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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Through the Eyes of Youth Digital Video Project

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In 2002, the African Youth Alliance (AYA) launched a five-year initiative that involves using digital video to record and document various issues of importance to young people. AYA is an adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) and HIV and AIDS prevention initiative aimed at 10-24 year olds in Botswana, Tanzania, Uganda, and Ghana. A project of Program for Appropriate Technologies in Health (PATH), Pathfinder, and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the young participants in AYA are trained to speak with their peers in order to provide baseline information on ASRH issues. The purpose of the programme is to create a tool that can be used for advocacy, interpersonal communications activities, and mass media projects.
Communication Strategies

In each of the four countries in which AYA operates, one week was spent interviewing about 40 youth. From these interviews, eight youth per country were chosen - an even mix of boys and girls, from urban and rural areas. Following their selection, each group received a week of training in interviewing and digital video camera use. Participants then take a week to interview and film their peers from their own viewpoint. They are asked to focus on the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) of their peers on ASRH issues. They are also asked to assess the degree to which young people know about AYA and its interventions.

The footage is then edited into visual products, both for donors and other professionals in the public health field and for internal use in each country.

The eight young video experts that are trained in each country will continue to train other youth in their communities on use of digital video, and will create new projects.

Development Issues

Youth, Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS.

Key Points

The training and filming process will occur again in 2005 to provide a basis for comparison with the results of the 2002 effort.

Partners

AYA is made up of UNFPA, PATH, and Pathfinder. All the young people involved in the project come from local NGOs that are implementing partners in the AYA initiative.

Sources

Letters sent from Teresa Guillien to The Communication Initiative on December 9, 11, and 20, 2002.