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.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Civic Education Programme for Gender Equality - Romania

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In 2004, the Center for Partnership and Equality (CPE), a member organisation of Soros Open Network Romania, launched a project to encourage high school students in Romania to "Be European: Get involved in community problems!" The 8-month civic education programme aimed to develop pupils' and teachers' capacities for promoting and getting involved in civic activities to increase equality between men and women. It was implemented in 10 Romanian high schools in which there already exist or will be created European Information Points (places where people can seek information about the European Union, social involvement, and equal treatment for men and women). Through this programme, CPE hoped to reach out to 45 teachers, 1,050 pupils, 40 message carriers (textbook authors, school journal and radio station coordinators, editors of textbooks, and decision makers in the domain of education), and 42 departmental representatives and teachers.
Communication Strategies

The project began with a process of assessment and strategising. CPE drew a basic estimation of students' representations and attitudes towards gender differentiation, as well as identifed and analysed academic, familial, and societal attitudes about men and women, gender stereotypes, and bias leading to discrimination. Interactive, in-school sessions continued this process of defining and identifying strategies to overcome role stereotyping, bias, and discrimination in education on the basis of sex, in order to initiate a change in attitudes, values, and mentalities. In short, efforts were made to raise teachers' and students' awareness of the prevalence of gender stereotypes in Romanian society.


More specifically, this programme used personal contact among and between young people and their educators, to the end of creating a more gender-equal Romanian society. CPE pursued the following activities:

  1. Increasing the capacities of the European Information Points already existing in pilot high schools and development of 4 new European Information Points to provide resources, instigate institutional development, and encourage active involvement of teachers and pupils.
  2. Organising a teachers group to increase their abilities to inform high school pupils about social involvement and equal treatment for men and women, and to engage them in efforts to solve community problems.
  3. Getting pupils involved in civic activities, underlining equal opportunities and treatment.
  4. Promoting the project values.
  5. Disseminating at the national level the model of community education for equality of opportunity, which is composed of the Civic Education Guide for Teachers, the Pupil's Workbook, and the Guide for the Promoter of the Equality of Chances.

To elaborate on the final item listed above, CPE designed and hosted 2 national forums - one for "message carriers" and one for educators. The former event, "Equality of Chances and European Integration", focused on the importance and community impact of equal opportunities; the latter event is called "Education and Community Involvement for Equality of Chances". In conjunction with these events, various printed materials and working instruments were elaborated and disseminated, in part through the European Information Points located in schools. To reach parents and other community members, workshops and activities within the community were held.


To build support for the project and to encourage sharing of experience and resource, an electronic information bulletin and website were created. Press releases and an event poster were produced.

Development Issues

Gender Equality, Education, Civic Engagement, Youth.