Community Organizing: Ensuring Health in the Hands of the People

Community Organizing

a process of educating and mobilizing members of the community to enable them to resolve community problems

Community Organizing

a form of community engagement that seeks to rally people to work together and act on issues owned, identified, and solved thru and by the people's own efforts

Community Organizing

teaches the community to apply the nursing process on its own using the available resources.​

Community Organizing

allows the community to be an active participant in the process of development.​

Community Development

the end goal of community organizing

Community Development

a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes participative democracy, sustainable development, rights, economic opportunity, equality and social justice, through the organization, education and empowerment of people within their communities, whether these be of locality, identity or interest, in urban and rural settings

Community Development

- have to be defined and visualized by the community members and their participation is crucial in the attainment of this vision

- value-based process

3 Basic Values of Community Organizing

1. Human Rights

2. Social Justice

3. Social Responsibility

Human Rights

are worth and dignity inherent to all human​

Social Justice

fairness in the distribution of resources​

Social Responsibility

people being part of one community and is reflected in concern for one another​

Basic Qualities of a Community Organizer

- Has exemplary professional and moral qualities​

- Possesses good communication skills to be able to call and lead small group discussions/trainings and community meetings​

- Has the ability to set good leadership examples for the community to emulate​

- Displays a charismatic personality that draws people towards organizing work and community activities​

Basic Qualities of a Community Organizer

- Adopts and enjoys working with and living with all types of communities​

- Can empathize with the people or community he/she is working with.​

- Believes in the vison of change, empowerment, and development​

- Has a personal conviction consistent with values and principles being advocated​

Principles of Community Engagement

- Clarity of Purpose​

- Knowledge​

- Relationships​

- Respect for Self-Determination​

- Partnership​

Principles of Community Engagement

- Diversity​

- Community Assets​

- Flexibility/Sharing Control​

- Commitment​

Community Organization/Community Organizing

was first used by social workers in the United States during the late 1800's in reference to their initiatives to facilitate services for immigrants and the poor.​

Gandhi, Alinsky, Freire

Famous personalities instrumental in sharing the philosophy and methodology of community organizing and empowerment

Mahatma Gandhi

An activist, writer and reformer who devoted his life fighting apathy, discrimination, and social ills in India. ​

Saul Alinsky

- A labor leader in the United States in the early 1960's.

- He is commonly ascribed to as the father of modern community organizing.​

​- He strongly advocates for active community participation to bring about change and development.​

Paulo Freire

- A theorist and educator from Brazil that advocated for a shift in educating people and communities

- His critically acclaimed work ''Pedagogy of the Oppressed'' provided a new perspective in working with communities through the application of conscientization

conscientization

the process of developing critical awareness of one's social reality through reflection and action. Action is fundamental because it is the process of changing the reality

Core Principles in Community Organizing

- It is people-centered​

- It is participative​

- It is democratic​

- It is developmental​

- It is process oriented​

It is people-centered

- The process of critical inquiry is informed by and responds to the experiences and needs of the marginalized sector.​

- It emphasizes on the development of human resource needing education.​

It is participative

- The community is considered as the prime mover and determinant, rather than beneficiaries and recipients.​

- Community participation is evident in the involvement of many people in the community activities. They are well-informed about the activities and are aware of their potential contributions.​

It is democratic

- Community organizing should empower the disadvantaged population.​

- It is a process that allows the majority to recognize and critically analyze their difficulties and articulate their aspirations.​

It is developmental

- Community organizing should be directed towards changing current undesirable conditions.​

- It gains insights, hones their capacities, and develops their confidence that will allow them to take the lead in the holistic improvement.​

It is Process-Oriented

- Organizers need to follow the community organizing process to achieve its goals.​

- Allowing to internalize and embrace the process requires time.

Models of Community Organizing

- Locality Development

- Social Action

- Social Planning

Locality Development

- the classic form of community organizing where people living in the same area that are bound by the same issues and problems develop their capacities in dealing with their own concerns.

- commonly employed in villages, resettlement sites, or in areas characterized by homogeneity of inhabitants

Social Action

- involves sector of a population that are disenfranchised and clamors for social justice

- this approach is therefore not limited to communities bound by location but more commonly involves people of same social class, occupation, or ideology. ​

Social Planning

- experts driven and highly technical solutions to problems of society at large.​

- government agencies from both national and local levels employ this mode of solving population concerns.

- Example is the communicable disease control programs for tuberculosis and HIV.​

Phases of Community Organizing

1. Pre-entry

2. Entry into the community

3. Consideration in the entry phase

4. Community integration

5. Social analysis

6. Identifying potential leaders

Phases of Community Organizing

7. Core group formation

8. Community organization

9. Action phase

10. Evaluation

11. Exit and expansion phase

Pre-Entry

- Involves preparation on the part of the organizer and choosing a community for partnership.​

- Initial steps involved in establishing a partnership with the people and identifying the needs, problems, issues affecting the community.

Pre-Entry

Preparation includes: ​- Knowing the goals of the community organizing activity​

​- Delineates criteria for site selection​

​- Make a list of sources of information and possible facility resources.

Pre-Entry

Preparation includes: ​- Proper selection of community.​

​- Identify possible barriers, threats, strengths, and opportunities​

​- Communities may be identified through different means: ocular survey, review of records, review of profile, referrals, consultations.​

Pre-Entry

Criteria for the selection of community:​

​- Geographically Inaccessible Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA)

​- Perceived the need for assistance.​

​- Shows willingness to the organizing agency​

​- No obvious threat to the safety of the community organizer.​

Geographically Inaccessible Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA)

hard to reach, unserved or underserved, and economically depressed.​

Pre-Entry

Criteria for the selection of community:​

​- No other individuals, groups, or agencies working in the area: no duplication of services​

​- Partnership among all potential stakeholders is possible and feasible.​

​- Must have a population of 100-200 families​

Entry

Formalizes the start of the organizing process. The organizer gets to know the community and the community gets to know the organizer. ​

Entry

Important points:​

​- Make courtesy calls to local formal leaders: mayor, municipal council, barangay chairperson, council members etc.​

​- Visit informal leaders: elders, local health workers, traditional healers, church leaders, local neighborhood association leaders.​​

Entry

CONSIDERATION:​

a clear explanation of the vision, mission, goals and programs, and activities must be given in all initial meetings and contacts with the community.​

Entry

Preparation for the initial visit:​

​- Gathering of basic information: socioeconomic conditions, traditions (e.g., religious practices), overall physical environment, general health and illness patterns, and available health resources​

​- Informal meeting with contacts or some residents is useful.​

Entry

The community organizer must keep in mind that the goal of the process is to build up the confidence and capacities of the people.​

Forms of Community Organizing that should be avoided

- Padrino or Patron Entry

- Bongga Entry

- "now you see, now you don't"

- boarder of the community

- elitist

Padrino Entry/Patron Entry

- the organizer gains entry through a padrino or patron, usually barangay or local government official

- To boost the organizer's image, the padrino tends to present the intended project output, thereby creating false hopes.​

Bongga entry

- easiest way to catch the attention and gain approval of the community

- It exploits the people's weakness and usually involves dole-outs.​

"now you see, now you don't"

the organizer visits the community occasionally but fails to engage the people.​

boarder of the community

renting a house in the community rather than staying with the families prevent genuine interaction and sharing.​

elitist

staying with a person of authority in the community creating a barrier between the people and the organizer.​