Common

Module:
05
Civic Welfare and Training
Duration:
Service 2 3 hrs CWTS 2
LTS 2
Literacy Training Service 2
Approaches in Community Work

Student’s Name: ______________________________________________

Year & Section: ________________ Date Received: __________________
Teacher’s Name: _____________________________ _________________

Commission on Higher Education

LIGAO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Ligao City
I. Title/Topic

Approaches in Community Work

Subtopics:
 Community Organization
 Goals and Guiding principle of Community Organizing
 The Community Organizing Process

II. Introduction/Overview

The community development approach is a way of working with communities and people to
set agendas and organize. Community development is a long–term value-based process which
aims to address imbalances in power and bring about change founded on social justice, equality
and inclusion.

III. Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain the community work process.
2. Conduct SWOT Analysis to describe the quality of life in one’s community.

IV. Self-Assessment Question

Part I. Arrange the jumbled letter.

a. TEINTOINARG - __________________
b. LYAANISS - __________________
c. SEHAP OUT - __________________
d. TAMENLEPTIINON - __________________

A. Preliminary Activity:
The family is the basic unit of society/community.
With the help of family members, Analyse the picture and answer the question to come up with
the word related to community development approach.
1. First member – FATHER

They are human beings in general (men, women

and children). It is a plurality of persons considered
as a whole, as is the case with an ethnic group,
nation or the public of a polity.
Your Answer:

2. Second Member – MOTHER

It means becoming stronger and confident. It is the

degree of autonomy and self-determination in
people and in communities. This enables them to
represent their interests in a responsible and self-
determined way, acting on their own authority

Your Answer:

B. Analysis/Questions to the activity:

1. What word did you form from the activity given?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Is it helpful when you and the members of the society work together to solve a problem just
like on the given activity?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Applying it to the community, would it be helpful if the community members and organizers
work together to answer the community needs and issues?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

V. Activity/Discussion/Lesson

The community development approach is a way of working with communities and people
to set agendas and organize. Community development is a long–term value-based process which
aims to address imbalances in power and bring about change founded on social justice, equality
and inclusion.

Hi students! This is module 05 and we begin by understanding first What is Community

organization?

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION
The very term ―Community Organization suggests that the community is central in the
use of this method usually linked to social work.
The term ―Community Organizing was first used by American Social Workers in the
late 1800‘s to refer to the specific work they were involved in with settlement houses for new
immigrants and the poor
Community Organizing was the term used to describe their efforts to coordinate services
for these groups. Other definitions have evolved all throughout the years and one is:
1. Community Organizing is a systematic, planned and liberating change process of
transforming a complacent, deprived and malfunctioning community into an organized,
conscious, empowered and self-reliant, just and humane entity and institution (Philippine
Business for Social Progress (PBSP)).
Community Organizing (CO) is a continuous process of:
1. Educating the people to understand their critical consciousness of their existing
conditions.
2. Organizing people to work collectively and efficiently on their problems.
3. Mobilizing people to develop their capability 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 a method. CO is a process in the sense that it is perceived as a progressive
and forward movement from one condition to another. It is also considered as a method because
it consists of a dynamically conscious and deliberate undertaking to bring about social change.

Process

Community organization

Method

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

 “Go to the People, Live Among the People”
 One cannot help the community towards its development if the organizers stay
and work within the comforts of an office/ school and do not integrate with the
people.
 “Learn, Plan and Work with the People”
 The people know better than any other outsider what their needs and problems
are. The community members, with the assistance of the community organizer,
must be the one to determine the program appropriate to answer their needs/
problems.
 “Start With and Build on What the People Know”
 Community organizers must begin with the indigenous resources, technologies
and structures that the community has. Improve on their strengths!
 “Teach By Showing, Learn by Doing”
 For the community to learn effectively, the worker must demonstrate different
procedures or techniques and not merely give instructions.
 “Not Piecemeal but an Integrated Approach”
 Community organizing is an inter-relationship of various elements and factors.
 “Not Relief, But Release”
 Community organizing is a process that liberates a community from its identified
problems.

GETTING STARTED: THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PROCESS

As earlier defined, community organizing is a systematic process. This process, when
expounded, shall consist of the following phases:

COMMUNITY SELECTION

PRE-ENTRY
ENTRY

INTEGRATION
PROBLEM
IDENTIFICATI
ON

ANALYSIS

COURSE OF ACTION

IMPLEMENTATION

MONITORING
AND
EVALUATION

PHASE OUT

Community organizing phase here is depicted in a linear manner, but in reality,

Community Organization is a much more complex process in which phases overlap and
integrate.

PHASE ONE: COMMUNITY SELECTION

 Pre-Entry Stage
 After your specific community has been identified, organizers are then expected
to conduct a social investigation (S.I) on the said area, conduct initial interviews
with the community persons and to go around performing a site/ ocular
inspection. These activities shall be of great help to the organizers in acquiring
pertinent information on the background of the community they are to organize.
 Entry Stage
 The community has the right to know of the organizers ‘entry in their area.
Because of such, a courtesy call to the barangay officials and respected leaders
forms the said community is necessary. An orientation on the assisting organizer
‘s background and purpose must also be clearly relayed.

PHASE TWO: INTEGRATION

―Integration rather than immersion
 Immersion: ―Complete involvement
 Integration: ―Acceptance into a community

When you perform the tasks of an organizer, you do not go to the community and just make
yourself ―felt by merely ―showing-up. No matter how frequent you go to the area but fail to
exert any effort to integrate with the community members, your visits will just go to waste.
Integrating with the locals is also one of the best strategies one organizer can practice in
order to catch-up with the current situation of the community. Joining a small ―umpukan of
housewives, or some of the local youths at their ―tambayan, can, one way or another help you
gather pertinent information (identification of problems and current issues) on the community.
Be observant. Attentively watch the community ‘s ―pamumuhay or way of living. What do
the youths normally do? How do the community members spend their spare time? What is their
common source of income? What type of houses do they have? These are just some of the things
you can initially observe during your visit.

PHASE THREE: ANALYSIS

 TRUST BUILDING is important at this stage.

The community organizers during this stage assist the community in identifying, analyzing
and prioritizing current community needs and issues. A compromise between the felt and
objective needs must be met. Let the locals decide on to which program they think is appropriate
for them.

The SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis is a technique to analyze the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and
Threats of a decision, problem, place, etc. In community development and urban planning,
SWOT is often used at community meetings to structure conversations about quality of life in a
neighborhood or a controversial project. Carrying out this analysis often illuminates what needs
to be done and put problems into perspective.
A SWOT analysis can offer helpful perspectives at any stage of an effort. It can be used
to:
 Explore possibilities for new efforts or solutions to problems.
 Make decisions about the best path for initiatives. Identifying the opportunities for
success in context of threats to success can clarify directions and choices.
 Determine where change is possible. If at a juncture or turning point, an inventory of the
strengths and weaknesses can reveal priorities as well as possibilities.
 Adjust and refine plans mid-course. A new opportunity might open wider avenues, while
a new threat could close a path that once existed.

STRENGTHS
Attributes of the community that are helpful to achieving their development - like
human/material resources What are the advantages/strengths of the community? What are the
untapped resources in the community that can be utilized?

WEAKNESSES
Attributes of the community that are harmful to achieving their development - like lack of
trained manpower What could be improved in the community? What factors/forces should be
avoided?

OPPORTUNITIES
External conditions that are helpful to achieving their development - like support from
LGUs, NGOs, GOs What are the good opportunities facing community? What opportunities
were not taken advantage of?
THREATS
External conditions which could do damage to the community's performance - like
outside organization ‘s implementation problem What should the community be mindful of?
What has to be overcome to increase opportunities? What external factors threaten community?

PHASE FOUR: COURSE OF ACTION

People ‘s participation is the essence of community organizing‖ After the problems and
issues of the community have been identified, a systematic course of action may now be
determined. The organizer, during this stage, plays the role of a facilitator- to which he ensures
that the community is able to communicate and express their concerns, and is able to encourage
them to give their own suggestions on how they could possibly resolve their problems. Finally,
organizers must also ensure of the community ‘s participation and commitment on the produced
plan. Consider also the available resources (human, man-made, natural) in the community which
can be utilized during the implementation of the project.

PHASE FIVE: IMPLEMENTATION

Implementation The plan that was initially formulated with the community is now put
into action. Collective work from the community members must be encouraged by the worker,
after all, the project is for them, therefore, should also be participated by the people themselves.
Evaluation In some inevitable cases when problems during the implementation may arise, the
community organizer, again, as a facilitator, may assist the community in examining what
happened, what went well, what has been learned and what should happen next.

PHASE SIX: PHASE OUT

After the goals of the community have been met, and 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.

C. Application:
Conduct an interview with any of the barangay officials with regards to how they have
implemented an activity in your community. Gather the data by following the format below.

Community Selection
(own community)

(Name of brgy.)

Integration
(Problem/issue of the
community)

Analysis
(program appropriate
to answer the needs)
____________________

Course of Action
(plan of work)

____________________
VI. Summary/Key Points

 The community development approach is a way of working with communities and people
to set agendas and organize. Community development is a long–term value-based process
which aims to address imbalances in power and bring about change founded on social
justice, equality and inclusion.
 Community organizing phase here is depicted in a linear manner, but in reality,
Community Organization is a much more complex process in which phases overlap and
integrate.
 In community development and urban planning, SWOT is often used at community
meetings to structure conversations about quality of life in a neighborhood or a
controversial project.

VII. End of Module Assessment (EMA)

Part I. Answer the question brief and direct.

1. Explain how community work process works.

Score Descriptor
5 Demonstrates an accurate and complete understanding of the
question.
4 States a relevant and justifiable answer. Uses only one idea to
support the answer
3 Present accurate answer with valid explanation
2 Present considerable correct answer
1 Does not demonstrate accurate understanding of the question.
0 No answer

Part II. Preparing SWOT Analysis.

1. Instruction: Prepare a SWOT that analyzes the quality of life in your own community.

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
VIII. Looking Ahead

 Recognize the importance of community development project.

IX. Self-Learning Module Evaluation

Rate your learning experience in using this module according to the following scale. Put a check
mark on your response.
 4 – I learned a lot from this module.
 3 – I learned just right.
 2 – I still need guidance on certain topics.
 1 – I did not understand anything.

X. References/Suggested Readings

 Villasoto, Herminigildo S. and Villasoto, Noemie S. (2018). Human Person Gearing

towards Social Development: NSTP-CWTS 1 Worktext for College Students. Second
Edition.
 file:///C:/Users/Gracieyy/OneDrive/Desktop/NSTP%20Files/mapua-
cwts1_program_module1_[ay12-13].pdf