Child rights 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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Jalan Sesama

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Jalan Sesama, which means "street for all", is an edutainment initiative designed for 3- to 6-year-old Indonesian children. Inspired by the concepts of togetherness and diversity, the television programme introduces children to the basics of letters and numbers while also focusing on environmental awareness and positive character building. This Indonesian version of the United-States-based television edutainment programme "Sesame Street" debuted on Indonesian television in February 2008. The half-hour show is produced locally by Creative Indigo Productions, in association with the non-profit organisation Sesame Workshop, and is expected to broadcast through 2010, with a total of 156 episodes over 3 seasons.
Communication Strategies

Like other Sesame Workshop initiatives, this programme centres around the use of television to impart life lessons to children. In the case of Jalan Sesama, the educational objectives were crafted in collaboration with Indonesian advisors and experts to address the unique educational needs of Indonesia's preschoolers. In addition to the regular characters of Sesame Street, such as Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, and Elmo, the show also features new characters and Muppets created specifically for this version, such as Momon, a 5-year-old boy who loves drawing and counting, and Putri, an extroverted young girl who seeks to expose children to the joy of learning while emphasising Indonesia's diversity and heritage in culture, music, and the arts. The programme's format includes original animations, new segments with the Indonesian muppets, dubbed content from Sesame Street's international library, and locally produced live action films that are designed to provide viewers with a window into the lives of Indonesian children around the country.

 

Sesame Workshop has extended Jalan Sesama to children and communities who may not have access to television or who have limited opportunities for early childhood education through the creation and distribution of educational materials. In partnership with the Ministry of National Education (MONE), Jalan Sesama developed and distributed: 2 Big Books (one on literacy and one on math), 2 posters (one for literacy and one for math), a flash card game, a Story Mat, and a children's activity book, as well as a DVD compilation of Jalan Sesama segments that address literacy and math complement the printed materials. In addition, Jalan Sesama conducted a 2-day training workshop with early childhood centre teachers to ensure that educators are familiar with the materials and can use them effectively in the classroom.

Development Issues

Early Childhood Development.

Partners

Support for the television and research components of this project was provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Sources

Emails from June Lee to The Communication Initiative on June 19 2008, July 1 2008, and September 21 2012; and Muppet Wiki.