Development action with informed and engaged societies

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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Why Does Technology Matter For Youth?

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"Community Technology Programs Deliver Opportunities to Youth" is an 8:46 minute video in which young people help tell the story of why access to quality technology and training matters to their future. The video covers health improvement, educational achievement, workforce training and civic engagement of young people through the use of information and communications technology.


It includes student and professional comment on topics such as:

  • Why technology training is important - using an interview of a former gang member who turned his graffiti art into computer-assisted graphic design skills;
  • how technology training enables youth civic participation - using the example of a student who made video interviews on housing issues in her neighbourhood and teamed with a local representative to advocate for improvements;
  • how technology training enables workforce participation - using the example of increased high school graduation and college entrance rates of students with technology access and training;
  • how technology training improves education for youth - using the example of students who make video reports or format documents using computers; and
  • how technology can bring better healthcare to children and youth - using the example of video conferencing between a medical specialist and a teen patient, doctor, and parent.



It gives advocacy information for increased access to technologies and technology-related healthcare for children and youth.
It is produced by the youth of the Bresee Foundation together with The Children's Partnership ©2007. Additional copies are available by contacting The Children's Partnership, through the contact information below.

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