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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Published 19 years ago
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Swat Youth Front

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Established in 1997, Swat Youth Front (SYF) is a youth-oriented, not-for-profit and non-governmental organisation (NGO) using communication, advocacy, training, and service delivery to foster poverty reduction, gender equity, literacy, youth employment, women's empowerment, and disaster management in Malakand range, North Western Frontier Province (NWFP), Pakistan. SYF works in partnership with community-based, public, and civil society organisations in an effort to:
  • promote socioeconomic empowerment among the underprivileged
  • promote gender awareness and sensitivity
  • narrow gender gaps in education and economic participation
  • promote volunteerism and facilitate employment among youth.
Communication Strategies

Interpersonal approaches are central to SYF's efforts to develop the skills of, and provide opportunities for, children, youth, and women, in particular. For example, in partnership with the Pakistan Literacy Commission, SYF trained 63 women in teaching methodologies and then implemented 63 non-formal schools in various parts of District Swat. SYF also focuses on adult literacy; its Functional Literacy Programme was launched in March 1999 and is designed for working adolescent and adult women in various sectors of the Mingora region. In addition, in February 2000, SYF's Women Skill Development Project (WSDP) was launched with the purpose of enhancing women's skills and creating income opportunities at the local level. Vocational classes have been held and women's saving committees formed. In an effort to protect the environment by encouraging use and reuse of waste household material, SYF has conducted various trainings for women so that they might learn to produce finished products while gaining an income.

To foster women's financial empowerment, SYF has also organised exposure/study tours for students and female entrepreneurs to historical places and the country's industrial cluster. The main purpose of these activities is to identify new channels and markets for the Swati products. SYF has gone beyond such local initiatives by facilitating the participation of several female entrepreneurs in national and international exhibitions in order to get exposure and gain knowledge about how to market their products. The organisation has also developed linkages between these entrepreneurs and raw material suppliers.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are also used as learning and empowerment tools. In order to help overcome youth poverty, SYF has established a Learning Institute For Employment (LIFE) which provides technical trainings in information technology (IT) to economically poor youth of the district. SYF also offers computer classes for women.

SYF has developed various advocacy campaigns, such as in the areas of women's and children's rights and socioeconomic issues. To cite one example, in an effort to increase the general public's awareness of the effects of tobacco use, SYF organised several seminars, workshops, a speech competition, a walk, and rallies and sports tournaments with the help of partner organisations.

Development Issues

Girls, Women, Youth, Education, Literacy, Gender Equity, Economic Development.

Key Points

More than 4,000 students are studying regularly in the schools that SYF set up; recently 504 students (440 girls and 64 boys) successfully passed their primary examinations.

Sources

SYF website.