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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Reaching Youth Worldwide: Part III - JHU/CCP Programmes - Near East

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Part III - JHU/CCP Programmes
NEAR EAST

Egypt - Live a Healthy Life
(2000 - ongoing)

What it is: As part of the Population/Family Planning IV Project, JHU/CCP provides technical assistance to the Live a Healthy Life youth communication campaign. The campaign, which began in 2000, is being implemented by Egypt's State Information Services (SIS) Center. The intended audiences for the campaign are young married and unmarried men and women aged 15 to 215. The campaign focuses on youth with messages about pre-marital check-ups, the importance of child spacing, the equal value of female and male children, and the need for attention to reproductive health.

How it works: Using TV advertising, print materials, and community events, the campaign aims to increase the readiness of young unmarried people for successful, healthy family life in the future. Among married couples, the campaign focuses on increasing successful child-spacing practices.

Results/Status: Recognising the importance of the campaign, the Minister of Information took the unprecedented step of directing Egypt TV to air the youth spots on all eight TV channels through Ramadan, a time when viewership is at its highest and special programming and premium-rate commercials take precedence. By airing the spots for free during this time, SIS reports an equivalent value of almost U.S. $3 million in cost leveraging. In March 2001, JHU/CCP sponsored a two-day national public relations event, which included a concert with a celebrity singer, press conference, pre-conference publicity, TV and radio coverage, co-promotion of public and private reproductive health and family planning services, and a launch conference.

Jordan - We Plan for Our Future
(2000 - ongoing)

What it is: Working with the National Population Commission/General Secretariat (NPC/GS), JHU/PCS designed a youth-to-youth project for married and unmarried young men and women aged 15 to 24 with activities and messages tailored toward each group. The project aims to give youth information and skills in life planning, reproductive health, and family planning to help them make informed decisions in the future.

How it works: The youth campaign uses an integrated communication approach with a TV variety show, Youth 21, as its centerpiece. Innovative Entertainment-Education radio programmes, interactive theater, TV advertising, and print materials support and reinforce the TV show's objectives and messages. The project creates a network of youth-friendly centers and conducts outreach activities with trained youth and counselors in coordination with governmental and non-governmental organisations. The project provides a safe forum for young people where they can discuss their most pressing issues including physical and psychological maturation and communication with their peers, parents, relatives, and spouses.

Results/Status: JHU/PCS and NPC/GS began broadcasting 15 episodes of the TV variety show in May 2001. A youth contest and six TV spots are expected to maximise audience reach for the campaign messages.