COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH (COPAR)

A social development approach that aims to TRANSFORM the APATHETIC, INDIVIDUALISTIC, and VOICELESS POOR into DYNAMIC, PARTICIPATORY and POLITICALLY responsive community.

Copar

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 attitude and practices in the community.

Copar

COPAR is an important tool for community development and people empowerment as this:

All of the above

PRINCIPLES OF COPAR:

All of the above

Process 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 enriches succeeding action.

COPAR is PARTICIPATORY AND MASS-BASED because it is primarily directed towards and biased in favour of the poor, the powerless and the oppressed.

COPAR is GROUP-CENTERED AND NOT LEADER ORIENTED. Leaders are identified, emerged and tested through action rather than appointed or selected by some external force or entity.

the process whereby the community members develop the capability to assess their health needs and problems, plan and implement actions to solve these problems.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING

carried out by the nurse with the goal of motivating, enhancing and seeking wider community participation in decision-making in activities that have the potential to impact positively on community health.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING

Stages of Copar

Community Analysis

Design and Initiation

Implementation

Program Maintenance

Dissemination - Reassessment

Phases of copar

Pre-Entry

Entry

Community study/diagnosis

Community organization & capability building

Community action

Sustenance & strengthening

the process of assessing and defining needs, opportunities and resources involved in initiating community health action program.

Stage 1. Community Analysis

Components of community analysis

1. demographic, social and economic profile

2. health risk profile

3. health/wellness outcome profile

4. survey of current health promotion programs

5. studies conducted in certain target groups

steps of community analysis

1. Define the community.

2. Collect data.

3. Assess community capacity.

4. Assess community barriers.

5. Assess readiness for change. 6. Synthesis data and set priorities

Stage 2. Design and Initiation

1. Establish a core planning group and select a local organizer.

2. Choose an organizational structure.

3. Identify, select and recruit organizational members.

4. Define the organization mission and goals.

5. Clarify roles and responsibilities of people involved in the organization.

6. Provide training and recognition.

existing local leaders working for a common cause

Leadership board or council

linking organization and groups to work on community issues

Coalition

a single agency takes the primary responsibility of a liaison for health promotion activities in the community.

Lead or official agency

informal structure in the community like the neighborhood residents

Grass-roots

a group of citizens (5-10) emerge to form a partnership with a government agency.

Citizen panels

network develop because of certain concerns

Networks and consortia

Put design into action

Stage 3. Implementation

Stage 3. Implementation

1. Generate broad citizen participation.

2. Develop a sequential work plan.

3. Use comprehensive, integrated strategies.

4. Integrate community values into the programs, materials and messages.

– at this point the program has experienced some degree of success and has weathered through implementation programs.

Stage 4. Program Maintenance

Stage 4. Program Maintenance; To maintain and consolidate gains of the program, the following are essential:

1. Integrate intervention activities into community networks.

2. Establish a positive organizational culture.

3. Establish an ongoing recruitment plan.

4. Disseminate results.

* continuous assessment is a part of the monitoring aspect in the management of the program. Formative evaluation is done to provide timely modification of strategies and activities.

Stage 5. Dissemination - Reassessment

Stage 5. Dissemination - Reassessment

1. Update the community analysis. Is there a change in leadership, resources and participation?

2. Assess effectiveness of interventions/programs.

3. Chart future directories and modifications.

4. Summarize and disseminate results.

> Community consultation/dialogues

> Setting of issues/considerations related to site location

> Development of criteria for site selection

> Site selection

> Preliminary social investigation

>Networking with LGU’s, NGO’s and other departments

A. Pre-Entry Phase

criteria for site selection

1. high percentage of the family income is below the

national poverty threshold

2. high malnutrition rate

3. lack of primary or secondary hospital within a 30-

minute ride from the area

4. area must not have relative peace and order problem

5. acceptance of the community

> Integration with the community

> Sensitization of the community; information campaign

> Continuing/Deepening social investigation

> Core group formation

> Coordination with other community organization

> Self-Awareness and Leadership Training (SALT)/Action Planning

B. Entry Phase

Criteria in Core group formation:

1. belongs to the poor sector of the society

2. responsible and committed

3. able to communicate

Best technique to identify potential leaders:

observe people who are active in small mobilization activities that motivate residents to start working.

> Selection of the research team

> Training on data collection methods and techniques

> Planning for the actual gathering of data

> Data gathering

> Training on data validation

> Community validation

> Presentation of the community study/ diagnosis and recommendations.

> Prioritization of community needs/problems for action

Community Study/Diagnosis Phase

TYPES OF COMMUNITY DIAGNOSIS

1. Comprehensive Community Diagnosis

2. Problem-Oriented Community Diagnosis

> aims to obtain a general information about the community.

Comprehensive Community Diagnosis

Elements of Comprehensive Community Diagnosis

A. Demographic variables

B. Socio-economic and cultural variables

C. Health and illness patterns

D. Health resources

E. Political/Leadership patterns

> type of assessment that responds to a particular need.

Problem-Oriented Community Diagnosis

> Community meetings to draw up guidelines for the organization

> Election of officers

> Delineation of the roles, functions and task of officers and members

> Action-Reflection-Action session

> Team building exercises

> Working out legal requirements for the establishment of the CHO

> Training of the CHO officers/ community leaders

Community Organization and Capability Building Phase

tool used to develop team-building and to promote an avenue to verbalize feelings, opinions and suggestions and enable them to participate in decision-making

Action-Reflection-Action session

> Organization and training of CHW’s

> Setting-up of linkages/network referral system

> Project Implementation Monitoring Evaluation (PIME) of health services

> Initial identification and implementation of resource mobilization schemes

Community Action Phase

begins when the community organization has already established community members who are actively participating in community wide undertakings activities

Sustenance and Strengthening Phase

Sustenance and Strengthening Phase

> Formulation and ratification of constitution and by-laws

> Identification and development of “Secondary” leaders

> Setting up and institutionalization of a financing scheme for the community health activities

> Formalizing and institutionalization of linkages, networks and referral systems

> Continuing education and upgrading of community leaders, CHW’s and CHO members

> Development of medium/ long term community health and development plans

CRITICAL STEPS (ACTIVITIES) IN BUILDING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATION

INTEGRATION

SOCIAL INVESTIGATION

TENTATIVE PROGRAM PLANNING

GROUNDWORK

THE MEETING

ROLE PLAYING

MOBILIZATION OF ACTION

EVALUATION

REFLECTION

ORGANIZATION

the people __ is the result of many successive and similar actions of the people. A final organizational structure is set up with elected officers and supporting members.

ORGANIZATION

dealing with deeper, on going concerns to look at the positive values CO is trying to build in the organization. It gives as the people time to __ on the starch reality of the life compared in the ideal.

REFLECTION

the people reviewing the steps 1-6 so as to determine whether they were successfully or not on their objectives.

EVALUATION

actual experience of the people in confronting the powerful and the actual exercise of the people power

MOBILIZATION OF ACTION

means to act out meeting that will take place between the leaders of the people and the government representative’s .It is the way of training the people to anticipate what will happen and prepare themselves for such eventually.

ROLE PLAYING

people collectively ratifying what have already decided individually. This gives the people the collective power and confidence .Problems and issues are discussed.

MEETING

going __ and motivating the person on a one on one basis to do something on the issue that has been chosen.

GROUNDWORK

CO to choose one issue to work on in order to begin organizing the people.

TENTATIVE PROGRAM PLANNING

- a systematic process of collecting and analyzing data to draw a clear picture of the community.

- a process of systematically learning and analyzing the various structures and forces in the community

> Also known as the “Community Study”

SOCIAL INVESTIGATION

***A community becoming one with the people in order to:

A. Immerse himself in the poor community

B. Understand deeply the culture, economy leaders, history rhythms and life style in the community.

INTEGRATION

a __, usually barangay or some other local government official. The __, in an effort to boost the organizer’s image, tends to preset the intended project output, thereby creating false hopes.

Padrino

as the easiest way to catch the attention and gain the “approval” of the community. This strategy exploits the people’s weaknesses and usually involves doles-out, such free medicines.

Bongga

entails a process of assessment of the current situation, the identification of needs, deciding on appropriate courses of actions or response, mobilization of resources to address these needs, and monitoring and evaluation by the people.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING is a value-based process, tracing its roots to three basic values:

▪ human rights

▪ social justice

▪ social responsibility

Based on the worth and dignity inherent to all human beings: the right to life, the right to development as persons and as a community, and the freedom to make decisions for oneself.

Human Rights

Entails fairness in the distribution of resources to satisfy basic needs and to maintain dignity as human beings.

Social Justice

An offshoot of the ethical principle of solidarity, which points to people being part of one community and is reflected in concern for one another.

Social Responsibility