss and proffer solutions to every social issue affecting their lives. The discussions are drawn from the youth themselves. The programme gives the youth a chance to discuss issues like HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancy, unemployment, ICT, gender equity, child abuse, drug abuse, child trafficking, violence and leadership. The programme also discusses relevant and practical solutions to the issues."

Interpersonal communication in the form of youth workshops is another programme activity. Since 2002, organisers have held three workshops for youth. The annual workshops are strategically fixed for February 14th to mark Valentine's Day. "We have been able to reach out to thousands of youths and also affect their lives positively through our programme on television and these workshops."
Development Issues
Children, HIV/AIDS, Rights, Youth.
Key Points
The youth-led programme aims to give a voice to voiceless youth and to youth-led organisations. It aims to create awareness and publicity about those youth programmes and activities that inspire, motivate, and empower youth to become nationbuilders - using media. The vision is "A youth programme that will inspire, inform and equally engineer their minds towards channeling their energy into positive things rather than negative things."
Sources

Email from Rotimi Oke to Soul Beat Africa on June 10 2004.