Core Values of Community Action Initiatives PDF

The Core Values of Community Action Initiatives Every community has its own issues and problems that are needed to be resolved. There are issues that are being a subject matter of the argumentation and discussions of the people. There are also problems wherein conditions are undesired by people whi...

The Core Values of Community Action Initiatives Every community has its own issues and problems that are needed to be resolved. There are issues that are being a subject matter of the argumentation and discussions of the people. There are also problems wherein conditions are undesired by people which they tend to seek solutions. Due to the above stated realities in the community, actions and initiatives from its members are very relevant and needed. Being a member of the community, you should take part in the said actions, to address the issues and problems, so that community life will be better for you and other community members. Thus, the process of collaborative work between the individuals and groups known as community engagement will take place in the community action initiatives. A community initiative is generally a network of individuals and partner organizations dedicated to improve the health and welfare of a community. It seeks to deal with and reduce the effect of social problems, in order to improve peoples\' quality of life. They vary by community, but may address issues such as homelessness, drug abuse, domestic violence, and many others. Hence, it is important for you to understand the core values of community action initiatives. Let us learn these core values before having actions to community issues and problems. After finishing the activities earlier, you may now be able to grasp the idea of our lesson in this module. You must get your pen and answer sheet and carefully read the lesson. It is important to read and comprehend the ideas and context of this lesson. What is the Core Values According to Oxford Dictionary, core values are principles or beliefs that a person or organization views as being of central importance. Another definition of core values is that these "are the fundamental beliefs of a person or organization. These are guiding principles dictate the behavior and can help people understand the difference between right and wrong." Core values also help to determine if they are on the right path and fulfilling their goals by creating an unwavering guide. The Core Values and Principles of Community-action Initiatives Based on the book of (Taguibao et. al 2016), There is no single approach to community development and as such, initiatives and actions that are intended to address community issues and problems must consider different tools and methods that are appropriate to the context of the community. Essentially, community actions must give members and leaders a "voice" in the community action. In that sense, the following are the core values that must be taken into consideration in making community action initiatives and plans. 1. Human rights 2. Social Equity 3. Gender equality 4. Participatory development. HUMAN RIGHTS\ According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), it is defined as "the rights inherent to all human beings whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language or any other status. It is also defined as the supreme, inherent, and inalienable rights to life, to dignity, and to self-development. It is concerned with issues in both areas of civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights founded on internationally accepted human rights obligations. \\ In this sense, each person, even before coming into this world and getting out of its mother's womb, have already have rights, like right to live, which is a natural right. Upon birth and growing up, citizenship and other rights and entitlements are already alongside to the child, such as the right to a name and nationality, the right to health and nutrition, the right to shelter, the right to education and the likes. Also, here are the human rights included in the United Nations declaration: Natural Rights - The liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Civil Rights - privacy, property, religion, expression, contract and movement Political Rights - assembly, petition, suffrage, direct and indirect participation, self-determination, self-government and election to public office All of these and more are our rights, but let us not forget that our right ends, where the rights of others begin. Also, in every right there is a corresponding obligation and responsibility. SOCIAL EQUITY It is the fair access to opportunities, like education, livelihood and resources. It involves participation in cultural and political practices in the community like the social justice, but social equity emphasizes more on institutions and how people can access it, especially those who need it most. It also refers to standards set applied to improve the participation of a certain classes or sectors of people in the community. An example of this is the marginalized group like Persons With Disability (PWDs) who do have the same and equal rights to ordinary people but are also protected and given the privilege to achieve social equity. Other marginalized groups sectors or groups are women, children, youth, indigenous, LGBTQ+ community, and the likes who are considered weak and in need of help. In tackling social equity, we cannot go away with social justice. As defined by former President Jose P. Laurel, it is the humanization of laws and the equalization of social and economic forces by the state so that justice may at least be approximated. It is anchored heavily on the idea that justice is based on basic human rights and each individual must have an opportunity to exercise these rights. Hence if we compare equity and equality, equity according to Encarta Dictionary is a general condition characterized by justice, fairness, and impartiality, while equality is full equality under the law. If we think about it, equality means giving all things to all individuals even others may not need it, while equity is giving the individuals what they need. GENDER EQUALITY\ \ As defined by United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of women, it is "the equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of women and men and girls and boys." It does not mean that both genders are the same but emphasize the equality of men and women, with equal rights, values, treatment, and opportunities. Clear examples of problems in gender equality are seen in the following situations: -Men may often have better opportunities, freedom and social favor compared to women. -Most of the positions, socially and politically were being occupied mostly by men. -Men may have more weight in marriages or other direct or indirect relationships It is known that individuals in a community have unique roles that are being played, also, aside from the said roles; they also have unique needs that must be answered. There are gender differences between the roles played by women and men and their unique needs and responses to a community issue. Not including a certain gender group may mean a different set of priorities that would become a possible condition of a non-holistic approach in the issue and problem solving PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT Its objective is to engage the marginalized group in programs and activities that will benefit them. It must have advocacies to enable the marginalized groups to promote their rights. The more participation from the community, the higher is the possible success and sustainability of the programs and projects. As a result, it will empower a certain sector that will benefit from the community initiatives thru participatory development. This kind of development aims to directly involve local communities in development projects. It is in our knowledge that different members of the community have their own and distinct needs, but if all or most of its members will unite and participate for a certain goal, there will be less discord and misunderstanding, then most likely, the program and activities, as well as the participation of the groups in the community, will succeed, and answering the needs of a certain group or sector would be easier. Hence, the entire above stated core values of community action initiatives must be our guiding light in making and preparing our own community action initiative and project.