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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HIV Prevention Education for High School Students

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HIV Prevention Education for High School Students is a project designed to address HIV and sexually transmitted infections among high school youth in urban Nigeria by using behaviour change theory. The programme works to address young people's lack of knowledge, to improve sexual health attitudes, and to reduce sexual risk-taking behaviours through education. The project's goal is to encourage delayed initiation of sex and reductions in sexual risk-taking among sexually experienced youth aged 13 to 20.
Communication Strategies

Developed in conjunction with health education experts from the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine at the University of Ibadan, this initiative draws on interpersonal communication conducted within the school setting. It includes six HIV education sessions, implemented in classrooms by a physician and two experienced teachers. Sessions, each lasting two to six hours, occur once each week during six consecutive weeks. To address the differing needs of students, each class level (1, 2 or 3) receives the programme separately.

Using an entertainment-education strategy, the sessions centre on experiential activities, including role-plays, stories, songs, debates, and essays, as well as films and more traditional lectures. The programme also includes a demonstration on the proper use of condoms. During and after the programme’s end, the reproductive health educators continue making themselves available to refer requesting students and teachers to appropriate clinical care services.

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS, Youth.

Sources

Advocates for Youth website on June 8 2005.