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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HIV Prevention for Young People in Developing Countries: Report of a Technical Meeting

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This 32-page meeting report summarises the presentations and discussions at a July 2003 meeting for HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, and youth development experts titled "HIV Prevention for Young People in Developing Countries".

The meeting consisted of plenary presentations followed by question-and-answer sessions, a youth panel, eight smaller 'breakout' discussion groups on specific topics, and a wrap-up and synthesis session. The event was co-sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Institutefor Youth Development, and YouthNet/Family Health International.

From the Introduction:
"Dr. Nancy Williamson, director of the YouthNet program, introduced the day, explaining the dual objectives of the meeting: to share state-of-the art research and programmatic experiences relating to HIV prevention among young people, and to provide an opportunity for dialogue across groups from different academic disciplines and philosophical perspectives on strategies for HIV prevention among youth.

Dr. Anne Peterson, assistant administrator for the USAID Bureau of Global Health, gave a brief backdrop to the scope of the problem: 12 million young people under age 25 infected with HIV. Young people are the key to HIV/AIDS prevention, she said, and the unprecedented attention U.S. President George W. Bush has given this global public health issue offers opportunities to strengthen HIV prevention programs for youth. USAID has moved from an emphasis on condoms to a new, more balanced 'ABC' approach – combining Abstinence, Being faithful or partner reduction, and Condom use. She said she appreciated having so many faith-based organizations at the meeting, since both her personal view as well as that of the administration is that efforts to combat the epidemic cannot succeed without the involvement of these groups.

Shepherd Smith, president of the Institute for Youth Development, put the issue of HIV/AIDS for young people in the broader context of youth avoiding involvement in five types of risky behavior: alcohol, drugs, sex, tobacco, and violence. The earlier a young person participates in any of these behaviors, the more negative the outcomes, he said. The goal is to help young people develop the skills to make better decisions and avoid those risky behaviors."

Click here to download the meeting report in PDF format. The slide presentations also are available for download in PowerPoint format.
Number of Pages

32