THE COMMUNITY AS STAGE OF

COMMUNITY SERVICE.

Definition of Community

The community is made up of different persons living in a definite territory with at least a minimum of cultural ties based on common values, interests, goals, system of expectations, concerns, etc.

TYPES OF COMMUNITIES1. Geographical : a community within an ecclesiastical or civil

territory.2. Sectoral : farmers, fishermen, vendors, women, workers,

informal settlers, etc.3. Functional : school community with teachers, students, or

administrators.4. Rural, Urban, Rurban: relationship in the rural community

is closer, person-to-person, communication is evident; relationship in an urban community is artificial, transitory; business-like; rurban communities show physical characteristics of an urban community but relationships are more rural in nature.

5. Tribal/Indigenous: also known as cultural communities.

PROCESS OF ORGANIZING/DEVELOPING

COMMUNTIESOrganizing/Developing communities is done

systematically. The process can be slow but methods and procedures should be followed to effect more sustainable results.

1. Pre-Entry Phase This is primarily the preparation phase.

* Answers to the following questions are necessary.How prepared is the NSTP student in the

organizing job?

Does the NSTP student have some initial knowledge about the community?

Is there a basis/criterion used in choosing the community?

What are the long-range and short-range plans of the NSTP Department vis-a-vis the organized community?

11. Entry Into the CommunityCommunities have to be prepared for the entry of the NSTP student(s) who will work in the community.Some activities involved are:a) Ocular survey of the Community : visit and

observation of the community; its physical characteristics, resources, etc.

b) Courtesy Calls made by the NSTP student particularly the barangay captain, the parish priest, other religious leaders, and other workers (both GOs and NGOs)

The person who is perceived as a leader or influential person should not be ignored.These individuals maybe informal leaders. This could be the

* “Herbolario” (Quack Doctor) who is frequented by families and friends intimes of sicknesses;

* “Old, wise guy” who has been in the community years immediately after the community got its own legal identity.

* “Pilosopong Tacio” who, though widely disliked by some, possess the wisdom in age and experience.These individuals could help provide a deeper view of the community especially its beginnings.

lll. Core Group FormationThis is the stage when the community worker starts

identifying potential leaders in the community. Aside from community visits, collateral interviews and community meetings, it would help a great deal if seminars on self-awareness, leadership skills, team-building and the like could be given to identified groups to facilitate the harnessing of potential leaders. Election of officer of officers can be done once the process of selecting genuine would-be-leaders has been consciously and systematically conducted.

lV. Organization Building and Strengthening of the Organization

The decision to form a group should be taken by the people. It is they who must formalize and do their work. Establishing a group indicates that the people are beginning to develop a sense of group identity and continue their work in a more structured way.

As the group is formed, regular meetings are held and an agenda for each is drawn up by the people. Members of the group take responsibility to call the meeting and encourage others in the community to attend and take part. These people in effect run the meeting. They should feel that are taking charge, that they have skills, confidence, and resources to address their problems.

This is also the stage of seeing to it that leaders are trained and formed. The elected leaders are expected to perform their duties and develop their skills to serve the community.

As the group operates, members should be encouraged to focus and identify their problems and needs. People should articulate their opinions, discuss their problems and initially present ways on how these can be confronted. A critical awareness should be emerging at this stage where members see problems not just affecting them but the wider community. The realization of the need to work together should emerge, in effect, showing that rather than division is necessary for the alleviation of their problems.

As the community becomes more stable, it is important that proper planning is done by the people. They must have a sense of purpose. Simple activities can be conducted to build unity an demonstrate that when people work together great things can be accomplished. Such activities also prepare the way for more formal development work. These initial activities are necessary before the community takes on more demanding and bigger projects.

Two important sub-phases are seen in this stage: increase in membership and establishing and harnessing of internal linkages. This is also the rise of volunteerism in the community.

V. EvaluationThe community, at this stage, assumes full responsibility

in its affairs. The role of the NSTP student becomes much more limited, paving the way for maximum people’s action. The NSTP Department can either terminate or continue its services in the community. This, however, can only come about after a thorough evaluation has been conducted.

STUDY QUESTONS1. How would you describe the community that you are

presently residing?

2. What is the type of this community? Please explain.

3. As an NSTP student, if you were to start your community service in this community, what will you do? Describe the strategies and activities that you will use to organize/develop this community.

SKILLS IN SOCIAL INVESTIGATIONDefinition of Social Investigation

Data gathering in community development is also referred to as social investigation. It is a process of getting to know the community more through person-to-person; observation; and actual participation in community activities to gathering and analyzing data and utilizing these data in coming up with community plans and programs.

There are (3) Sociological Approaches in Conducting Social InvestigationA. ECOLOGICAL APPROACH

This refers to the physical attributes of the community and how these affect man’s interaction with his social environment.

An NSTP student, even without asking any question and with the use of his eyes, can develop some initial insights about the community by merely looking at its physical features.

* Is there any difference in the lifestyle of the people between a rural area and an urban are?* What is the tempo of life of children, women and adults in a farming community? What about the tempo of life in a squatter’s area?

* Are there resources in the community where people could convene for community assemblies or meetings?

* What is the best time for an NSTP student to schedule community meetings? Is it during daytime, when husbands are out for their work or wives are busy attending to the needs of their children; or at night, when everyone could be readily free and available?

* If the community is at the stage when electricity is still a remote possibility, it would be useless on the part of the worker to schedule a meeting at night.

What is being demonstrated here is that variables like lifestyles of the people, tempo of life, stage of development, possibilities or limitations for community change, etc., should be studies by the NSTP student using his or her “sociological eye”. These could have direct implications on the organizing work being done in the community.

B. STRUCTURAL APPAROACH The community here is seen as a structure of

relationships. There are two major processes that are involved:

* the communication pattern of the people like, who communicates what, with/to whom, and how; and

* the decision-making pattern of the people like, who decides what, with whom, and how? This approach also present the types and nature of organized groups in the community.

C. NORMATIVE APPROACH This sees the community as a social personality with a set of

values, customs, traditions, folkways, mores, and beliefs. Based on the perception of the insider, the community’s social life from “womb” to “tomb” is seen and analyzed.

The key to success of any community project would be the active participation of the people. It is important, therefore, to understand the cultural values of the people. How they view a particular situation largely depends on the meaning that they attribute to this. For example, a worker should first find out the collective thinking of a particular community on the use of contraceptive4 methods in family planning. She/he should not force it on people just because it is the banner program of her/his organization. Such action could lead to some relationship problems later on.

STUDY QUESTIONS 1. What is the purpose of social investigation?

2. How would you compare and contrast the three (3) approaches in understanding the community?

3. If you would be asked to describe the community where you are presently residing, how would you do it? What would you focus on? Why?

SKILL IN COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENTCOMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT

seeks to gather accurate information representative of the needs of a community. Assessment is performed prior to taking action and is used to determine current situations and identify issues for action. Needs assessment establishes the essential foundation for vital planning.

A needs assessment will:1. identify the essential resources that are already

available within the organization.

2. identify the essential resources to be acquired.

3. determine how to use, develop or obtain those resource.

The concept of community needs assessment connotes a process by which assessment of the current situation in the community is undertaken, value-based judgments regarding the preferred or desired situation are reached, and some determination of the priority status of local needs is made.

The accurate appraisal of the current situations an important element in this process. In most instances, this entails the collection of first information from relevant sources.

The goal of needs assessment is to identify the assets of a community and determine potential concerns that it faces. A straightforward way to estimate the needs of a community is to simply ask residents their opinions about the issues and problems they are dealing with.

Why is Needs Assessment Important? Change is the main reason to obtain accurate information

regarding the needs of a community. All communities are in a continual state of change. As they experience natural growth and development, communities encounter fluctuating demographics.

The community needs assessment process is an invaluable tool for involving the people in solving problems and developing goals. People have a natural tendency to resist change due to the lack of adequate information or lack of involvement in the decision making process. Taking advantage of a needs assessment can be an excellent way for people to become involved and contribute to the outcome(s).

NEEDS ASSESSMENT IS USED: * To learn more about what the community needs are. * To get an honest and objective description of needs from the people

themselves. * To anticipate and remain responsive to changing demographics, attitudes and

needs. * To become aware of possible needs which are particularly important. * To document the needs, as is required in many applications for funding. * To get group and community support for the actions to be undertaken in the

near future. * To get people actually involved will attract new members. * To make sure that any actions carried out are in line with needs expressed by

the community.

The Community Needs Assessment allows the community to prioritize needs and strategize community solutions to improve conditions.

How to Carry Out a Needs Assessment

Important questions to ask when planning for needs assessment:

1. Who is the assessment attempting to inform, influence, or persuade?

2. What purpose is the needs assessment intended to accomplish?

3. Whose needs are to be assessed?

4. What questions need to be asked? Do you already know the answers? Can you do anything to change the situation?

5. How will the information be used?

TECHNIQUES IN COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENTExisting Date Approach: Already existing statistical data is

used to obtain insights about the well-being of people. This approach uses descriptive statistics to prepare an assessment report for the community.

Community Attitude Survey Approach: Information is gathered from a representative sample of community residents about issues affecting their well-being. Data are collected by personal interviews, telephone surveys, or door-to-door surveys. Responses are generally representative of the whole community.

Key Informant Approach: The key informant approach identifies community leaders and people who are knowledgeable about the community and can accurately identify priority needs and concerns. Key informants complete a questionnaire or are personally interviewed to obtain their thoughts of community needs. The information is then analyzed and reported to the community through publications or a community meeting.

Community Forum: A Community meeting(s) is held during which time the participants discuss the needs faced by the community, what some of the priority needs are and what can be done about these priority needs. All members of the community are encouraged to attend and express their concern and perceived needs.

Focus Group Interview: A group of people selected for their particular skills, experiences, views or position are asked a series of questions about a topic or issue to collect their opinions. Group interaction is used to obtain detailed information about a particular issue.

KEY RELATED CONCECPTSEvaluations are the counterpart to needs assessment. Needs

assessments are completed before evaluations. Evaluations assess the relevance, adequacy and appropriateness of current individual programs, activities and events. They measure the relevance, satisfaction and effectiveness of an existing activity.

A Focus Group is an informal technique used to help assess the needs and feelings of participants on particular subjects. Participants engage in informal discussions about the particular study area(s). Focus groups are typically small in size and usually range between six to twenty participants. They are commonly used during the needs assessment process.

Organizational Planning involves creating a “to do” list for an organization. It lists the plan of work, programs and organizational growth over a period of time. Plans are created relatively easily; writing an organizational plan includes crafting a list of the work for action, identifying the work tasks, assigning staff or members to them tasks and projecting calendar dates the work will be accomplished.

Program Evaluation carefully collects information about a program or an aspect of a program in order to make necessary decisions about the program. Program evaluation can include any or a variety of at least 35 different types of evaluation, such as needs assessments, accreditation, cost/benefit analysis, effectiveness, efficiency, formative, goal-based, process, outcomes, etc. The type of evaluation you undertake to improve your programs depends on what you want to learn about the program,.

Strategic Planning is a systematic process through which an organization agrees on – and builds commitment among key stakeholders to – prioritize which are essential to its mission and responsive to the operating environment.

Surveys are a particular form of data collection utilized during the needs assessment process. Types of surveys commonly applied are person-to-person interviews, questionnaires and telephone interviews.

SWOT Analysis evaluates the Strengths and Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats of an organization. “Swot analysis is a broad overview of the most important internal Strengths and Weaknesses and the most important external Opportunities and Threats”. It is a function performed during the strategic planning process.

STUDY QUESTIONS1. Discuss the importance of community needs

assessment in community service.

2. Among the techniques which are used in community needs assessment, identify the technique which you think is more appropriate to use in communities which are assisted by the NSTP students. Explain your answer.

3. What do you think would be the implication of implementing community projects without needs assessment?

PROJECT PLANNING , MANAGEMENT, MONITORING AND EVALUATIONPROJECT PLANNING Projects become successful due to planning. People are

trapped with the experience that work is done without appropriate planning. Proper planning results to a slot of saving in terms of money, materials, machines, and manpower resources.

ELEMENTS OF A PROJECT PLAN1. Clarity of statement of goals

2. Feasibility studies conducted

3. Approaches/Methods to be used

4. Target Time Frame

5. Resources Required

PROJECT MANAGEMENTIt is a carefully planned and organized effort to accomplish

specific objectives.

The right people with the right combination of skills should be put to ensure effective project outcomes. They should follow well-defined processes and utilize tools that ensure effective project implementation. Everything should be in place before the work starts.

PROJECT MONITORINGIt provides an understanding of and communicating

the progress of a project that is being undertaken. It is also referred to as controlling as a function in administration. It helps identify when the project performance is significantly deviating from the plan. This will involve the use of appropriate corrective actions and preventive actions. Project monitoring is performed throughout the project. Effective project monitoring and controlling can lead to a successful project outcomes.

PROJECT EVALUATIONIt is a step-by-step process of

collecting, recording and organizing information about project results, including the immediate results of activities, and immediate and longer-term project outcomes, like changes in behaviour or practice.

IMPORTANCE OF CONDUCTING PROJECT EVALUATION1. For accountability

2. Evidence of effective, efficient and equitable use of financial and other resources

3. Demonstration of actual changes and progress made

4. Presence of success indicators, need for improvement or where expected outcomes are unrealistics

5. Proof for project partners that desired outcomes are being achieved by project staff

STUDY QUESTIONS1. Discuss the importance of project planning.2. That may happen if an NSTP student implement a

community project without planning? Present five practical measures to address this concern.

3. What is the difference between monitoring and evaluation? Explain how these processes are conducted.