Media development action with informed and engaged societies

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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Our Time – Nigeria

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Our Time is a youth-oriented television talk show that aims to give youth an opportunity to express themselves and inform themselves on Africa Independent Television AIT. The programme motivates and inspires youth to become potential life changers and to affect one another positively. It encourages the youth to campaign for peace in the world and against HIV/AIDS by creating awareness and publicity that AIDS is real.
Communication Strategies
Our Time has been on air for over seven years and has also organised three workshops for the youth since 2002. The workshops were strategically fixed for February 14th to mark Valentine's Day. The workshop has since become an annual event. "We have been able to reach out to thousands of youths and also affect their lives positively through our programme on television and these workshops."

The project organisers believe that the only effective medium to reach out to the youth is a television programme that is packaged for them. "A youth programme that will inspire, inform and equally engineer their minds towards channeling their energy into positive things rather than negative things."
Development Issues
Children, HIV/AIDS, Rights and Youth.
Key Points
The programme organisers say: "Our Time is packaged and designed for the youth to discuss and proffer solutions to every social issue affecting their lives. The discussions are drawn from the youth themselves. The programme gives the youth a chance to discuss issues like HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancy, unemployment, ICT, gender equity, child abuse, drug abuse, child trafficking, violence and leadership. The programme also discusses relevant and practical solutions to the issues."

The youth-led programme aims to give a voice to voiceless youth and to youth-led organisations. It aims to create awareness and publicity about those youth programmes and activities that inspire, motivate and empower youth to become nationbuilders using media.
Partners

Africa Independent Television

Sources

Rotimi Oke sent an e-mail to Soul Beat Africa on June 10 2004.