Community Organizing Participatory Action Research

 A social development approach that aims to transform the apathetic, individualistic and voiceless
poor into dynamic, participatory and politically responsive community.

 A collective, participatory, transformative, liberative, sustained and systematic process of building

people’s organizations by mobilizing and enhancing the capabilities and resources of the people for
the resolution of their issues and concerns towards effecting change in their existing oppressive and
exploitative conditions (1994 National Rural Conference).

 COPAR is a continuous and sustained process of educating the people to:

a. understand and develop their critical awareness of their existing condition

b. working with the people collectively and efficiently on their immediate and long-term problems
c. mobilizing the people to develop their capability and readiness to respond and take action on their
immediate needs towards solving their long-term problems (CO: A manual of experience, PCPD).

• Community organizing is a democratically-governed, valuesdriven process that catalyzes the power of

individuals to work collectively to make the changes they want to see in their communities.
• Community organizers honor and develop the leadership potential in everyday people by helping them
identify problems and solutions, and then by supporting them as they take action to make those
solutions a reality.
• In so doing, organizing challenges the existing power structure.

COPAR emphasize
1. Community working to solve its own problem. SELF RELIANT
2. Focus on and maximum utilization of RESOURCES available within the community.
3. Development and implementation of a projects and activities PRIORITIZED BY THE PEOPLE.
4. CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING involves perceiving health care within the total structure of society.
5. Relationships lie at the heart of organizing, and the “ONE-TO-ONE” RELATIONAL conversation
between an organizer and a community member is the building block of organizing.

Principles of COPAR
1. People especially the most oppressed, exploited and deprived sectors are open to change, have the
capacity to change and are able to bring about change.
2. COPAR should be based on the interest of the poorest sector of the community.
3. COPAR should lead to a self-reliant community and society.

Processes/Methods Used in COPAR

• A PROGRESSIVE CYCLE OF ACTION-REFLECTION-ACTION which begins with small, local and
concrete issues identified by the people and the evaluation and reflection of and on the action taken by them.
• CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING through experiential learning is central to the COPAR process because it
places emphasis on learning that emerges from concrete action and which encircles succeeding action.
• COPAR is PARTICIPATORY AND MASS-BASED because it is primarily directed towards and biased in
the favourof the poor, the powerless and the oppressed. • COPAR is GROUP-CENTERED and not leader –
centered. Leaders are identified, emerge and are tested through action rather than appointed or selected by
some external force or entity.

PHASES
1. PRE-ENTRY
- is the initial phase of the organizing process where the community/organizer looks for communities to
serve/help.
- is considered the simplest phase in terms of actual outputs, activities and strategies and time spent for it.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
 Orientation of key stakeholders
 Training of key players in community development
 Preparing the community development plan
 Curriculum review
 Coordinate with other members in the university for the community development work
 Selection of a partner community based on identified criteria
 Selection of foster family
 Baseline Assessment of community
ROLE OF RESEARCHER/NURSE
 Clarify purpose of working with a community
 Identify key people who are excited about the community development model
 Create interest in the university
 Identify partner community

2. ENTRY/SOCIAL PREPARATION /IMMERSION PHASE

- activities done here includes the sensitization of the people on the critical events in their life, innovating
them to share their dreams and ideas on how to manage their concerns and eventually mobilizing them to
take collective action on these.
- This phase signals the actual entry of the community worker/organizer into the community. She must be
guided by the following guidelines however.

GUIDELINES:

 Recognize the role and position of the social authorities.

 Adapt a lifestyle in keeping with that of a community.
 Choose a modest dwelling which the people, especially the economically disadvantaged will not
hesitate to enter.
 Participate directly in production process.
 Avoid raising expectations of the people. Be clear with your objective and limitations.
 Make house calls and seek out people where they usually gather.
 Participate in some social activities.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
Integration
Social Investigation
Delivery of basic services
Information dissemination of community development program
Identification and training of volunteer leaders
Focus Assessment

ROLE OF RESEARCHER/NURSE
Excite and motivate people
Provide basic services needed
Facilitate/organize trainings
Document activities
3. ORGANIZATION BUILDING PHASE
- Entails the formation of more formal structures and the inclusion of more formal procedures of planning,
implementation,and evaluating community-wideactivities.
- It is at this phase where the organized leaders or groups are being given trainings (formal, informal, OJT)
to develop their skills and in managing their own concerns/programs.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES:

 Training and mobilization of more volunteer leaders

 Project development and management
 Monitoring of community projects and initiatives

ROLE OF RESEARCHER/NURSE
 Excite and motivate people
 Provide basic services needed
 Facilitate/organize trainings
 Monitor community development activities
 Document activities

4. SUSTENANCE AND STRENGTHENING PHASE

- Occurs when the community organization has already been established and the community members
are already actively participating in community-wide undertakings.
- At this point, the different communities setup in the organization building phase are already expected
to be functioning by way of planning, implementing and evaluating their own programs with the
overall guidance from the community-wide organization.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES:
 Finalization of a communitywide organization
 Training and development of second-line community leaders
 Employ strategies for sustainability
 Networking and linkaging
 Evaluation of community development program, projects, activities.
 Re-implementing of Programs (Unmet goals)

ROLE OF RESEARCHER/NURSE
 Provide basic services needed
 Facilitate/organize trainings
 Document activities

5. PHASE OUT
- The phase when the health care workers leave the community to stand-alone.
- This phase should be stated during the entry phase so that the people will be ready.
-The organizations built should be ready to sustain the test of the community itself as the evaluation will be
done by the residents of the community themselves.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES:
 Leaving the immersion site
 Documentation
ROLE OF RESEARCHER/NURSE
 Provide basic services needed
 Facilitate/organi ze trainings
 Document activities
 COPAR NURSES LABS
COPAR or Community Organizing Participatory Action Research is a vital part of public health
nursing. COPAR aims to transform the apathetic, individualistic and voiceless poor into dynamic,
participatory and politically responsive community.

Definition

 COPAR stands for Community Organizing Participatory Action Research

 A social development approach that aims to transform the apathetic, individualistic and voiceless
poor into dynamic, participatory and politically responsive community.
 A collective, participatory, transformative, liberative, sustained and systematic process of
building people’s organizations by mobilizing and enhancing the capabilities and resources of the
people for the resolution of their issues and concerns towards effecting change in their existing
oppressive and exploitative conditions (1994 National Rural Conference).
 A process by which a community identifies its needs and objectives, develops confidence to take
action in respect to them and in doing so, extends and develops cooperative and collaborative
attitudes and practices in the community (Ross 1967).
 A continuous and sustained process of educating the people to understand and develop their
critical awareness of their existing condition, working with the people collectively and efficiently
on their immediate and long-term problems, and mobilizing the people to develop their capability
and readiness to respond and take action on their immediate needs towards solving their long-
term problems (CO: A manual of experience, PCPD).
Process

The sequence of steps whereby members of a community come together to critically assess to evaluate
community conditions and work together to improve those conditions.

Structure

Refers to a particular group of community members that work together for a common health and health
related goals.

Emphasis

1. Community working to solve its own problem.

2. Direction is established internally and externally.
3. Development and implementation of a specific project less important than the development of the
capacity of the community to establish the project.
4. Consciousness raising involves perceiving health and medical care within the total structure of
society.

Importance

1. COPAR is an important tool for community development and people empowerment as this helps
the community workers to generate community participation in development activities.
 2. COPAR prepares people/clients to eventually take over the management of a
dvelopment.programs in the future.
3. COPAR maximizes community participation and involvement; community resources are
mobilized for community services.

Principles

1. People especially the most oppressed, exploited and deprived sectors are open to change, have the
capacity to change and are able to bring about change.
2. COPAR should be based on the interest of the poorest sector of the community.
3. COPAR should lead to a self-reliant community and society.

Critical Steps

1. Integration
2. Social Investigation
3. Tentative program planning
4. Groundwork
5. Meeting
6. Role Play
7. Mobilization or action
8. Evaluation
9. Reflection
10. Organization

Phases of COPAR

COPAR has four phases namely: Pre-Entry Phase, Entry Phase, Organization-building phase, and
sustenance and strengthening phase.

1. Pre-Entry Phase

Is the initial phase of the organizing process where the community organizer looks for communities to serve
and help. Activities include:

Preparation of the Institution

 Train faculty and students in COPAR.

 Formulate plans for institutionalizing COPAR.
 Revise/enrich curriculum and immersion program.
 Coordinate participants of other departments.
Site Selection
Initial networking with local government.
Conduct preliminary special investigation.
Make long/short list of potential communities.
Do ocular survey of listed communities.

Criteria for Initial Site Selection

Must have a population of 100-200 families.
Economically depressed.No strong resistance from the community.
No serious peace and order problem.
No similar group or organization holding the same program.

Identifying Potential Municipalities

Make long/short list of potential municipalities

Identifying Potential Community

Do the same process as in selecting municipality.
Consult key informants and residents.
Coordinate with local government and NGOs for future activities.

Choosing Final Community

Conduct informal interviews with community residents and key informants.
Determine the need of the program in the community.
Take note of political development.
Develop community profiles for secondary data.
Develop survey tools.
Pay courtesy call to community leaders.
Choose foster families based on guidelines

Identifying Host Family

House is strategically located in the community.
Should not belong to the rich segment.
Respected by both formal and informal leaders.
Neighbors are not hesitant to enter the house.
No member of the host family should be moving out in the community.

2. Entry Phase

sometimes called the social preparation phase. Is crucial in determining which strategies for organizing
would suit the chosen community. Success of the activities depend on how much the community organizers
has integrated with the community.

Guidelines for Entry

Recognize the role of local authorities by paying them visits to inform their presence and activities.
Her appearance, speech, behavior and lifestyle should be in keeping with those of the community residents without
disregard of their being role model.
Avoid raising the consciousness of the community residents; adopt a low-key profile.

Activities in the Entry Phase

 Integration. Establishing rapport with the people in continuing effort to imbibe community life.
o living with the community
o seek out to converse with people where they usually congregate
 o lend a hand in household chores
o avoid gambling and drinking
 Deepening social investigation/community study
o verification and enrichment of data collected from initial survey
o conduct baseline survey by students, results relayed through community assembly
Core Group Formation

 Leader spotting through sociogram.

o Key Persons. Approached by most people
o Opinion Leader. Approached by key persons
o Isolates. Never or hardly consulted

3. Organization-building Phase

Entails the formation of more formal structure and the inclusion of more formal procedure of planning,
implementing, and evaluating community-wise activities. It is at this phase where the organized leaders or
groups are being given training (formal, informal, OJT) to develop their style in managing their own
concerns/programs.

Key Activities

 Community Health Organization (CHO)

o preparation of legal requirements
o guidelines in the organization of the CHO by the core group
o election of officers
 Research Team Committee
 Planning Committee
 Health Committee Organization
 Others
 Formation of by-laws by the CHO

4. Sustenance and Strengthening Phase

Occurs when the community organization has already been established and the community members are
already actively participating in community-wide undertakings. At this point, the different committees setup
in the organization-building phase are already expected to be functioning by way of planning, implementing
and evaluating their own programs, with the overall guidance from the community-wide organization.

Key Activities

 Training of CHO for monitoring and implementing of community health program.

 Identification of secondary leaders.
 Linkaging and networking.
 Conduct of mobilization on health and development concerns.
 Implementation of livelihood projects.
 IMPLEMENTATION
- Often referred as to the action phase.
- Putting the plan into action and doing all the activities included in the plan
- the most exciting phase for most health workers
- The entire process is intended to enhance the community’s capability in dealing with common health
conditions/problems.

Activities:
1. Entails coordination of the plan with the community and other members of the health team.
2. Collaboration with other sectors (LGU, and other agencies).

Given the activities, requires a common understanding of the goals, objectives, and planned
interventions among the members of the implementing groups.

Nurse’s role: to facilitate the process rather than directly implement the planned interventions

Steps
1. Put nursing plan to action
2. Coordinate care services
3. Utilize community resources
4. Delegate and supervise
5. Monitor health services provided
6. Provide health education and training
7. Document

Key areas of nursing intervention in the community

• link the community members with the available resources
• pulls together information and resources to assist community in addressing its health concern and problems
• marinating its strength through facilitation, education, organization, consultation and direct care.
 EVALUATION
- Maybe directed towards structure, process, and/or outcome

Approaches

1. Structure Evaluation

-Involves looking into the manpower and physical resources of the agency responsible for community health
interventions.

2. Process Evaluation

- Examining the manner by which the assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation were
undertaken.

3. Outcome Evaluation

- Determining the degree of attainment of goals and objectives.

Ongoing evaluation or monitoring is done during implementation to provide feedback on compliance to the
plan as well as on need for changes in the plan to improve the process and outcomes of interventions.

Bases for Good Evaluation (CDC, 2011)

1. Utility

- The value of the evaluation in terms of usefulness of results

- Provide basis for utilizing the community health process in dealing with other community concerns
in the future.
- Should be communicated to the LGU and authorities- result may also promote policy changes
(budgetary allocations)
- Community itself will be the endbeneficiary of evaluation.

2. Feasibility

- Answers the question of whether the plan for evaluation is doable or not, considering available
resources (facilities, time and expertise).
- Entails anticipation of how the results of the evaluation will be received by the different groups and
how to avoid possible misuse of the data derived from the process
- Will yield data worthy of the resources needed to collect and process them (Community Toolbox,
2013).

3. Propriety (Involves ethical and legal matters.)

- Respect for the worth and dignity of the participants should be given due consideration.
- Results of evaluation should be truthfully reported to give credit where it is due and to show the
strengths and weaknesses of the community.
- Results should be furnished to everyone, especially the community.
 - Transparency and accountability should be observed in all financial matters r/t community health
action.

4. Accuracy

- Refers to the validity and reliability of the results of evaluation.

- Can be achieved by choosing and properly utilizing the right evaluation tools.
- Begins with accurate documentation while the community process is ongoing.
- review of data gathered during evaluation accompanied by corrective measures when errors occur
increases the level of accuracy of evaluation