Community

Organizing
for
Community
Development

Peter John P. Gono, RN, MANc

What is Community
Organizing?
Community Organizing
Process by which a
community:
• Identifies its needs or objectives
• Orders (or ranks) these needs or
objectives
• Develops the confidence and will
work at these needs and objectives
• Takes action
• Develops cooperative and
collaborative attitudes and practices
in the community
Murray Ross, 1955
 Community Organizing
Efforts by which groups sharing
common interests are assisted in
identifying their needs and goals,
mobilizing resources within their
communities and in other ways
taking actions leading to the
achievement of the goals they have
set collectively
Meredith Minkler,2002
Community Organizing
It is a social
development approach
that aims to transform
the apathetic,
individualistic, and
voiceless poor into
dynamic,
participatory and
politically
• It is 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.
It is 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.
 continuous & sustained
• It is a
process of educating the people to
understand and develop their critical
awareness of their existing conditions,
working with the people collectively and
efficiently on their immediate and long-
term problems, and mobilizing the
people to develop their capability and
readiness respond and take action on
their immediate needs toward solving
their long-term problems.
 It is a process by which people are
brought together to act in
common self-interest.
 It is usually focused on more than
just resolving specific issues.
Organizing is empowering all
community members, often with the
end goal of distributing power
equally throughout the community
Community Organizing (CO)
A continuous and sustained process of:
• Educating people understand and develop
critical consciousness of their exiting condition
• Organizing people to work collectively on
their immediate and long term problems
• Mobilizing to develop their capability and
readiness to respond and take action on their
needs and problems
 Basic Principles of
Community Organizing
1. Principle of Needs/Problems and Issues
2. Principle of Leadership
3. Principle of Communication
4. Principle of Structure
5. Principle of Evaluation
6. Principle of Participation
Principle of Needs/Problems/Issues
• Discontent with the existing
conditions of the community must be
wisely shared by members

• This feeling leads to dynamic

involvement and working through the
many difficulties in initiating and
developing the organizing process

Basic Principles of Community Organizing

 Principle of Leadership
• Involvement of accepted community
leaders is a must in CO

• Their participation is vital not only

because of their power to influence
community member but also
because of their innate ability to
communicate with members of the
community
Basic Principles of Community Organizing
Principle of Communication
• Community Organizing
involves different types
and groups of people who
set into motion a process
of interaction requiring
the establishment of
effective communication
system.
Basic Principles of Community Organizing
Principle of Structure
• The organizational
structure to be
developed must be
simple enough to
answer its present
need and must be
functional along
the demands of the
organization.
Basic Principles of Community Organizing
 Principle of Evaluation
• Investment in CO can be very high and
return of investment should be very
encouraging to ensure continuous
support to the endeavor.

• Evaluation ensures a closer analysis on the strengths

and weaknesses of the organized actions and gains
obtained along the way.

• Evaluation also provides some lessons which

can be the basis of action modification in future
endeavors.
Basic Principles of Community Organizing
 Principle of Participation
• People must be closely involved
in all phases of the organizing
process.

• CO efforts may be directed

to elevate level of
participation of politically
and Basicsocially inactive
Principles of Community Organizing
 Levels of Participation
in the Community

• Gladiators
• Foot Soldiers
• Spectators
• Apathetics
 Levels of Participation
• Gladiators
- Highly involved individuals willing to lead in
confrontation and devote time and effort to
community activities

• Foot Soldiers
- Would attend meetings, distribute flyers, do
house-to-house visits and join demonstrations in
support of community issues
• Spectators
 Voice support for the programs and
projects of the community and may
participate in general assembly.

• Apathetics
 Politically and socially inactive and rarely
contribute effort for the community.
 Five Stages of Organizing:
Community Health Promotion
Model

1) Community Analysis
2) Design and Initiation
3) Implementation
4) Program Maintenance –
Consolidation
5) Dissemination- Reassessment
Stage I: COMMUNITY ANALYSIS

The process of assessing and designing

needs, opportunities and resources involved
in initiating community health action program.

Referred as “community diagnosis”

“community needs assessment”,
“health education planning” and
“mapping”.
Stage I: COMMUNITY ANALYSIS

Key Elements:

1. Collect data
2. Assess community capacity
3. Assess community barriers
4. Assess readiness for change
5. Synthesize data and set
priorities
 Stage II: DESIGN AND INITIATION

Key Elements:
1. Establish core planning groups and select a local
organizer.
2. Choose an organizational structure.
3. Identify, select and recruit organization members.
4. Define the goals of the organizations.
5. Clarify roles and responsibilities of people
involved in the organization.
6. Provide training and recognition.
7. Develop plans.
 Stage III: IMPLEMENTATION

Key Elements:

1.Generate broad citizen

participation.
2. Develop a sequential work plan.
3. Use comprehensive, integrated
strategies.
 Stage IV: PROGRAM
MAINTENANCE CONSOLIDATION

Key Elements:

1. Establish a positive
organizational culture.
2. Establish an on-going
recruitment plan.
3. Disseminate results.
 Stage V: DISSEMINATION-
REASSESSMENT

Key Elements:

1. Update the community analysis.

2. Assess effectiveness
interventions/programs.
3. Chart future directions.
4. Summarize and disseminate
results.
 Models of Community Organizing
(Rothman)

• Locality
Development
• Social Planning
• Social action
 Locality Development
• Community change may be
pursued optimally through
broad participation of a wide
spectrum of people at the local
community level in goal
determination and action. (bottom-
up)

• Themes: democratic procedures, voluntary cooperation, self-help,

development of indigenous leadership and educational objectives
 Social Planning
• A rational, deliberately planned, technical process of
problem-solving regard to
with
substantive social problems.
• Degree of participation may vary.

• Concern is with establishing, arranging and

delivering goods and services to people who

need them; not building community capacity or

fostering radical or fundamental social change.
(top-down)
 Social Action Approach
• Assume that a disadvantaged segment of the
population needs to be organized in order to make
demands on the larger community for increased
resources or improved treatment.
(inside-out)
• Key social
themes: justice,
democracy, and the
redistribution of power,
resources, and decision-making.
 Approaches to
Community Development

1.Welfare
Approach
2.Modernization
Approach
 Welfare Approach
The immediate and/or spontaneous
response to ameliorate the manifestation of
poverty, especially on the personal level.
Assumes that poverty is God-given,
destined, hence, the poor should accept
their condition since they will receive their
just reward in heaven
Believes that poverty is caused by bad luck,
natural disasters and certain circumstances
which are beyond the control of people.
 Modernization Approach
 Also referred to as the project development
approach.
 Introduces whatever resources are lacking
in a given community.
 Also considered a national strategy which
adopts the western mode of technological
development.
 Assumes that development consists of abandoning
the traditional methods of doing things and must
adopt the technology of industrial countries.
 Believes that poverty is due to lack of education; lack of
resources such as capital and technology.
 Transformatory/ Participatory
Approach
- The process of empowering/transforming the poor
and the oppressed sectors of society so that they
can pursue a more just and humane society
- Assumes that poverty is not God-given,
rather it is rooted in the historical past
and is maintained by the oppressive
structures in society
- Believes that poverty is caused by
prevalence of exploitation, oppression,
domination, and other unjust structures
 COPAR
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 to eventually take over
the management of a development program in
the future.
3. COPAR maximizes community participation and
involvement; community resources are mobilized for
community services.
 Processes/Methods of
COPAR
1.Action –Reflection – Action
Session (ARAS)
2.Consciousness Raising
through Experiential
Learning
3.Consensus Building
4.Mass-Based Leadership
 Processes/Methods of
COPAR
1.Action –Reflection – Action
Session (ARAS)
- a progressive cycle of Action-
Reflection-Action Sessions (ARAS)
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.
2. Consciousness Raising through
Experiential Learning

- is central to the COPAR process

because it places emphasis on
learning that emerges from
concrete action which enriches
succeeding actions.
3.Consensus Building
- COPAR is participatory
and mass-based because
it is primarily directed
towards and biased in
favor of the poor, the
powerless and the
oppressed
3.Mass-Based Leadership
- COPAR is group-centered and not
leader-oriented. Leaders are
identified, emerge and are tested
through action rather than appointed
or selected by some external force or
entity.
 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
interests of the poorest sectors of
society.
3. COPAR should lead to a self-reliant
community and society.
Critical Steps (Activities) in Building
People’s Organization
1.Integration – a community organizer
becomes one with the people in order to:
 Immerse himself in the poor community
 Understand deeply the culture, economy,
leaders, history, rhythms and lifestyle in the
community
Methods of integration includes:
• Participation in direct production activities of the
people
• Conduct of house-to-house visits
• Participation is activities like birthdays, fiestas,
wakes, etc.
• Conversing with people where
they usually gather such as in
stores, waterwells, washing
streams, or in churchyards
• Helping out in household chores
like cooking, washing the dishes
2. Social Investigation

- a systematic process of
collecting, collating, and
analyzing data to draw a
clear picture of the
community
- also known as the
community study
Pointers for the conduct of social
investigation:
Use of survey questionnaire is
discouraged
• Community leaders can be trained to
initially assist the community
worker/organizer in doing social
investigation
• Data can be more effectively and efficiently
collected through informal methods (house
to house visits, participating in
conversation as in jeepneys and others)
• Secondary data should be thoroughly
examined because much of the information
might already be available
• Social investigation is
facilitated if the community
organizer/community worker is
properly integrated and has
acquired the trust of the
people
• Confirmation and validation of
community data should be done
regularly
 3. Tentative Program
Planning
– one issue to work on will be
chosen by the community
organizer to begin organizing
the people
4. Groundwork – going around and motivating the people on
a one on one basis to do something on the issue that has been
chosen.
5. The meeting – people collectively ratifying
what they have already decided
individually. The meeting gives the people
the collective power and confidence. This
is the time when problems and issues are
discussed.
6.Role Play - means to act out the meeting
that will take place between the leaders of the
people and the government representatives. It
is a way of training the people to anticipate
what will happen and prepare themselves for
such eventuality.
7. Mobilization or action – actual experience of the
people in confronting the powerful and the actual exercise of
people power.
8. Evaluation – the people reviewing the steps 1-
7 so as to determine whether they were
successful or not in their objectives
9. Reflection - dealing with deeper, on-going concerns
to look at the positive values the community organizer is
trying to build in the organization. It gives the people
time to reflect on the stark reality of life compared to the
ideal.
10. Organization –the people’s organization is
the result of many successive similar actions
of the people. A final organizational structure
is set up with elected officers and supporting
members.
 Community Organizers
Roles:
– Building a base of concerned
people
– Mobilizing these community
members to act and
– Developing leadership from and
relationships among the people
involved
Community Organizers
Qualities:
1. Imaginative
2. Sense of humor
3. Vision of a better world
4. An organized personality
5. Strong ego/ sense of oneself
6. A free, open mind, and political
relativity
7. Ability to create the new out of the
old
8. Should be open for cultural diversity
 Phases of COPAR

1.Pre-entry Phase
2. Entry / Social Preparation Phase
3.Organization Building Phase
4.Sustenance and
Strengthening phase
I. Pre-entry Phase
A. Site Selection
1. Conduct preliminary social investigation
2. Do initial networking/ consultation with LGU
and other NGOs
3. Generate secondary data
4. Make long/ short list of potential communities
(based on a set criteria)
5. Conduct ocular survey of shortlisted communities
6. Interview barangay officials, leaders and key
informants
7. Identify project sites/ alternatives
8. Coordinate with LGUs/ NGOs for assistance
9. Develop secondary profiles from secondary data
 10.Develop survey tools
11.Orient/ train staff on baseline survey’
pay courtesy cal to community
leaders
12.Pay courtesy call to community
leaders
13.Sensitize community leaders
regarding COPAR
14.Conduct community assembly
15.Conduct baseline survey
16.Identify/ develop IEC materials for
information dissemination/
B. Selection of
sensitization
a Staff House or
Host Family
17.Conduct staff planning/strategizing
 II. Entry/ Social
Preparation Phase
Activities:
1. Integrate with community residents
2. Conduct Deepening Social Investigation (DSI)
3. Disseminate information/ sensitize community
residents on COPAR
4. Formulate criteria for selection of core group
members
5. Make long/short list of potential core group
members/ leaders
6. Deliver essential services
7. Continue social investigation

8. Form the core group

9. Define roles and functions of
core group
10. Conduct team building/
sensitization/ informal
education of core group
members
11. Present baseline survey result
12. Conduct SALT
13. Consult community to organize
CHO & Community Research
Team
14. Train community researchers
on PAR
Core group – is a group of individuals who
possess leadership potentials formed and
organized into a cohesive working unit

Functions:
 Social preparation of the community for health
and development work
 Organizing a community research team for the
conduct of community diagnosis
 Setting up the CHO and facilitate the
identification of potential CHWs
 Sensitizing and mobilizing the community to act
on their more immediate needs and participate
in the delivery of services
 Conduct DSI utilizing PAR
 Participatory Action Research
(PAR)
 Can be defined as “collective, self-reflective
enquiry undertaken by participants in social
situations in order to improve the rationality
and justice of their own social practices”
(Kemmis and McTaggart, 1988)
 Research in PAR is ideally BY THE LOCAL PEOPLE
AND FOR THE LOCAL PEOPLE. Research is
designed to address specific issues identified by local
people and the results are directly applied to the
problems at hand.
 PAR is a community-directed process
of gathering and analyzing information
on an issue for the process of taking
action and making changes (Partners in Action
Research, 1997)

 PAR involves investigation of

problems and issues concerning
the life and environment of the
underprivileged, by way of
research collaboration with the
underprivileged themselves (PCPD, 1990)
III: Organization Building
Phase
Activities:
1. Elect Community Health
Organization (CHO) Officers
Functions of CHO:
a. Ensure collective participation in
decision making and during the PIME
(Planning, Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation) of
community projects.
b. Establish network of linkages for
mobilizing external support
c. Generate resources for maintaining and
sustaining programs and activities
d. Raising the community’s
consciousness on health,
development and other
broader issues.
e. Mobilizing the people to
act on the problems and
issue affecting them
2. Organize / train community health
workers and second liners
3. Conduct PAR
4. Consolidate community diagnosis
and PAR Results
5. Formulate community development
plan
6. Organize working committees
7. Link with LGUs/ NGOs for financial
and technical assistance
8. Conduct PIME (planning,
implementation, monitoring and
evaluation) of projects.
Planning for a Program of
Action/Project
1. Determine OBJECTIVES –
identify what is to be done and
what outcomes might be
2. Select activities and
methods/strategies for achieving
the objectives
3. Estimate time needed
4. Identify the persons responsible
5. Develop monitoring and
evaluation scheme
IV: Sustenance and
Strengthening Phase
Activities:
1. Develop financial and management
systems
2. Assess/ Re-plan community programs
3. Institutionalize linkages/ networks/
referral points
4. Hold continuing needs – based
education/ training of leaders,
community workers and residents
1. Formulate/ ratify
constitution and
by-laws
2. Apply for SEC
registration/ LGU
accreditation
3. Negotiate for
absorption of
community health
workers by LGU
4. Work towards
affiliating/
federating with
other groups