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

Time to read
1 minute
Print
a- a+
Published 21 years ago
Last updated 1 year ago
Read so far

Crown Talent Hunt - Ghana

0 comments
Crown Talent Hunt (CTH) is a project of Preserve, a youth non-governmental organization involved in HIV/AIDS preventive programmes. CTH seeks to discover musical talents to intensify the fight against youth problems. The CTH is a musical programme meant to harness the talent of young people and to empower them economically.
Communication Strategies
The project aims to develop youth talent to convey messages to their colleagues. CTH is a musical competition for the youth with any style of music generally accepted by young people, ranging from contemporary to indigenous music (preferably in English because of its international scope). It will be organised at District and Regional levels with National finals in Accra.

The main objectives of the CTH are to:
  • Harness and develop the musical talent of young people;
  • Campaign against youth problems. This is divided into two sections, a compulsory section on premarital sexual abstinence and an optional section on any other youth issue.
  • Involve young people in the campaign as well as to become owners of the campaign;
  • Provide an alternative healthy entertainment program for young people;
  • Promote traditional music and culture as a medium of positively influencing young people in their localities.
The maiden show was held in Ho, the capital of the Volta Region, on the 1st of May 2004. Out of the 24 competitors seven were selected to go for the finals. In the first and second rounds, all the competitors sang songs and performed on pre-marital sexual abstinence, which was the compulsory song. The song must have had the chorus "It would have been a perfect time to wait." In the final round, they sang on other youth issues such as drug abuse, unemployment, teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and more.
Development Issues
Health and Youth.
Key Points
The first round of the competition started with the young people performing mainly hip-life, Hip-hop, R&B, Gospel music and more. These performances were interspersed with featuring of guest artists like Bingi King Bozo, Franke Nero and Akokoraba.

Cultural musical performances were also staged by Kekeli Cultural Troupe, Y3K, Mawuko Girls' Secondary School Artists Club and other groups. The winners were Vanadium, Amingo, Linda Pongo & Friends and Kekeli Cultural Troupe.
Partners

Coca Cola, National Youth Council, National Commission on Culture, EMS, Studio A1, Volta Star Radio, Volta Premier FM, University of Ghana- Music Department and JCL Editions

Sources

Paul Biscoff sent an e-mail to Soul Beat Africa on June 15 2004.