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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Ambassadors of Europe

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In August 2004, the Center for Partnership and Equality (CPE), a Romanian non-profit organisation committed to mainstreaming the principle of equal opportunities for women and men into public policies and associated practices, launched the Ambassadors of Europe civic education project. Young people were recruited and trained to act as Ambassadors of Europe. With the support of coordinating teachers, they developed information and education activities to increase knowledge and encourage discussion around the roles and status of women and men, in both Romania and the European Union (EU). The project was developed to help prepare teenagers to facilitate adapting to the Romanian integration into the EU. It also sought to contribute gender awareness and reduce discrimination based on gender.
Communication Strategies
The project was implemented with the participation of young people between 14 and 20 years old as the key implementers of the information and education campaigns. A group was formed of 120 teenagers from 6 Moldavia cities - Suceava, Iasi, Bacau, Vaslui, Focsani, Tecuci - supported by 6 coordinating teachers. This group was trained to serve as community facilitators, and be the "Ambassadors of Europe." These young people learned about campaign techniques and received information about the role and status of women and men from the EU member and candidates countries, in different life situations comparative with EU legislation and standards. They then developed information campaigns designed to educate their peers about the issues.

Resource materials were created to help support the community facilitators as they developed the information and education campaigns. Resource materials were also created to help provide background information about gender equality in Romania comparative with EU.

Another element to the Project was a contest, held between January 30 and April 15 2005, that aimed to develop youth communication and team work abilities. The participants formed teams of 3 members and developed public campaigns for promoting the equal opportunities for women and men into their communities.
Key Points
The primary beneficiaries were considered to be the 120 young people and 6 teachers that implemented the project. It is estimated that a further 1500 teenagers and 30 teachers from Suceava, Iasi, Bacau, Vaslui, Focsani, Tecuci high schools benefited form the information campaigns. The project is also estimated to have reached local authorities and institutions for teenagers’ representatives; pupils and teachers from 11 Bucharest high schools with European Information Points; and decision makers from 6 School Counties Inspectorates.
Partners

Center for Partnership and Equality (CPE), School Counties Inspectorates from Suceava, Iasi, Bacau, Vaslui, Focsani, Tecuci counties, financed by the European Union through Phare for Micro-Projects Program - Europe Fund and Open Society Foundation Romania.

Sources

Email from Diana Calenic to The Communication Initiative September 14 2005.