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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Macedonia Project - Macedonia and North America

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In 1994, the Search for Common Ground Macedonia (SCGM) began work in Macedonia to strengthen interethnic relations and help prevent violence. The educational projects and media initiatives implemented since that time have been designed to decrease levels of tension and encourage people to engage in creative problem solving in a very tense context.
Communication Strategies
  • The Balkans Forum - brings together academics, activists, policy makers, and practitioners for monthly discussions on U.S. policy in the Balkans.
  • Nashe Maalo - this children's television programme works to promote intercultural understanding and to foster conflict-resolution skills. Click here to view a programme description of Nashe Maalo and data on its impact.
  • Conflict Resolution Games and Video Dialogues in Kosovo - designed to help kids identify what conflict is, how conflicts grow, and how conflicts can be resolved. Operates in nearly 100 schools and involves a curriculum of games.
  • Video Bridges - young filmmakers (two Kosovar Albanians, two Macedonians, one Macedonian Albanian, one Roma (Gypsy), and one Serb) completed six documentaries depicting the experience of the war in Kosovo from the ethnic and cultural perspective of each filmmaker.
  • A Diaspora Dialogue - aims to foster cross-cultural dialogue and to encourage Macedonian and Albanian nationals from Macedonia in the United States and Canada to play a positive role in promoting inter-ethnic tolerance in Macedonia. Discussions have been held in the U.S. with academic and professional experts, as well as between Macedonian Americans and Albanian Americans from Macedonia within their respective communities.
  • Bridges for the New Balkans: Regional Media Project - aims to promote television, print media, and radio as means to illustrate the interdependence of the Balkan peoples while recognising their differences. This programme spans Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Montenegro, Serbia, and Kosovo. Multi-ethnic Forum, a local magazine aimed at establishing communication bridges between different ethnic communities in Macedonia, was launched in 2000. Another magazine, called Karavan, is designed to improve communication among the people and between Balkan countries.
  • Newspaper Supplements - printed in Macedonian, Albanian, and English, they feature stories from top journalists in Macedonia representing a range of ethnic backgrounds and providing a variety of viewpoints.
  • Balkans Forum on the Hill - event held three times a year in Washington, DC, USA to stimulate constructive bi-partisan dialogue among congressional members and staff on events and policy in Southeast Europe.
  • Interethnic Kindergartens (Mozaik) - involves six separate interethnic kindergartens for children 4-6 years old.
Development Issues
Conflict, Children.
Key Points
In 1999, the efforts of this programme were put to the test when war erupted in neighbouring Kosovo. Nearly 400,000 refugees poured across the border, exacerbating ethnic tensions. According to programme organisers, many people claimed that these projects helped them weather the crisis.
Partners

SCGM, Search for Common Ground (SFCG), Common Ground Productions (CGP), Ethnic Conflict Resolution Project, the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs.

Sources

Macedonia Project page on SFCG site.