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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Horizon Jeunes

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Horizon Jeunes was an adolescent reproductive health programme that aimed to increase adolescents' awareness and use of preventive behaviours and sexual health products and services in Cameroon. The programme aimed to encourage adolescents to delay the initiation of sex and to use condoms to prevent HIV and sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) when they do choose to initiate sex. The project was designed to reach in- and out-of-school urban youth aged 12 to 22. The ultimate goal was to encourage Cameroonian youth to either delay the initiation of sex or to reduce sexual risk-taking behaviours (among sexually experienced youth).
Communication Strategies

The programme included peer educators, trained in the techniques of social marketing and of interpersonal communication to promote behaviour change. Peer educators functioned as mobile distributors of the "Prudence Plus" brand of condoms promoted in the nationwide social marketing campaign.

The project sought to educate youth about the availability of the condoms and oral contraceptives and worked to increase providers' willingness to serve unmarried young women. Peer educators led in the creation of school-based youth clubs that distributed project materials to club members.

Radio spots advertised events organised by Horizon Jeunes and also carried informative commercials with sexual health information for youth. Talk shows addressed sexual health topics of interest to youth including HIV/AIDS, STIs, unwanted pregnancy, abstinence, fidelity, condom use, and parent-child communication about sexuality.

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS, Youth, Health.

Teaser Image
http://www.infoforhealth.org/pr/j50/centerb.jpg