COMMUNITY

ORGANIZING
Celyn Nicole F. Rollan BSN-IV
Community Organizing
Organizing is people working together to get things done.

Power is the purpose of community organization, and the issues,

problems, strategies and victories are a means to the end of
increased power for the organization and the community..

Dave Beckwith and Randy Stoeker

Community Organizing
The empowerment process at the heart of Community
Organization promotes participation of people, organizations
and communities toward the goals of increased individual and
community control, political efficacy, improved quality of
community life and social justice.

Nina Wallerstein, American Journal of Health Promotion.

Community Organizing
A process by which people organize themselves to take charge
of their situation and thus develop a sense of being a community
together. It is particularly effective tool for the poor and
powerless as they determine foe themselves the action they will
take to deal with the essential forces that are destroying their
community and consequently causing them to be powerless.

Reverend Robert Linthicum, World Vision International

 Community Organizing
Organizing does two central things to seek to rectify the problem of
power imbalance it build a permanent base of people power so that
dominant financial and institutional power can be challenged and
held accountable to values of greater social, environmental and
economic justice; and ,it transforms individuals and communities,
making them mutually respectful co-creators of public life rather than
passive objects of decisions made by others.

Mike Miller, Organized Training Center.

Community Organizing is a continuous and
sustained process of:
Guiding people to understand the existing condition of their own
community.

Organizing people to work collectivity and efficiently on their

immediate and long term problem.
Importance of Community Organizing
It provides the people with an opportunity to get
involved and identify the common health problems of
their community.

It guides the community in decision making towards

self reliance.

It guides people in analyzing the strengths and

weaknesses of every possible solution offered by them.
Concept of Community
Organization.
Is a values based process by which people most often low and
moderate income people previously absent from decision - making
tables are brought together in organizations to jointly act the in the
interest of their communities and the common good.

Community organizers identify and attract the people to involved in

the organizations, and develop the leadership from and relationships
among the people that make the organizations effective.
Concept of Community
Organization.
Typically, the actions taken by CO groups are taken by CO are
preceded by careful data gathering, research and participatory
strategic planning.
The actions are often in the form of negotiations with
targeted institutions holding power - around issues determined
by and important to the organizations.
CO groups continuously reflect on what they have learned in
their action strategies and incorporate the learning in
subsequent strategies.
Concept of Community
Organization.
The central ingredients of all effective CO in the view of many
involved in the field what they believe distinguishes CO most
clearly from all other social change strategies is building
power.

CO builds power and works for change most often to achieve

social justice with and for those who are disadvantaged in
society.
KEY PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY
ORGANIZING
1. A Participative Culture

CO organizations view participation as an end in

itself. Under the rubric of leadership development,
they devote considerable time and resources to
enlarging the skills, knowledge and responsibilities
of their members.

Never do for others what they can do for

themselves known as the iron rule of organizing.
KEY PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY
ORGANIZING
2. Inclusiveness
CO organizations are unlike other kinds of voluntary association that, in most
instances, tend to draw their membership from a narrow social base and their
leadership in business and professional elites.

CO groups are generally committed to developing membership and leadership from

a broad spectrum of the community, with many expressly dedicated to fostering
participation among groups that have been absent from the table, including
indigenous communities, low income constituencies, immigrant, sexual minorities
and youth.
KEY PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY
ORGANIZING
3. Breadth of Mission and Vision

In principle, every issue that affects the welfare of the community is

within COs purview, where other civic institutions tend to get stuck on
certain function while losing sight of the communitys larger problems.

CO organizations have proven adept at integrating a diverse set of

issues and linking them to a larger vision of the common good. This is
holistic function that has been largely abandoned by political parties,
churches, school and other civil institution.
KEY PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY
ORGANIZING
4. Critical Perspective

CO organizations seek to change policies and institutions that

are not working. In many communities, they are the only force
promoting institutional accountability and responsiveness.
Because community organizations think critical positions, they
can be viewed as partisan or even polarizing in some contexts,
and an obstacle to social collaboration.
Leadership and Community
Organizing
CO places its faith in the value of people working together for common
ends, and in what they can do if given appropriate guidance and
opportunity. In CO, the people lead. Without them there is nothing than
can properly be called CO.

Organizers call the work they do to involve people based building.

It is continuous and challenging, whether done through religious
institutions, as in the faith-based approach to CO, or direct with
individuals and families in direct membership CO groups.
The Importance of Developing Community
Leaders
For any business governmental unit, nonprofit organization, or
foundation rises or falls with the quality of its leadership.

For CO groups, the importance of identifying and developing

responsive and effective leadership from the community
cannot be understated.
The Importance of Developing Community
Leaders
In CO, the goal of encouraging people feel and be more powerful is
typically as important as achieving substantive chance. Every member is
encouraged to take leadership roles. Members and leaders make all
organizational decisions, from bylaws to slogan. Members raised and select
organizational issues based on the self interest of the group, and broad
agreement among members is necessary before the organization will pursue
an issue. Most grassroots organizations work in many issues at once.
Decisions regarding strategy, tactics, and targets are made by leaders and
members, using staff consultation. Pressure activities are implemented and
evaluated by members. Leaders speak to the press and negotiate with
targets.
PHASES OF COPAR PROCESS
A. Pre-entry Phase

B. Entry Phase

C. Helping Phase

D. Phase Out
 A. Pre-entry Phase
this phased also known as project site selection. The conduct of
preliminary social analysis of the community is needed to be able to plan
the most effective way of entering the community.
1. Preparation of criteria and guidelines for area selection
Criteria for Selection.
a. Local leaders and community are receptive/ supportive this is most
important for sustainability.
b. Community Organizing can serves as a model for elimination/ reduction
of disease this is important for application by others
c. Area must have relatively high prevalence of disease but not
necessarily the highest this is important for optimum use for limited
resources.
Phases in guidelines preparation
a. Piloting standardization of basic activities and tools based
on small-scale implementation of project.
- identifying contacts
- core group information
- start-up activities
b. Implementation of activities standardization of
comprehensive line of activities for large scale
implementation.
- KAP surveys
- development of advocacy/ IEC materials (
workshop/ trimedia/ production)
- community organizing
- training of health workers
- building of family competencies
- mass treatment
- monitoring and evaluation
2. Identification of target area the possible target
area must be able to provide information relevant to the
criteria provided.
3. Assessment of target area conduct community
profile to have an initial impression of the barangay based
on the criteria set. It will also serve as a means to get to
know other people in the area and to identify contacts.
B. Entry Phase
This is also known as social preparation of community. It is considered crucial
because the success of later activities depend largely on the community
organizers (CO) extent of integration with the people, her/his understanding
of the events in the community, and how she/he identified by the people.

1. Establishment of links with leaders and agencies give formal

recognition of the role local authorities by paying them a visit to inform
them of the activities.
2. Immersion
Selecting a Host Family
In general, a CO is more effective if she/he lives with the people in
the project site. By living there, the CO acquires a deeper
knowledge of the object conditions of the community, and
integration is facilitated.

There are 4 main activities that are interrelated and simultaneously

carried out to be totally immersed in the community.
a. Integration with the community.
- community integration is the process of establishing
rapport with the people in a continuing effort to imbibe
community life by living with them and undergoing the same
experiences, and sharing their hopes, aspirations, and
hardship toward building mutual trust and cooperation.

Community integration involves:

Participating in community activities.
Conducting house to house visits or social calls.
Conversing with the people in places where they usually
converge.
b. Identification of potential leaders.
Potential leaders are considered future community
organizers and managers of community based program. They
are the people who will also be the foundations of the
community organization.

c. Information campaign on Health Programs.

Discussion during house to house visits.
Small group discussions/ focus group discussions.
Purok meetings and community assemblies.
d. Provision of basic health services.
Responding to immediate health-related needs.
Problems of the community may already be identified.

3. Agreement A partnership agreement is sealed by the

members of the community to develop their own initiative and
dynamism.
4. Direction Setting it involves the preparation of specific
plans, schedules, and working arrangements with the
community regarding Health Programs. This activity takes the
form of a community assembly attended by the Proponent, the
LGUs representatives, the RHU based on the project sites, and
the members of the community.
C. Helping Phase
this is also known as community involvement. This covers gathering encouraging
people to identify and analyze their needs and problems.
1. Community profiling and analysis
There are 4 major activities in developing an accurate profile and analyze their
needs and problems .
a. Collection of primary data through surveys
Accessibility access to and from the town proper.
Socio-economic characteristics means of livelihood, peace and order situation,
and population of indigenous groups.
Facilities and Infrastructures types of facilities and infrastructures, the presence
of electricity and communication facilities, when and how the where established, their
users, and problems encountered.
 Access to service groups and agencies that are providing service, and the type
and frequency of the service they provide.
Community organizations organizations in the barangay, their projects,
activities, and organizational set-up.
Health status - common and endemic diseases, causes and management ,
maternal and child care practices, sources of waste, waste and disposal, as well as
dietary patterns.
Participation of women in development activities.

b. Walk-through of the community To familiarize with their areas physical

features. A spot map is the output of the activity.
c. Collection of secondary data through interviews/review
records,
Background data and map
Barangay population by sex and age
Household size
Health status
Health manpower
Health facilities
Educational institutions
School enrollment
d. Data analysis
Problem identification
- distinguishing problem from cause or need
- distinguishing effect of the problem
- distinguishing need from want
Prioritizing the problem
- urgency of the problem
- severity of seriousness of the problem
- percentage of the population affected
- problem analysis
- cause and effect of the main problem
 Strategizing cause are translated to strategies or means
to deal with the problem.

SWOT Analysis
Strengths: like human/ material resources
Weaknesses: like lack of trained manpower
Opportunities: like support from LGUs, NGOs and GOs
Threats: like implementation problem.
2. Core group formation
Formation of groups who will organize the community, develop, sustain
planned activities after phase out.
3. Community planning
Formulation of measures to address the problem in a systemic and
sequential process.
4. Implementation
Series of activities designed to address concerns that affect the health
and lives of the people in a community; this is consistent with the
community health plan.
5. Monitoring and Evaluation
It is needed not only to improve particular actions for specific settings but
also to gain knowledge for expanded action. It also requires innovative
use or reformulation of existing methods and tools not previously given
much attention.
 D. Phase Out
This phase could mean that a program is already community-managed.
Facilitators ( or outsiders) withdraw from self-reliant groups who will now
continue to implement the cycle of direction setting, organizing, planning,
implementation, and review for the benefit of the community members.
Determining factors to ensure sustainability
1. Structure refers to the organizational structures both in the
partnerships and in the communities. The capability of the people and the
viability of the organization as a whole will greatly influence sustainability.
2. Skills development and technology transfer the skills required to
carry out the project activities must be fully developed and integrated in
the partnership before the end of the project life. This should be
preserved in the memory of the organization which eventually help
sustainability.
3. Systems it includes the systems and procedures needed to formulate
policies, plan and make decisions on the day-to-day operation system.
Consensus among the members and their responsiveness to the changing
times will determine the prospects of sustainability.
4. Commitment participation in planning and decision making fosters
greater commitment in the community. This is because it gives
community members a true sense of ownership of the program as well as
a sense of self- respect that flows from self-governance.
When to Phase Out
1. When the objectives have been attained.

2. When the impact of the project has become visible or change has been made.

3. When the members of the community can take over the planning,
implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the project.

4. When the community resources can already be maximized by the people.

5. When a viable community-based organization has been established.

Phase Out Strategy
1. Conduct of an impact assessment.

2. Preparation of a comprehensive phase out action plan.

3. Gradual pull-out of intervention.

4. Institutionalization of the community organization with other agencies

who provide support

5. Provision of consultancy services

THANK YOU