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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Next Generation Child Rights TV Series - Macedonia

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Initiated in the Spring 2001, this television programme is a collage of images, interviews, and issues centred on children's rights. A total of 18 episodes will be aired on National Macedonian TV from September 28, 2002 through February, 2003. The episodes involve young people discussing healthy lifestyles and children's rights through a creative journey across FYR Macedonia.
Communication Strategies
A key feature of this TV serial is the participation of young people in the development of the episodes. UNICEF's National Ambassador, hip-hop singer Rade Vrcakovski-Vrcak (a 20-year-old) developed the script together with the hostess of the show (a 19-year-old journalist). Each episode focuses on a different Macedonian city or town: a child presents the features of the city and then the host visits elementary and secondary schools to discuss specific child rights as covered in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The mayor of each city talks about his or her childhood and youth and responds to children's questions about community-based activities for children and youth. A local celebrity is also featured in each episode.
Development Issues
Children, Rights, Youth, Healthy Lifestyles.
Key Points
Throughout the programme, young people are filmed by Digital Video Design (DVD), which is comprised of young media professionals.
Partners

DVD, UNICEF Skopje.

Sources

Letter sent from Irina Ivanovska of UNICEF Skopje to The Communication Initiative on March 15, 2002; and letter sent from Greg Grimsich to The Communication Initiative on September 6, 2002.