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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Sexual Health Information and Services for Youth

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The Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research carried out a comprehensive sexual health programme for unmarried youth (ages 15 to 24) in an effort to increase the sexual health information and services available to young people, both in- and out-of-school, living in urban areas of China. The project seeks to involve adult community members as well as young people in learning about sexual risk reduction, abstinence, and use of condoms and other contraception.
Communication Strategies

Following a period of preparatory work (face-to-face meetings) with community leaders and parents to ensure adults' support of sexual health information and services for the community's unmarried youth, a programme was developed that includes the following components:

  • Community-based sexual health counselling and contraceptive services at a youth health counselling centre, staffed by a trained young counsellor. The centre offers a reading room with sexual health information. Leaflets and bulletins in the community inform youth of the youth centre's counselling and contraceptive services.
  • Sex education through youth-focused printed pamphlets on physiology and reproduction, sexual responsibility (including abstinence), relationships, love, marriage and family, responsible and safer sex, contraception and condom use, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.
  • Lectures by an educator and 36 short presentations on sexual health issues, followed by discussion sessions for youth who are in relationships or dating.
  • Group activities, including interactive discussion, on sexual health issues.
  • Contraceptives and condoms made available free of charge to young people. These contraceptive methods as well as free pregnancy test kits are available to youth through the network of family planning service providers, the youth health counselling centre, and the activity discussion groups. (Youth receive information on where and how to access these supplies.)
  • Three sexual health videos, shown at local cinemas prior to popular movies.
  • Training for family planning providers in provision of youth-friendly services, such as providing counselling, being nonjudgmental and friendly, and assuring adolescents' confidentiality.
Development Issues

Youth, Reproductive and Sexual Health, HIV/AIDS.

Key Points

An evaluation study conducted in 2000 found that the initiative increased partner communication about use of contraception, increased use of contraception, and increased use of condoms.

Sources

Sue Alford, MLS, Nicole Cheetham, MHS, and Debra Hauser, MPH, "Science and Success in Developing Countries: Holistic Programs that Work to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, HIV & Sexually Transmitted Infections" [PDF] (Advocates for Youth, 2005).