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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ARYI-TIG-AIESEC internship program – South Africa

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ARYI-TIG-AIESEC internship program is a six-month South African pilot project that will start in December 2004. The programme would then be fully implemented in other countries in Africa. The internship opportunities will serve to foster international cooperation, cross-cultural understanding and youth leadership.
Communication Strategies
The internship programme is a joint project of the African Regional Youth Initiative (ARYI), TakingITGlobal (TIG) and AIESEC (whose name originates from "Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales"). The pilot programme will consist of foreign and local volunteers, who will work with local organisations to gain first-hand experience about working at the community level. This programme also has added components, including engaging in youth policy work and leadership training in order to build the capacity of youth to lead activities in their communities and to bring about positive change.

The programme would have an information communication technology (ICT) component, as it will use an electronic platform provided by the TakingITGlobal (TIG) HIV/AIDS Program. In addition to working within organisations, interns will have the opportunity to gain leadership skills through the implementation of forums that address pressing issues within the community.

The internship programme will also continue the work of the Youth Policy Group (YPG), a group that was established in May 2004 by ARYI and is operating in eight African countries. The mission of the YPG is to inform, inspire, and mobilise African youth in order to: bridge the gap between policy and its implementation and promote reproductive health policies and programmes in Africa.
Development Issues
Youth
Key Points
The project aims to implement the internship programmes across the continent with over a hundred youth organisations in Africa addressing HIV/AIDS.
Partners

African Regional Youth Initiative (ARYI), TakingITGlobal HIV/AIDS Program (TIG), AIESEC International

Sources

Janet Feldman sent an e-mail to Soul Beat Africa on on August 26 2004.