UNDERSTANDING THE COMMUNITY
WHAT IS COMMUNITY
It is a geographical area where a group of people live a common life linked together by factors such as
religious beliefs, sexual orientation, occupation or ethnic origin and a shared sense of identity and
belonging.
The fact that people live close to one another does not necessarily mean that they have much to do with
each other. There may be little interaction between neighbors. It is the nature of relationships between
people and the social networks of which they are a part that is often as one of the more significant
aspects of the community.
The nature of the networks within a particular place or grouping is of fundamental importance when
making judgments about communities and the extent to which people can flourish with them.
People in a community are social beings. Connection and interaction both widen and deepen what they
can achieve and make possible improved individual character and knit the social fabric.
Activity 1: make a description of the community where you live as to the type of people, their beliefs,
value system, practices, problems encountered, livelihood, etc.
Types of community:
a. Urban
b. Rural
c. Suburban
What is the best way to organize the community:
a. Listen to people
b. Clarify your community organizing goals
c. Frame strategies for action by community organizers
d. Build local leadership through community organizing
e. Community organizers must mobilize people
What skills do community organizers need? Because it embodies all the four critical
processes – development, organization, planning and purposeful action – needed to bring
about social change.
CHARACTERISTICS of a community:
Community characteristics can include information about an area`s natural features, such as
how much land is covered by forests or water, and its human made features from types of
housing and roads to locations of hospitals, schools or other public service buildings.
Types of community needs: into categories
a. Perceived needs
b. Expressed needs
c. Absolute needs
d. Relative needs
WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY. WHY ARE communities so important?
Strong communities are critical because they`re often an important source of social
connection and a sense of belonging. Participating in a community bonded by attitudes,
values and goals, is an essential ingredient to enjoying a fulfilling life.
CHARACTERISTICS of a healthy community
a. Access to education – education is one of the essential foundations of any
community.
b. Volunteerism and philantrophy. When friends and neighbors help each other, the
entire community benefits.
c. Personal and professional development
d. Safety net services
What are the community sectors:
a. Health
b. Education
c. Law enforcement
d. Government
e. Business
f. Youth
g. Parents
h. The media
i. Human services
j. Religion
k. Service/fraternal organizations
l. Community activist and volunteer groups
m. Culture
n. Housing and development
o. Sports and recreation
p. The environment
IS FAMILY considered a community?
Families not only are constituent units of communities but also identify with
ethnic, and racial groups, social and economic, classes, religious groups, creating
in groups and out groups.
What is community development?
It refers to the improvement, growth, and change of the geographic area and its people from
backwardness to modern ways, from crudeness to refinement, from ignorance to learning, from
faultiness to virtuosity.
Who are involved in community development?
Community development is a partnership among the community development, workers, the students,
the professionals, people of the community, and other agencies in uplifting the standards of life of the
community. The people of the community must be willing to give their share in the work.
What is the aim of community development?
It is to help the people acquire a coherent meaning to life, it leads the people towards achieving
sustainability and self determination.
What does community development concern itself with?
Community development is about getting things done line building a children`s play area, caring for
people with disability, people working together to support each other, involving and giving power and
responsibility to disadvantaged people, growing in confidence and competence through active
participation.
5 principles of community development”
a. Empowerment
b. Human rights
c. Inclusion
d. Social justice
e. Self determination and collective action
What is the main goal of community development?
Community development seeks to empower individuals and groups of people with the skills
they need to effect change within their communities. The main purpose of the community
development is to aware the people and build their capacities for the enhancement and
improvement of their communities.
PHASES of community development
a. Visioning
b. Planning
c. Implementation
d. Evaluation
TOP skills for a community development
a. Good listening skills
b. Advocacy and networking skills
c. The ability to interpret, analyze and present data
d. Excellent communication, interpersonal and team building skills
e. Researching skills and the ability to write reports
What is community work?
It is a form of intervention that enables local people to reap maximum benefit from community based
action and community development.
It is an action based set of values, methods, skills and techniques.
What is meant by the functional purposes of local action and community development?
An active and mutually supportive community can organize and deliver services, jobs, environmental
improvements, etc. that may not be seen as viable within the public and private sectors.
Examples include: cooperatively managed consumer stores, gasoline stations, daycare centers, farm
inputs store, drugstores, clinics, barangay action centers, community health centers. Damayan or
community recreation center.
What is meant by the developmental purposes
This refers to participation in community based action that enables people to grow in confidence and
competence, collectively growing with them and their communities self respect and greater influence
and control over their future.
For example, participation in a preschool playgroup management committee will present many young
parents with chance to discuss wider common problems, to learn about the system and policies that
affect their lives and their children, and begin to diversify into, for example, mutual family support,
lobbying for better children support or helping to run a local barangay hall, barangay cultural center,
health clinic, environmental programs.
Taking action as part of a community not only strengthens and affirms the community as the key local
social system within which people interact, but it also develops the skill, awareness, and outlook of the
individual for understanding and participating in wider social and political processes.
Democracy in society is highly dependent upon social interaction and development at a local
community level.
Effective community work practice requires the functional and developmental purposes of community
development to be kept in balance. Overemphasis on outcome or product would deprive community
work of the dimension of human change and the idea of process. Conversely, to be concerned only with
the process at the expense of achieving tangible results would also be a distortion of community work.
Keeping the balance is as important for the social worker, clergy, youth worker, and others who are
essentially using community work as a method as it is for community workers.
What is community extension program?
It is a program that seeks to extend the services of the school to outside communities. Services may
vary depending on the people`s needs and interest and the institution`s resources.
What is community organization?
CO puts things into proper prospective so that efforts exerted for community development work will
have a clear direction and would not fail into the trap of the dole-out system of help. It aims to have a
lasting effect, where people start to feel that they are capable of making things happen to their
communities.
WHEN did community organizing begin in the Philippines?
Community organizing in the Philippines, as early as 1985, several events were held to assess
community organizing practices and future development of the strategy to enhance the capabilities and
resources of the community over the past years.
What is the community organizing process?
Community organizing has many stages. Each stage is a learning experience to both the community and
the organizer.
1. Awakening stage – this pertains to the entry into the community.
a. Social investigation/community scanning
b. Leadership identification and core group formation
c. Problem identification and analysis
d. Goal setting/planning strategizing
2. Empowerment stage – this refers to the activities undertaken by the community or people`s
organization to solve problems confronting the community and which serves to build and
strengthen the people`s self confidence and self respect. A heated argument can create a
sense of equality and dignity between the rich and the poor.
3. Monitoring and evaluation – this refers to follow up programs implemented to solve
problems encountered.
4. Institutionalization/turnover and phase out – this refers to setting up organizational
structure that will serve the needs of the community after which the program is turned over
to the leaders of the community.
Functions of Community:
a. Production, distribution, consumption’
b. Socialization
c. Social control
d. Social participation
e. Mutual support
Community Organizing Participatory Action Research (COPAR)
Is a widely used framework in public that aims to empower marginalized communities by giving them
the opportunity to engage in the research process where they play an active role as participants.
Why is copar important?
Copar is important tool for community development and people empowerment as this helps the
community workers to generate community participation in development activities. Copar prepares
people/clients to eventually take over the management of a development programs in the future.
What are the 5 phases of copar?
a. Pre-entry phase. It involves the selection of the target community
b. Entry phase
c. Formation phase
d. Organization building phase
e. Sustenance and strengthening phase
What are the 4 phases of community organizing?
1. Preparatory phase
2. Organization building phase
3. Consolidation phase
4. Networking follow thru phase
What is the simplest phase copar?
Pre entry phase. It is considered the simplest phase in terms of actual outputs, activities and
strategies and time spent for it.
COPAR OBJECTIVES
Definition:
Copar stands for community organizing participatory action research
A social development approach that aims to transform the apathetic, invidualistic, and voiceless
poor into dynamic, participatory and politically responsive community.
What is the purpose of community action and community engagement?
Community action is about putting communities at the heart of their own local services
involving communities in the design and delivery of services can help to achieve a number of
objectives, including building community and social capacity – helping the community to share
knowledge, skills and ideas.
PILLARS of community engagement:
a. Direction and desired outcome
b. Shared responsibility
c. Personal value
d. Progress awareness
e. Ongoing ecosystem
CORE PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
a. Careful planning and preparation
b. Inclusion and demographic diversity
c. Collaboration and shared purpose
d. Openness and learning
e. Transparency and trust
f. Impact and action
g. Sustained engagement and participatory culture
What are the 10 steps of copar?
1. Integration- immersing oneself in the community
2. Social investigation – community study
3. Tentative program learning – use of community organizing to choose one issue to work on
in order to begin organizing people.
4. Groundwork
5. Meeting
6. Role play
7. Mobilization or action
8. Evaluation
9. reflection
10. organization
5 stages in community organizing?
1. Social preparation
2. Leadership development
3. Organization building
4. Consolidation
5. Expansion
Or 6 stages of community organizing?
Step 1 community assessment
Step 2 community outreach to listen to people
Step 3 clarify your goals
Step 4 frame strategies for action
Step 5 build local leadership
Step 6 mobilize people
What are the 3 models in community organizing?
a. Locality development
b. Social planning
c. Social action
5 functions of community organizer?
a. Grassroots organization – community organization is a valuable strategy at all levels,
including at the national, regional and local level.
b. Outreach with an impact
c. Educating and informing the collective
d. Community worker
e. Researcher
4 functions the community?
a. Socialization
b. Self control
c. Social place-ment (participants)
d. Mutual support, defense and communication
3 -4 level/forms of community participation
a. Nominal
b. Instrumental
c. Representative
d. Transformative
What are the phases of community?
a. Development
b. Inception
c. Expansion
d. Maturity
e. Autonomy
What is the primary goal of community organizing?
Community organizing is the process by which people come together to
identify common problems or goals, mobilize resources, and in other ways,
develop and implement strategies for reaching the objectives they want to
accomplish.
What are the 3 main goals of community development programs? 3 key
aspects of development:
a. Economic
b. Community
c. Leadership
What are the 5 pillars of community engagement?
a. Direction and desired outcome
b. Shared responsibility
c. Personal value
d. Progress awareness
e. Ongoing ecosystem
What are the core values of community action?
a. Careful planning and preparation
b. Inclusion and demographic diversity
c. Collaboration and shared purpose
d. Openness and learning
e. Transparency and trust
f. Impact and action
g. Sustained engagement and participatory culture
What is the importance and benefit of community engagement?
Community engagement Increases the visibility and
understanding of issues and empowers communities to have
their say over decisions that affect their lives, their towns, cities
and neighborhood.
What are the goals of community organizing?
a. Forming groups
b. Bringing about social; justice obtaining
c. Maintaining or restructuring the power
d. Developing alternative institutions
e. Maintaining or revitalizing neighborhoods
Elements of the community structure
a. Participants – the life force of the community
b. Organizational elements – legalities, activities,
communal processes
c. Physical elements – space uses of land, village and farm
d. Production elements – work, product and service
What are the process of organizing?
a. Identification and division of work
b. Grouping of activities
c. Assignment of duties
d. Delegation of authority
What are the phases of community action?
a. Conducting initial preparation
b. Organizing the community for action
c. Exploring the health issues and setting priorities
d. Planning, acting and evaluating together
e. Scaling up
What are the main concepts of community organizing?
Community organizing is the process of building power through involving a constituency in identifying
problems they share and the solutions to those problems that they desire, identifying the people and
structures that can make those solutions possible, enlisting those targets in the effort trough
negotiation.
What are the steps of community organizing?
a. Assessment of needs and problems
b. List the problems
c. Prioritizing the needs
d. Understanding and selection of problem
e. Redefine the problem
f. Formulate achievable objective
g. Work out the alternatives
h. Work out plan of action
Basic principles of community organizing
a. Effective organizing balances process and product principle
b. Planning is a complex value based
c. Sociopolitical and technical process principle
Or a. organize around purpose – organizations with strong purpose perform better than
organizations who`s purpose is weak or poorly understood
b. organize through choice
c. organize for change
Who gave the principles of community organization?
Arthur Dunham in 1958 formulated a statement of 28 principles of community organization
and grouped those under seven headings.
What are the types of community organizing?
a. Grassroots action
b. Feminist community organizing
c. Faith based
d. Broad based
e. Power versus protest
f. Political orientations
g. Fundraising
What is the importance of community organizing?
a. Can build a sense of dignity
b. Restore people`s sense of significance
c. Relevance
What are the types of communities?
1. Interest – communities of people who share the same interest or passion
2. Action – communities of people trying to bring about change
3. Place – communities of people brought together by geographic boundaries
4. Practice
5. Circumstance
The most important community formats you can consider to grow your
business
a. Knowledge and learning communities
b. Expert networks and advisory communities
c. Event communities
d. Membership communities
e. Brand communities
f. Communities of action
What are the features of community?
a. Geographic area or location
b. Population or group of peoples
c. Social system
3 C`s of successful community engagement?
a. Collaboration
b. Consultation
c. Communication
Basic steps/stages of participation?
a. Preference revelation
b. Policy choice
c. Implementation and monitoring
d. Assessment and accountability
2 principles of community participation.
a. Participation should build trust through cooperative
strategies of problem solving
b. Discussion
7 elements/components of community
a. Passion
b. Vision
c. Leader
d. Tribesmen
e. Content
f. Platform/gathering place
g. Trust
First stage of community life?
a. Ideation
b. Initiation
c. Growth
d. Maturity
e. Bifurcation/decline
Benefits of community development
Community development is important for human
development and nation building because it teaches
people to think about the places they live, what
surrounds them, and how to protect their
neighborhoods. Communities contribute to the
social, political, cultural, and economic
development of their countries.
Most important element of community
development?
a. Community participation
b. Collaboration
c. Capacity building
d. Empowerment
Father of community organizing?
Saul David Alinsky (January 30, 1909-june 12,
1972) was an American community activist and
political theorist.
What is community organizing in your own words?
Community organizing broadly speaking, is the process whereby people living in proximity to each other
come together into an organization that acts in their shared self interest.
What is the KPI (key performance indicators) of community engagement?
Represent data that you can track in order to measure the success of your community. Depending on
where you are in the phases of community building, these are the main KPI`s that are interesting for
you. Community members: the number of users signing up to the community.
Examples of community engagement
a. Community building – projects that intentionally bring people together to simply get to know
one another
b. Community education
c. Community organizing
d. Deliberative dialogue
e. Direct service
f. Economic development
g. Engaged research
h. Institutional engagement
Types of community engagement?
a. Informative participation
b. Preparatory participation
c. Decision making participation
What is the mission of community action plan?
At community action, we provide access and opportunity for those we serve and those who
support our efforts. Through innovative programs and strong community partnerships we
eliminate barriers, establishing clear pathways to economic self reliance.
What are the community action programs in the Philippines?
a. Child and youth welfare program (CYWP) kupkop program
b. Family and community welfare program (FCWP) unlad pamilyang bangsamoro program.
Bangsamoro sagip kabuhayan.
c. Women`s welfare program (WWP)
d. Older persons and persons with Disability program (OPPWDP) kalinga para sa may
kapansanan program.
Most important characteristics of a community?
a. Shared identity – it is common for communities to form among those who share a
common sense of identity.
b. Shared purpose – those who feel passionately about social causes will often bond
together as a community.
c. Common objectives
d. Shared interests or passions
e. Common behavior
What is community engagement in simple words?
Community engagement seeks to engage community to achieve sustainable
outcomes, equitable decision making processes, and deepen relationships and trust
between government organizations and communities.
What is the most essential element in community engagement?
Analysis of the date suggested a model of seven essential elements of community
engagement: belonging, commitment, communication, a flexible approach,
genuineness, relevance and sustainability.
Areas of community engagement?
a. Careful planning and preparation
b. Inclusion and demographic diversity
c. Collaboration and shared purpose
d. Openness and learning
e. Transparency and trust
f. Impact and action
g. Sustained engagement and participatory culture
FACTORS THAT AFFECT a community: 4 categories
a. Human elements
b. Social factors
c. Environment and geography
d. Resources
5 benefits of being organized:
a. Organization reduces stress
b. Organization helps you sleep better
c. Organization promotes a healthier diet
d. Organization increases productivity at work
e. Organization can improve your relationships
Principles of organizing
a. Get to know active vs. passive zones
b. Make open storage beautiful
c. Keep things findable
d. Group by task
e. Go vertical
f. Choose the right container for the job
g. Store heavy items down low
Elements of organizing:
a. Work specialization – is a process that assigns each professional to a specific
task
b. Departmentalization and compartments
c. Formalization of elements
d. Centralization and decentralization
e. Span of control
f. Chain of command
Process or organizing:
a. Identification and division of work
b. Grouping of activities
c. Assignment of duties
d. Delegation of authority
Management functions/activities:
a. Planning function
b. Organizing functions
c. staffing
d. Leading functions
e. Organizing functions
Purposes of community action
a. Building community and social capacity – helping the community to share
knowledge, skills and ideas
b. Community resilience – helping the community to support itself.
c. Prevention – a focus on early access to services or support, engagement in
design, cross sector collaboration and partnerships.
Levels of community engagement:
a. Creators
b. Contributors
c. Opportunists
d. Lurkers
What are the first step in community action plan?
a. define the problem (s)
b. collect and analyze the data
c. clarify and prioritize the problem (s)
d. write a goal statement for each solution
e. implement solutions: The Action plan
f. monitor and evaluate
g. restart with a new problem, or refine the old problem
3 models in community organizing:
a. Locality development
b. Social planning
c. Social action
Roles of community organizer?
a. Communicator
b. Consultant
c. Counselor
d. Motivator
e. Innovator
f. Guide
g. Advocate
Longterm aim/objectives of community organizing:
a. To develop the internal capabilities
b. To increase the decision making power and influence of
underrepresented groups.
Core elements of a community
1. sense of place
2. sharing
3. joint action
4. social ties
5. diversity
What is the purpose of participation?
Public involvement brings more information to the decision, including scientific or technical knowledge,
knowledge about the context where decisions are implemented, history and personalities. More
information can make the difference between a good and poor decision.
RULES of participation
Recognize that everyone has the right to have a different opinion and respect it, in a spirit of listening
and openness. Not to express any abusive, defamatory, racist or contrary to public order and the law in
force. Argue its positions in order to feed a quality debate with a constructive will.
Levels of Participation: Levels, techniques and examples
a. Level 1. Information – telling people about your project or service and decisions
b. Level 2 consultation – asking for public opinions and ideas, possibly making adjustments and
decisions according to their feedback
c. Level 3 – collaboration
d. Level 4 empowerment
What are the smallest unit of community?
The basic unit of a community is family. Individuals from the first line ancestors form the smallest unit
called family. Families from the community or society.
Phases of community action? Stages
a. Conducting initial preparation
b. Organizing the community for action
c. Exploring the health issues and setting priorities
d. Planning
e. acting and evaluating together
f. Scaling up
