Community Organizing PDF

THE COMMUNITY AND COMMUNIT Y ORGANIZIN Building a Better World for the Future G Presented By Group 10  LIST OF CONTENTS The Community Types of Communities Community Organization Goals of Community Organizing GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY...

THE COMMUNITY AND COMMUNIT Y ORGANIZIN Building a Better World for the Future G Presented By Group 10  LIST OF CONTENTS The Community Types of Communities Community Organization Goals of Community Organizing GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING Community Organizing Process Methods of Community Organizing Community Organizer THE COMMUNITY Everyone belongs to a community, though definitions can vary based on personal experiences and cultural influences. The term "community" comes from the Latin "communis," meaning fellowship and shared feelings. Webster’s dictionaries define it as a group of people living in the same area or sharing common interests. R.M. McIver offers a straightforward definition, “an aggregation of families and individuals settled in a fairly compact and contiguous geographical area, with significant elements of common life, as shown by manners, customs, traditions and modes of speech.” THE TERM COMMUNITY WAS DEFINED BASED ON THE ELEMENTS THAT IT POSSESSES. OTHER elements that a community may possess are the following: History – from public documents, folk history, historical roots Space Relations – Internal Relation: within the community External Relation – Relation with other communities, nation and state Resources – Human, man-made and natural Technology – modern or indigenous; the technical know-how of the people Knowledge and Beliefs Values and Sentiments Goals Norms Position and Roles – elected and not elected Power Leadership Influence Social Rank – standing of a person in the group Reward and Punishment Types of Communities  COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION The term "Community Organization" emphasizes the “Community Organizing is a systematic, planned and liberating change process of transforming a central role of the community in social work. It complacent, originated in the late 1800s when American social deprived and malfunctioning community into an organized, conscious, empowered and self-reliant, just workers used "Community Organizing" to describe and their efforts at settlement houses, focusing on humane entity and institution.” coordinating services for immigrants and the poor. Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) Community Organizing (CO) is a continuous process of: Educating the people to understand their critical consciousness of their existing conditions; Organizing people to work collectively and efficiently on their problems; Mobilizing people to develop their capacity and readiness to respond and take action on their immediate needs towards solving their long term problems. [UP College of Social Work and Community Development] Collectively, the above-mentioned definitions suggest that Community Organizing (CO) is both a process and PROCESS a method. CO is a process in the sense that it is perceived as a progressive and forward movement from one C.O. condition to another. It is also considered as a method because it consists of a dynamically conscious and deliberate undertaking to bring social change. METHOD A BRIEF HISTORY: COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION IN THE PHILIPPINE SETTING Community Organizing was introduced in the Philippines by the Philippine Ecumenical Council for Community Organization (PECCO) during the First Quarter Storm of the 1970s, starting in the Tondo area with the Zone One Tondo (ZOTO) program. This approach spread to rural areas and was often facilitated through church structures. Despite the declaration of Martial Law, community organizing efforts persisted, focusing on fostering people's participation. Support from international development groups and the government helped these programs proliferate across the country.  GOALS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING Community Organizing transforms a complacent community to become self-propelling and self - nourishing. Community organizing is important because through this, people work together in an organized manner and become more effective when social change takes place. But what, basically is community organizing for? Read on to learn the different goals/ purpose why this method is still being widely used in the different parts of our country, and the whole world. PEOPLE EMPOWERMENT IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND MOBILIZATION SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING “Learn, Plan and Work with the “Go to the People, Live Among People” the People” The people know better than any other outsider what their One cannot help the community towards its needs and problems are. The community members, with development if the assistance of the community organizer, must be the the organizers stay and work within the one to determine the program appropriate to answer comforts of an their office/ school and do not integrate with the needs/ problems. people. “Start With and Build on What “Teach By Showing, Learn by the People Know” Doing” For the community to learn effectively, the Community organizers must begin with the indigenous resources, worker must technologies and structures that the community demonstrate different procedures or has. Improve on techniques and not merely their strengths! give instructions. “Not Piecemeal but an Integrated Approach” “Not Relief, But Release” Community organizing is an inter- Community organizing is a process that relationship of liberates a various elements and factors. community from its identified problems.  THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PROCESS As earlier defined, community organizing is a systematic process. This process, when expounded, shall consist of the following phases: COMMUNITY SECTION PRE-ENTRY ENTRY INTEGRATION PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION ANALYSIS Community organizing phase here is depicted in a linear manner, but in reality, CO is a much more complex COURSE OF ACTION process in which phases overlap and integrate. IMPLEMENTATION MONITORING AND EVALUATION PHASE OUT  PHASE ONE: COMMUNITY PHASE TWO: INTEGRATION SELECTION “Integration rather than immersion” Pre-Entry Stage Immersion: “Complete involvement” After your specific community has been identified, organizers are then Integration: “Acceptance into a community” expected to conduct a social investigation (S.I) on the said area, conduct initial interviews with the community persons and to go around To effectively organize within a community, simply showing performing a site/ ocular inspection. These activities shall be of great up is insufficient. True engagement requires integrating with help to the organizers in acquiring locals to understand their current situation. Joining informal pertinent information on the background of the community they are to gatherings, such as meetings with housewives or youth organize. hangouts, can help gather valuable insights into community issues. Being observant of their daily lives—such as activities, income sources, and living conditions—is essential. Building trust with community members is crucial Entry Stage for successful integration and information gathering. The community has the right to know of the organizer’s entry in their area. Because of such, a courtesy call to the barangay officials and respected leaders form the said community is necessary. An orientation on the assisting organizer’s background and purpose must also be clearly relayed.  PHASE THREE: ANALYSIS THE COMMUNITY PROFILE The community organizers during this stage assist the 1. Narrative textINCLUDES: that describes community characteristics, such as population demographics, community in identifying, analyzing and prioritizing economic and social history of the communities, the current community needs and issues. A compromise importance of various facilities. between the felt and objective needs must be met. Let the locals decide on to which program they think is 2. Tables or graphics that summarize important data or appropriate for them. conclusions, such as population demographics or employment trends. 3. A visual map or maps that depict physical A. COMMUNITY PROFILE characteristics, such as neighborhood boundaries, land uses, public facilities, and commercial centers. The community profile is a summary of the history and present conditions of a community. It provides COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS a detailed demographic, economic and cultural information 1. Population and Demographic Characteristics of the community. It gives an overview or Trends in population growth and demographics COURSE series of snapshots of the area and is used as a basis for OF ACTION Ethnicity and race identifying its potentials. Age and gender distribution Income levels Educational attainment Employment status Special population subgroups such as disabled persons Indian tribal governments, as appropriate  4. Health Status 2. Socio-Economic History / Characteristics Common and endemic diseases Community historical background and context Disease causes and management Population of indigenous groups Maternal and child-care practices Community values and issues (e.g. security and solitude) Sources of water, waste and disposal Economic base/livelihood Dietary patterns Other economic characteristics 5. Access to Service Groups and agencies that are providing service, and the type and frequency of the service they provide 3. Physical Characteristics Community centers/activity centers Infrastructure (e.g. roads, transit, and water and sewage 6. Community Organizations Organizations in the barangay, their projects, activities and systems) organizational set-up Public services and facilities (e..g. schools, police, fire, libraries and hospitals) Land-use plans and zoning B. Tools for Analysis Special areas, historic districts and parklands To provide direction to any community activities, community organizers 3. A analyze visual the community Businesses map or maps that depict physical situation through the characteristics, use such of analyzingboundaries, as neighborhood techniques. These tools give Housing a picture COURSE OF ACTION to public land uses, what the and facilities, community’s challenges, areas of commercial centers. Planned and approved future development improvement and resources. Community focal points or informal meeting places (e.g. places of worship, playgrounds, hairsalons, and laundromats) PHASE FOUR: COURSE OF ACTION “People’s participation is the essence of community organizing” Monitoring All the activities that was put into motion must be constantly After the problems and issues of the community have been looked at and supervised if they are being done identified, a systematic course of action may now accordingly. Since all the aspects of the project is being be determined. The organizer, during this stage, plays the observed and examined, problems can be easily role of a facilitator – to which he ensures that the detected as well as factors that could create challenges can community is able to encourage them to give their own be remedied. The community organizer may help suggestions on how they could possibly resolve their the community in what areas of the project they need to problems. Finally, organizers must also ensure of the watch out for. community’s participation and commitment on the produced plan. Consider also the available resources (human, man-made, Evaluation natural) in the community which can be utilized In some inevitable cases when problems during the during the implementation of the project. implementation may arise, the community organizer, again, as a facilitator, may assists the community in PHASE FIVE: IMPLEMENTATION COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS examining what happened, what went well, what has been learned and what should happen next. Implementation The plan that was initially formulated with the community is PHASE SIX: PHASE OUT now put into action. Collective work from the community members must be encouraged by the worker, After the goals of the community have been met, and after all, the project is for them, therefore, should also be participated by the people themselves. its members are empowered, the community organizer can now pull out from the community. Remember that prior to this, the worker must prepare the community before phasing-out. This is basic courtesy to the people.  METHODS OF COMMUNITY 1. ORGANIZING Social Preparation - This is related to 4. Mobilization – This refers to the “process whereby a group of people have transcended their differences community readiness. It has four (4) stages: to meet on equal terms in order to facilitate a participatory a. General Assembly decision-making process”. Mobilization arises from a number of factors: (1) presence of expertise amongst the b. Formation of Committees community members, (2) the c. Survey of Needs and Prioritization of Projects willingness of the community as a whole to give up individual d. Preparation of Trainings interests to form a broader All these activities are implemented using the cooperative, and (3) presence of available resources to facilitate the mobilization process (Ben-Ali & participatory approach. Carvalho 1996). 2. Education and Training – Community organizing is THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZER essentially a learning process and central to it is the development of awareness through experiential learning 1. A Facilitator - Facilitates the community process through (Apuan 1988). listening and questioning and by giving continuous encouragement and support to the local strivings. 3. Value orientation – Since the desired ends of community organizing are people empowerment, self- 2. An Animator – Stimulates the people to think critically reliance and participation, there is a need to transform the when identifying problems and finding new negative value of the people from selfish solutions. 3. An Enabler – Consistently directed at freeing the individualism to one that is socially oriented. It essentially community (through key persons like leaders) to entails value re-orientation or transformation. realize their strengths and potentials in cooperative work. 4 A Catalyst – Hastens the process of IDEAL PERSONAL QUALITIES OF A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER The Community Organizer is a vital person in facilitating the whole community organizing process. A community organizer should have: An understanding of development theories and Integrity Tact concepts and processing of community organizing Creativity Sensitivity Good social and community relation skills to promote Courage Honesty social integration in the community Flexibility Adaptability An ability to work with other teams of professionals Objectivity Imagination Knowledge and skills to enable communities to access Self-discipline Sense of Humor specialized technical assistance in instances when this is needed Sensitivity to the local culture Gender-sensitivity DEVELOPMENT BIG EYES FOR OBSERVING BIG EARS FOR LISTENING BIG FEET FOR WALKING BIG HELPING HANDS