CHAPTER Community Immersion as Requisite on

1 NSTP

”I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among
you who will be happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
a. gain insights on community immersion as a requirement of NSTP;
b. explain the significance of the community immersion in the purview of
NSTP and national development; and
c. Internalize the significance of community immersion as an effective tool in
addressing concerns of both the NSTP trainees and the communities
served.

One of the salient features of the National Service Training Program (NSTP),
particularly its Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS) and Literacy Training
Service (LTS) components, is that it focused on the promotion of the general
welfare of the Filipinos via responsive and altruistic community-based projects by
students-trainees as they undergo community immersion in fulfilment of the
requirements of NSTP.

LESSON LEVELLING OFF: UNDERSTANDING THE ESSENCE OF

COMMUNITY IMMERSION IN NSTP
1

The students will be asked to review the course objectives and content of
CWTS/LTS 2 syllabus in order for them to have a deepened understanding of the
significance of requiring NSTP students to undergo community immersion during
the second phase of the training program, either on a regular semester or as part
of the One Summer Program (OSP)
 Community immersion is one important requirement of the National Service
Training Program (NSTP) prescribed to students, male and female alike, in private
and public higher education institutions and technical- vocational schools (RA
9163, Sec. 7). In essence, it is the practicum-based element of NSTP where
lessons learned and acquired in NSTP 1, whether on a semester basis or as part
of the One Summer Program, are applied in the enhancement of the trainees’
capabilities, civic consciousness and defense preparedness in the service of the
Community immersion is a strategy of
nation. This practicum requirement essential to NSTP 2 is not only applicable to
transforming DDU communities and
the Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS) and thetrainees
LiteracyintoTraining Service
self-sustaining ones as(LTS)
men for others imbued with
components but the Reserve Officers Training Course (ROTC), as well.
good citizenship values of being:

As a concept, community is a strategy to integrateMakadiyos

with other people who may
Makabayan
in community organizing that is sought facilitate them to undergo certain
Makatao Makakalikasan
to imbibe among the NSTP trainees a changes that will make them civic-
better understanding and realization of conscious and socially responsible
the different community concerns citizens.
through exposure on actual life situation
specifically in the deprived, depressed,
and the under privileged (DDU)
communities. These experiences will
allow them

Corollary, community immersion, as a process, is aimed at developing

among student-trainees, through the training program, their appreciation of
rendering community works which is quintessential in affording for them the
opportunity to experience and put themselves in real-life situation in the
communities they serve. For this reason, each trainee must have a genuine feel of
living with the people in order that they may understand and relate with community
concerns as they go through a self-transformation and personal growth at the
same time.
 In more specific terms, the NSTP trainees are expected to initiate
community-based interventions in the form of projects and activities meant to
address the multi-faceted issues and concerns supported by needs
assessment/analysis study that maps out the problems there from which impedes
the important aspirations of the community people in the area of service.

The trainees, in their own little way, contribute in the uplift of the quality of
life of the people in the service areas and, at the same time, develop their ethics of
service imbued with the good citizenship values of makadiyos (godly), makabayan
(patriotic), makatao (humanitarian), and makakalikasan (nature lover) thereby
better preparing them as reservists in responding to the call of the times.

Community immersion is an approach of developing among the NSTP

student-trainees the concept of service and empowerment as they reach out to
deprived, depressed and underprivileged communities, and the marginalized
segments of the society.

The myriad of problems in the community can be addressed by immersion projects

and activities specifically designed to improve the different aspects of human
development like economic, social, spiritual, etc. these aspects cannot and should
not be defined singly and separate, but must be viewed interdependently and in
totality. However, for purposes of delineation, the economic aspect suggests
financial management while social aspect focuses on people’s interactions and
relationship building. On the other hand, the spiritual aspect is associated with
religion and our relationship with the Supreme Being, regardless of whatever
name we call our God.

Translating the aforementioned aspects of human existence, NSTP had

contextualized the said concepts by determining the various dimensions of
development along the CWTS component of the program, as per guidelines of the
NSTP Law, to wit:
 1. education;
2. health;
3. safety and disaster management;
4. sports and recreation;
5. environmental services;
6. Entrepreneurship and livelihood; and morals of citizenry and other
social/general welfare concerns.

In a nutshell, community immersion is an approach of bringing the NSTP

student-trainees to DDU communities and to underserved, marginalized sectors,
providing them the venue where they may encounter paradigm shifts from being
meres spectators of community action, nonchalant and passive citizens to
responsible and effective change agents who are empowered to touch the lives of
other people.

However, in as much as the principles involved in NSTP community

immersion present a solid foundation for the attainment of a common goal, the
quality of the program implementation from different institutions and schools may
vary depending on the NSTP implementers’ extent of knowledge on concepts and
level of understanding of the processes and protocols on community immersion
not to mention the level of commitment in realizing the seemingly lofty yet noble
goals of the program.

Moreover, generation of resources must be given an equal amount of

attention and forging of collaborative partnership with the community and
organization is deemed necessary in forgoing a successful community immersion
program for our NSTP students.

OBJECTIVE OF NSTP COMMUNITY IMMERSION

The community immersion requirement of NSTP is a mechanism specifically

designed to allow student-trainees to:
a. define community immersion as an approach and strategy of
developing projects in serving people and communities;
 b. enrich knowledge and competencies on community immersion as a
process for development;
c. apply the principles and concepts of working in the community through
immersion projects and activities;
d. expose NSTP trainees in depressed, deprived, and the underprivileged
communities and marginalized group groups of our society;
e. appreciate the values of community immersion as a means of
developing themselves as citizens and helping people improve their
way of life and in alleviating their living conditions;
f. enhance civic consciousness and defense preparedness; and
g. develop ethics of service imbued with good citizenship values.

SUMMARY

Community immersion is one important requirement of the National Service

Training Program (NSTP). community immersion is an approach of bringing the
NSTP student-trainees to DDU communities and to underserved, marginalized
sectors, providing them the venue where they may encounter paradigm shifts from
being meres spectators of community action, nonchalant
and passive citizens to responsible and effective change agents who are
empowered to touch the lives of other people. It is to develop among the NSTP
student-trainees the concept of service and empowerment as they reach out to
deprived, depressed and underprivileged communities, and the marginalized
segments of the society.

LESSON 2 Understanding the Concepts and Principles

of Community Immersion

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this unit, the students should be able to:
a. Explain the concepts and principles underpinning community and
community immersion;
b. Realize the importance of understanding the dynamics of a community and
community immersion as a way to realize the objectives of NSTP; and
c. Practice he standard operating procedures and establish protocols
governing community immersion.
People involved in community immersion must be knowledge on the basics of
community, i.e., its meaning, concepts, underpinning principles, and nature of
problems and issues arising there from. These will enable the trainees to have a
good grasp of the local situation, thereby preparing them to appropriately respond
to the multifarious concerns in the community and properly carry out immersion
projects and activities that is so conceived to bring about long-term amelioration,
and not just over-sight, cosmetic solutions, of the social menaces and ills.

WHAT IS A COMMUNITY?

Noted community development specialist Arlien Johnson once wrote that

the term ‘community’ refers to a group of people gathered together in any
geographic area, large or small, who have common interests, actual or potentially
recognized in the social welfare field.
 To paraphrase the words of Johnson, a community is a collective of people
with similar interests and goals whether living in the same geographic locality or
not. The meaning of community may actually vary depending on the objectives of
a program to be conducted there at.

As per concept, a community may be categorized as geographical or

functional. The term geographical community is defined in the purview of group of
persons living in the same geographical location like in a certain village, town,
neighborhood, district, area or territory. Meanwhile, community is said to assume
the functional ature if the aggregate of people though not necessarily based on
living in the same geographical location, is bonded by a common end such as
fighting for the same cause, having the same interest and goals. These are people
who hold common values, share common functions or express common interests.

“A community is a collective of people with similar

interests and goals whether living in the same
geographic locality or not.”

A certain type of community has recently emerged. Some refer to it as just

social movements but its definition points out that it surfaced out of the two other
types or community. It is called a relevant community that defines a group of
people having similar interests and goals as the communities around them. These
populations have common interests in changing existing institutions to their
advantage in order to achieve redistribution of resources. It is geared toward
organization of the poor.

Elements of a Community

As a trainee, one should be aware of history, culture, economy, and

elements of a community in order to structures. The demographics
understand the dynamics thereof. The (characteristics of population) tell a lot
important elements are demographics, about the movement of the population
in the community that
you will serve. History allows you to and people’s way of adapting
identify certain patterns of change

Demographic (include population distribution and density)

History (events of the past that contributed to the development of the community)
Culture (ways of living of the people)
Economy (income level, occupation of people
Structures (physical, political and social structures)

to these changes that can be useful in plotting your activities.

Understanding the economy, culture, and community structures increases the
chances of the success of activities since anyone can provide culture-based and
more realistic solutions to community concerns.

In examples you were able to identify that it floods in a market area nearby
the creek. During rainy seasons, sales are very low because their merchandise
gets soiled by the rain. They have adapted by using improvised plastic covering to
coat their merchandise but they are not so attractive. What kind of projects do you
think you can do by learning this information already? By experience, the
architecture and fine arts students training in the NSTP would usually think of
enhancing the features of the merchandise, covering the stalls to attract more
consumers even during the rainy season.

Based on their assessment of these elements and by working with the

community one can already formulate plan of actions.

Immersion as an Important Approach in Giving Community Service

An old adage says

that, people fell, think, say, and behave as
“Experience is the best teacher.” Going dictated by their conditions and
through the immersion process and situations in life as a means to make
conducting community service feel and realize that they are more
activities/project will enable the trainees fortunate than many others and that the
to understand how the students can do
something to improve the lives of the marginalized and underserved
.As the Holy Scripture tells us, “To
whom were not as auspicious as they
whom much is given, mush is required.”
are. As one of the objectives of this
Since students have been given the
book expounds, trainees will be
rare opportunity and the distinct
exposed in further and other realities of
privilege of being schooled that they are
life which they may or may not be used
supposed to better the living conditions
to.
of those

Through community immersion, trainees will be

exposed in further and other realities of life which
they may or may not belong to.

After having explained the significance of the community immersion

requirement of NSTP in the purview of the educational and religious perspectives,
let us succumb to the legal basis of such. The basic questions as “What is the
relevancy of the immersion part of the NSTP?” and “Why would trainees need to
study the behavior of the people in and that which composed the community
where they serve? Answer to this sort of questions is provide for in NSTP Act and
has served as the mandate and of core of recognizing the role of the youth in
nation building. Young people are vested with the obligation “to defend the security
of the State and in fulfilment thereof, the government may require each citizen to
render personal military or civil service,” (Section 2, NSTP Act of 2001) whether in
times of peace or war. Simply put, aside from becoming socially aware of the
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of their communities, trainees
are believed to possess the qualities and energies that, if properly channelled and
directed, will yield results towards arresting, if not totally annihilating, the
innumerable dilemmas of man.

The next question that a trainee is bound to ask is the first step of the
process of immersion is, “Are trainees, young as they are, capable of responding
to the stringent requirements of community building and meeting
the skills and knowledge criteria of transforming communities?” Definitely, yes.
The role of the youth in national/local development cannot be overemphasized. To
reinforce this are the very words of our national hero, “The youth is the hope of the
Fatherland.”

What is Community Immersion?

Community immersion is an activities which entail entering,

essential strategy in community familiarizing and involvement of the self
organizing work that entails in the conduct of the activities for
understanding of the different community development.
community concerns, process,
dynamics and lifestyle through
exposure and engaging in different
Community immersion is a strategy
activities. It is different from the actual that goes beyond acquainting us
organizing work. Immersion is just one with community concerns but make
of the strategies in plunging into possible our participation in their
(re)solution
community organization. Venture
undertaken may be integrated or
specialized

Philippines: The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan

(NDRRMP) 2011 to 2018

 Publication date: 2011

 Source: Philippines

A plan which serves as the national guide on how sustainable development

can be achieved through inclusive growth while building the adaptive capacities of
communities; increasing the resilience of vulnerable sectors; and optimizing
disaster mitigation opportunities with the end in view of promoting people’s
development. It outlines the activities aimed at strengthening the capacity of the
national government and the local
government units (LGUs) together with partner stakeholders, to build the disaster
resilience of communities and to institutionalize arrangements and measures for
reducing disaster risks, including projected climate risks and enhancing disaster
preparedness and response capabilities at all levels.

The plan highlights, among others, the importance of mainstream disaster

risk reduction and management (DRRM) and climate change adaptation (CCA) in
the development processes such as policy formulation, socio economic
development planning, budgeting, and governance particularly in the area of
environment, agriculture, water, energy, health, education, poverty reduction, land-
use and urban planning and public infrastructure and housing among others. It
also highlights the need for institutionalizing DRRM policies, structures,
coordination mechanism and programs with continuing budget appropriation on
DRR from national down to local levels.

Community immersion in NSTP is devised as a strategy in molding and

‘conscientizing’ students just so that they may be socially aware and responsible
to their communities. This manner of transformation is bent on training the youth to
becoming civic conscious and defense prepared individuals. The nature of
immersion efforts done is along the dimensions of, but not limited to, education,
health, safety education, sports and recreation, environmental services,
entrepreneurship, morals of citizenry and other social welfare concerns.

In view of the fact that immersion is a major concern in development work,

trainees may find it significant to be guided by the following precepts:

1. Trainees should immerse in actual community life to get to know the

social, political and economic situation of the people.
2. Trainees may also undergo certain changes like increase in knowledge
about the social realities, development of good values, empathy
towards other people, improvement of socials skills, among others.
 3. Trainees should identify the community people’s interest and
aspirations.
4. Trainees must recognize people’s resiliency and does not rob them of
their right to have community participation and determination of
appropriate courses of action.
5. Trainees should be aware of the gain-negotiated sanction – the
acceptance derived from community relations coupled with the right to
conduct immersion activities.
6. Trainees must reflect on how their social analysis of the current
situation is concretized in community people’s lives. The analysis
should have as much meaning for the trainees as for the community.

The following are the forms of integration in community immersion:

a. Home visits
b. Living with selected families preferably with key informants
c. Informal discussions with individuals or groups
d. Sharing in household and community activities (cooking with the
community host, clean-up drive)
e. Attendance in social gatherings (fiestas, weddings, etc.)
f. Assistance in production work (selling, farming, etc.)

Whom Do You Immerse Within the Community?

When one goes to a community, he/she associates with the people whom
intends to work with as partners, allies Community-based service projects must be
premised on the principle of people empowerment and not the ‘dole-out’ mentality.
The parents, youth, the differently-abled constituents, professionals, members of
people’s organizations, and other formal and informal group, and other who can be
a potential collaborator of your project or activities. We do not just work for and
serve the people but rather we encourage their participation. This practice of
enjoining people’s support is adherent to the Confucian’ philosophy of “give man a
fish and he will live for a
day; teach him how to fish and he will live for a lifetime.” Community immersion is
empowering the people towards development of the locality.

Conditions in a Community Immersion

It is so desired that one fundamental pre-requisite qualification among those

who intend or are tasked to undergo community immersion is a full understanding
of the concepts and theories behind the dynamics of groups and community. In the
same breath, knowing the very process of immersion is a primordial condition.
This is so because this endeavour requires a great deal of know-how and skills in
facilitating interventions, planning and managing community service projects,
among others.

Training-wise, community developers/organizers and social workers are

most qualified because it is assumed that they have more or less formal
background on carrying out these kinds of undertaking.

Volunteers in social organizations and movement also undertake

immersions. They undergo professional training in development work. Such
immersion typically proceeds to organizing work.

As for NSTP, students enrolled in NSTP-CWTS/LTS 2 are mandated to

undergo community immersion for a period covering a minimum of 54 hours to a
maximum of 90 hours as cited from CHED-prescribed Program of Instruction
(POI), 2007 edition.

What Personal Gains from Community Immersion?

The community immersion aspects of NSTP will be able to benefit not only the
communities served but more so the student-trainees who may be accorded with
the following advantage:
 1. opportunity for the trainees to comprehend people’s lives because of the
chance given to them to see real life situations, live, identify and associate
with the people therein;
2. gain social acceptance derived from community relations coupled with the
right to offer services;
3. enhance experiences in conducting asset mapping such as identifying
geographic coverage, point out resources and the use, and the relationships
of people with the existing resources;
4. establish rapport and relationship with different people who may be of help to
them at some future time;
5. develop their conscientization ability. It helps them realize issues that will help
solve problems in the community. It is important for them to do something that
can change their situation.
6. Acquire first-hand experiences in dealing with community work; and the
7. Chance to learn life skills that will enrich and better their persons.

Succinctly, community immersion improves the trainees’ understanding of

himself in relation to others. And by understanding others, the trainees can be able
to give a part of himself to help others.
Most important of all, community immersion is in consistent with the innate and
ultimate intention of helping people as immortalized in the words that spell the
extension creed by Dr. Y.C. James Yen of the International Institute of Rural
Reconstruction.
The Extension Creed
Go to the people.
Live with the people. Learn from them.
Plan with them. Work with them
Start with what they know.
Build on what they have.
Teach by showing, learn by doing.
Not by showcase but a pattern.
Not odds and ends but a system.
Not piecemeal but integrated approach.
Not to conform but to transform.
Not relief but release.
 Dos and Don’ts in Community Immersion

It is a basic rule that trainees must be well-versed with the area, skilled to
communicate with community people and disciplined to keep yourself from
responding indifferently towards diverse types of personalities
Prudence, therefore, orders that community “immersionists” must be well-
informed of the prescriptive and proscriptive norms in the conduct community
immersion.
Hereunder is a guide prepared by Dr. Florida C. Labuguen and Ms. Emily
Rose M. Bautista in manuscript from entitled ‘Essential Protocols When Visiting
Community.’

Essential Protocols when Visits Community

Things to Remember Things to Avoid

Before the Conduct of Community Immersion
1. Familiarize yourself with the basic information Never forget to inform and get the
and theories regarding community life. At this consent of your parents/guardians
stage, you must at least have in your mind a about the activities lined up.
community you intend to immerse at. Ask around
for information about this community.

2. Secure a waiver from the NSTP Office

prior to the visit and have it signed by your
parents.
3. Always inform the faculty in-charge of
your destination, time table, and plan of action.

4. Be armed with background information about Do not go directly to the community

the area for immersion. This will be helpful in without determining the background
locating resources, and site entry and exit points information about it.
which will make your travel safe and more
convenient.
Background information will enable you
to anticipate the general characteristics of
people in that area. In example, there
barangays in manila which are historically
and primarily composed of Pampangueños.
With this background information, you can
already assess that people in that
community mainly identify with
Pampangueños. To facilitate your
community activities promptly, you can ask
a fellow trainee who have deeper
understanding of the culture to lead you
on.
5. Pay courtesy call to community leaders,
whether formal or informal. Courtesy calls
may also be done to officers of a non-
government organization (NGO) where the
project is also directed to. Be sure that the
people who will be helping you in your
project and the key informants of the
community are informed of your every visit.
Provide them with a copy of the schedule of
your activity. Harmonious relationship with
community leaders and officers can almost
ensure you of your safety in their support in
your projects and activities. They may be
able to commit in providing security when
you roam around and
familiarize yourself with the community.

6. Secure documents like a letter of Avoid bringing original copies of

acceptance from the community, signed documents in the
memorandum of agreement, etc. and community. It is better to carry
other documents pertinent to your stay around original and certified
in the community. true copies of documents to
prevent loss and smudging the
document.
7. Bring your own personal provisions like However sometimes, community
water, snacks, and extra shirt. These will be people could be insistent in their
helpful to fill in those hunger pangs while hospitality in offering you
conducting the immersion. Community provisions like food. Try to gauge
people are often very hospitable. They will whether it would be offensive to
most likely offer you their food and water if refuse their offer. If you think
they see that you are unable to provide for they will be offended if you beg
yourself. This is despite that they might off, you may accept food or
already be offering their last supply of food. water in your plate or glass but
Remember, you are there in the community do not consume it. Especially if
to assess if you could help and work with you are not able to have as
them, so try not to be an additional burden much background information on
to them. the community you are
immersing at. Avoid consuming
their resources and focus on
your work. This is also for your
own safety. Whenever possible,
and in a respectful manner,
decline and tell them the offer
that you
appreciate their hospitality.
During the Actual Community Immersion Period
8. Be courteous to everyone. Whether it be a Avoid labelling and naming
vendor or a community official. Remember people with politically incorrect
that you are there to work with the terms. Try to be more discreet in
community. your use of words to avoid
offending other people.
9. Act properly and discreetly. You are
representing your school and your fellow
students. Be responsible with the words
you say. Your actions and words would
easily be generalized as the behavior of
every other student in your school. In one of
our interviews with community
organizations, they alleged that some
schools wherein their previous students
have not shown proper behavior will no
longer be welcome to conduct
immersion activities in their area.
10.Depending on the type of entry you use, Do not show off in terms of
(See page 50 on phases of Community dressing up. You are there in the
immersion) wear proper uniforms and community to help. Just bring an
identification card. This will allow the extra white shirt if you have to
community to identify who are the trainees change your soiled uniforms
who will immerse in their community. This after your activities.
can also promote your school’s image as Avoid drawing attention to
you become “ambassadors” for community yourself. Be as low profile as
service. Depending on the situation, there possible and avoid being
may be some cases where decent civilian identified as a guest in the
clothes are more appropriate to wear during community.
immersion time especially if you are trying
to be mass-based and less
formal

11.It is highly advised to keep your Never bring out your valuable
valuables secured to protect you from things like cellphones, jewelry,
unnecessarily attracting and distracting and money in public places.
community people, from possible theft,
etc.
12.Always document your visit. Write in
your record notebook the date, the
narrative of important events that
happened, and your reflections in each
 visit.
13.Always ask for permission from Never promise and commit to a
concerned people when you have to take task that is beyond your and
pictures. It is best to take pictures that show your school’s capability. Never
you “in action” and working with the go beyond the activities stated in
community people as these can best your MOA to avoid false
illustrate your experiences in the commitments and dependency
community. Again, be mindful of your of the community.
surroundings and be careful in bringing
out valuables.
After Community Immersion
14.Validate and evaluate if the programs
and activities were conducted appropriately
and as planned.
15.Provide copies of your final
documentation output to the NSTP Office
and to the community where you conducted
your immersion. For your documentation
may serve as a baseline study for the
community and other batches of NSTP
students in conducting community
immersion. This will avoid unnecessary
repetition of activities and may be a basis
for enhancement of
other previously conducted activities.

Enjoy your time with the community people. Mother Teresa puts it, “Love
cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action; and
that action is service.”

“Community immersion is vital to the development of the trainees’ knowledge,

skills, values and attitudes in realizing the penultimate ends of NSTP…”
 SUMMARY

Immersion, as a methodology used in the NSTP Training, is a mode of

bringing the NSTP-CWTS/LTS student trainees to the field for them to have a feel
of the real-life situations, living with the less-fortunate segments of the society and
of the people, especially in the deprived, depressed, and underprivileged
communities with the end in mind of involving them into an endeavour that is
envisaged to alleviate poor and distressed living conditions in the improvement of
the communities and their people. This way, the trainees understand the plight of
the poor and hopeless, learn to appreciate the lowly, disadvantaged groups and
empathize with the predicaments of those, whom they serve as they conceptualize
and implement projects and activities that will promote the common good
particularly their clientele. Thus, community immersion is a two-pronged strategy
where students serve a community and at the same time learn from their
experiences thus making them a better person.
Community immersion is vital to the development of the trainees’
knowledge, skills, vales and attitudes in realizing the penultimate ends of NSTP,
that is, enhancing the civic-consciousness and defense preparedness in the youth
by developing the ethics of service and patriotism while undergoing citizenship-
centered training. As prescribed in the IRR of the NSTP law, community
immersion efforts are directed towards addressing issues and concerns along the
multi-dimensional aspects of human existence and development. Corollary to this,
various dimensions of development were identified as the frame of reference.
This process of community immersion is bound by guidelines and
protocols as a way to ensure that the objectives set are met.
.

LESSON 3
The Process of Community Immersion

“We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone… and whatever happens is the
result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads
from one to another that creates something.”
Sandra Day O’Connor

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this unit, the student should be able to:

a. verbalize the process of immersion as a guide for rendering service to the
communities;
b. design a community immersion plan of implementation following the
process; and
c. internalize the importance of carrying out the steps of community
immersion in series.

Community immersion generally takes on different overlapping phases,

similar to performing community organizing strategies called social preparation
phase, integration, social analysis, program implementation, evaluation and report
writing, and termination of the project.
Question and answer session may serve as the closing activity. Here, a
representative from each group will act as a member of a panel which will provide
answers to questions from the audience (class) should there be points of inquiries
or clarifications in regard the process of community immersion.
THE PROCESS OF COMMUNITY IMMERSION

The community immersion process is a series of interrelated and

intertwined phases which commences with the Pre-immersion followed by entering
the Community, Community integration, Community Needs assessment, Program
or Project implementation, and Termination of the Project.

Phase I: Pre-Immersion

This phase regards the identification of the community where the students
will be immersed at. Trainees will have to prepare themselves physically, mentally
and spiritually for many tasks ahead. Trainees must have waivers from their
parents or guardians stating that they are informed of the mandate to undergo the
NSTP community immersion. The school also needs to organize its own
manpower, resources and others technical needs. According to many who have
undergone immersion, the activities could be both exciting, and exhausting.

Aside from preparation of the trainees and the school, the community is
primarily the one to be prepared and informed. With this, trainees must set up
criteria in selection of an area for immersion.

Area Selection

Factors to be considered in area selection:

1. Select our areas. The marginalized sectors are your target clients
because they are the ones needing your assistance more than any other
groups in the society. Examples of marginalized groups are the youth,
women, slum dwellers, the differently-abled, among others.

2. Local partners must be willing to work and support community project.

This goes to say that we should start with the people and work with the
people.
 3. Consider needs and resources within the capability of the students and
community partners. You cannot extend what you do not have in the first
place.
4. Place that is not saturated by other agencies. Supporting agencies are
probable resources waiting to be tapped that can provide additional
financial assistance when it comes to projects that are also within their
type of service.

Soliciting their support will also prevent duplication of services and activities.
You have to identify if their schedule of activities coincide with yours so that you
will not confuse the people with your separate identity. There is a danger that
people will not support you if the schedules of your activities overlap with those of
an agency that has long existed in the community before you came.
Through appropriate communications and relations with these agencies, they
can most likely be the source of other updated baseline of that data you will need
to understand the community.

5. Stable peace and order situation. You have to put into consideration your
own safety when you conduct your immersion. Some of the salient
questions you need to ask are that. “Are the roads and work area secured
to travel on?” “Am I not putting myself and other members of the
immersion team in danger if we conduct our immersion in this venue?”
“Will I and my school be compromised if I continue to work in this area?”

Sometimes despite the community leaders’ commitment to work with the

trainees, when the community in general does not regard their area as having
stable peace and order situation, they themselves will not cooperate because their
community issues go beyond what you can respond to.

Remember, you are also a student and that one of your main objectives is to
learn and experience community living without disregard to your own safety.
 6. Accessibility. Successful community immersion also relies on how quickly
and how often you can visit the community. If you live in Cavite and you
happen to have chosen Bulacan as an immersion area, would it be easy
for you to conduct, monitor evaluates your projects in the latter area
mentioned?

You have to take into accounts how much time you spend traveling, how
much money you spend for transportation or lodging. There is a chance that you
will spend extra effort on tasks like carrying training materials on the field, etc. that
could otherwise be prevented if you have chosen a much accessible venue for
immersion.

If you have been able to select an area for immersion based on the foregoing
factors, you can now proceed to entering the community.

Phase II: Entering the Community

To ensure success in entering the community, it is necessary to have

community mapping of the target area. This will help you identify the geographic
coverage of the project. It will also help point out the resources that may be used
by the trainees in the community and the relationship of people with these
resources (Use Worksheet No. 6 for the exercise).

Angelito G. Manalili in his book Community Organizing for People’s

Empowerment (1990), remarked that there are different ways of entering the
community. Similarly, immersion begins with the initial steps in community
organizing. Anchored on Manalili’s concepts, those planning to conduct community
immersion can enter the community thru:

Ostentatious Entry Complete with banner and a general assembly of the

people, the community ushers in the people who will undergo immersion or
outsiders. People naturally expect more from the outsiders because the latter’s
identity is boosted.
 Banking on the People’s Weakness. Outsiders sometimes enter the
community through catching people’s attention. At times when community people
are in distress, they usually adhere to outsiders, like during economic crisis,
emergency and disaster situations. The outsiders try to find out which aspect is it
that the community will need them for and through this, they emphasize on how
they could be helpful.

Academic Style of Entry. Communities are often called social laboratories

because they are a place to test the theories learned in classrooms. Academic
institutions field some students into the community to assist the community
regarding its concerns. A trialogue between the school, the students and the
community are done to identify the terms to which the community service will be
fulfilled.

People-Centered Approach. This approach ultimately believes on the

capacity of the community people to participate and acknowledge whether outsider
assistance is really needed. Users of this type of entering the community invest on
community relations, believing that both parties are partner to community
development. Key to this type of entry is strong linkage with the people in the
community.

When entering the community the members of the community immersion

team must establish good rapport and relationship with the community people.
Gathering information and doing a background investigation about the situation in
the community may prove to be of great help in pursuing the goal of establishing
linkages in the locality. Ground working can also be an effective mechanism in
knowing the community well. Talk to as many people as possible and document or
record your conversation.

Pay courtesy call to recognized leaders of the community. Make

communications ahead of time of entering the community. Write the community
leader a letter of intention and in turn you should have a letter of acceptance from
them. Whatever type of entry to be used, it is a must to
secure a memorandum of agreement between you and the community. This will
set your working parameters. It is giving due respect to them and formalizing a
commitment of the helping contract.

As a way to familiarize the student-trainee with the structures/institution in

the community, one tool known as community map comes in a handy. Community
mapping illustrates the community indicating the locations of the church, school,
market, etc. and specifying the number of residential house, the idle lots, and
others. With the sample community map found on page 159, as your reference,
present the map of your own community on the space below.

Phase III: Community Integration

Integration is a continuous process wherein the trainees come into direct

contact and become involved with the community people. This phase is where the
immersion phase gets more personal. The trainees should realize that there is an
existing concern within the community. As the problems of the community become
more apparent, you become aware and validate that you are part of the circle.
Integration may be done through:

a. Border Style. If provisions allow, the trainees may choose to stay and
live-in the immersion area for a certain period of time. They may live- in
the community to pursue deeper knowledge about the community.
However, the ‘boarder’ or guest status will still be the regard of the
people toward them unless they integrate themselves fully with
community life.
b. Elitist Style. Some trainees tend to say close to key informants and
political players during their stay in the community. Due to this, their
social circle becomes limited and their interaction is confined to a few
people. Immersion activities must always take into account the
involvement of the majority.
 c. But the best way is the People-Centered Method of Living with the
People.

Phase IV: Community Needs Assessment

Needs assessment, social analysis or community diagnosis as others refer

to, is a concrete base for the formulation of programs. It reflects the sentiments,
needs, aspirations, and recommendations of the community people. When it is
done properly, it will reflect also the trainees’ feeling of oneness with the
community. They begin to see that the peoples also reflect their own.

Needs assessment becomes significant when it is conducted through

integration with the people. Our analysis and assessment should be done with the
people. Hence, it does not merely contain our perceptions, but also of the people’s
for it to be genuinely pro-people. Analysis of social situation becomes meaningful
if it is used as an instrument for conscientization. Those immersing in the
community must not just make the people realize their issues but also make them
to act on it. Their realization of the problems should help make the community
realize the relation between their local condition and situation of other communities
around them. It is important that the people realize that they can do something to
change their situation for the better.
Assessing the needs of the community is a prelude to effective program
offered to clients. This will ensure solutions to problems, issues and concerns of
the people in the locality.
This discussion covers the meaning, importance, steps, and exercises in
preparing community needs assessment instruments that will equip students to
prepare similar tool which they will utilize in measuring the needs of the
community assigned to them.
Community Needs Assessment Defined

Community need assessment is the process wherein problems, issues and

concerns of the community are identified through the use of several tools for
assessment. It encourages the participation of the community, as they are the
stakeholders, to the finding in the assessment.

Importance of Needs Assessment

1. Gather information about citizens’ attitudes and options in order

of importance.
2. Determine how citizens rank issues, problems and opportunities in order
of importance or urgency.
3. Give citizens a voice in determining policies, goals and priorities.
4. Evaluate current programs and policies.
5. Provide speculations about what people are thinking.
6. Provide speculations about what people really want.

Information to Be Included in Assessing Community Needs

1. Historical Development – refers to data on how the community became

what it is today and provides insights into the kind of resources to collect
and weed.
2. Geographical and Transportation Information – includes information on the
community’s patterns and population contributions.
3. Political and Legal Functions – includes strategies for community- based
selection [or this may include strategies that community uses for selecting
players in the political sphere].
4. Demographic Data – includes data on age characteristics, size, race, and
transience of population.
5. Economic Data – refers to the economic base, social, cultural,
educational, recreational organizations. This includes the values and
social pattern.
 I. Geographic Profile
(Data source may come from barangay or city/municipal hall)
a. Physical
I. Location/Boundaries (north, east, west, south)
II. Terrain
III. Facilities (like clinic/hospital, schools, recreation hall, etc.)
IV. Climate
V. Basic food
b. Cultural
I. History of place and people
II. Language being used
III. Peace and order situation
(usual community conflict and/or crime rate)
IV. Clothing (most applicable to rural setting)
II. Social
(Data comes from survey)
a. Total Population
b. Total Number of Household
c. Population distribution by Gender (and Age)
d. Population distribution by Educational Attainment
e. Health and common illness
f. Recreation
III. Economic
a. Age earners in the family
b. Employment
c. Household monthly income
IV. Life Skills
a. Abilities
b. Interests
V. Spiritual Aspect
Number of people with active membership in the church
VI. Socio-Political Aspect
a. Known social programs or projects and other related community
Efforts (whether existing or planned efforts)

b. Expression of satisfaction/dissatisfaction towards current social

programs
 c. Perceived community problems

d. Recognized community leaders

e. Other agencies, GO’s or NGO’s that are in the area or that serve
the community

Sample of Community Needs Assessment Framework/Design for Urban and Rural

Setting

Methods in Collecting Data for Community Needs Assessment

1. Focused Group Discussion (FGD) with Keyinformants. The keyinformants

of the community are people who hold socially responsible positions such
as educators, public officials, clergy and business representatives or those
who are active in community events. These are the people who can
provide good information that will guide and give you better understanding
on historical issues needed by the community.

2. Community Forum/Assembly. This involves holding of group events that

may include the entire community. It gives visibility to the leaders and
raises the status of the community but it requires lots of planning and
publicity. This meeting can be a venue where people can express their
needs and be immediately validated by the rest of the attendees.
Participatory action research effectively uses this method.

3. Public Records. Public records like national census will provide data for
social and demographic indicators of the community. Data included are
age, gender, educational level, locality, etc. that tend to contribute to
library use.
4. Survey. Survey and questionnaires involve asking individuals in the
community about their everyday needs. This can be implemented through
the following:
 a. Mailing questionnaires to randomly selected members of the
community
b. Performing telephone survey;
c. Handing out surveys while people are in an assembly; and
d. Posting questionnaires on your public access computer catalog.

An example of this is the Minimum Basic (MBN) Form of the DSWD

Steps in Conducting Needs Assessment

1. Establish a working committee to solicit citizen and community

involvement and develop a plan of action.
2. List important aspects that are needed to be looked upon. This may
also mean identifying the surveyors’ own capability and strength.
3. Identify the population to be surveyed. This also includes making
communications with community leaders and authorities of the
identified population to facilitate other procedures.
4. Determine the information that is needed. It may be existing
information which must be collected or it may be information gathered
using a survey. Information like demographic profile may be readily
gathered form the barangay, municipal or city records office.
5. Select a random sample of person to survey. A good number of
representative populations to be surveyed will contribute to the validity
of the information.
6. Develop and pretest a questionnaire. Afterwards, if the questionnaire
was found to be a valid tool for measurement of data, proceed to
distribution the questionnaire for community use.
7. Collect and collate the information.
8. Analyze the data. This may be done together with the core group
members of the community. Community participation in analyzing
gathered data is also important so that they can feel the ownership of
the issues and concerns in their community.
 9. Go back to the community for validation of information. This may be
done through a community assembly or simple community group
discussion.
10. Finalize the document. Make sure that there are corresponding
recommendations for the issues and concerns found.

The Story of The Lone Community Servant

Once there was community servant who saw that the problem of poverty in
his community was related to the low wages that a big-shot company was giving to
the residents who worked for it. So, the community worker organized a work
stoppage until “their” demands were given, including a wage hike. He was
successful in gathering 100 community people to picket with him. But on the third
night of the strike, he was surprised to find no one behind him in the picket line…
apparently the problem, in the eyes of the community people will not be solved
through strikes but through a round table discussion with the management. “The
community was not consulted of the real method of approaching the problem and
so the community servant was left on his own in the picket line.”

Community Assistance in Assessing Needs

1. Help identify community groups and citizens to be involved in the

working committee.
2. Facilitate group discussion to identify important issues and set
priorities.
3. Help select the sample to be surveyed and design a system to identify
respondents.
4. Provide tested questions from which the working committees choose
questions that address the issues and concerns.
5. Help design a process to distribute and collect survey questionnaires,
code, enter and analyze the resulting data.
6. Provide summary reports of data.
 7. Suggest programs to report the results and strategies to
solicit community involvement.
8. Work with citizens to identify courses of action based on
the information.

Phase V: Program / Project Implementation

Project implementation deals with the actual execution of the plans. This
phase of project development includes, making the final arrangement with the
target clients/community partners, officials involved in the activities, right schedule
of each event, day to day activities, and needs of the clients, manpower each day
of the program, monitoring and evaluation plan and other requirements like social
and recreational activities, and the culminating activities of the project.
It must be remembered always that the needs of the clients will be the dominant
consideration throughout the conduct of the projects.

To ensure the success of

the NSTP community service
projects performed by the trainees
“… needs of the clients will
be the dominant during their immersion time, the

consideration throughout following must be considered:

the conduct of the
projects.”
 program must be responsive to the needs of the clients;
 contribute to the upliftment of the living conditions of the clients;
 maximize the resources available in the community;
 tap the potentials of the clients and give due recognitions;
 objectives must be SMART with tangible results that touch the lives
of the clients;
 project must be done systematically to ensure significant
contributions from pre-planning, planning stage, implementation, and
evaluation;
  complete documentation must be observed as basis for reporting
and for future studies;
 project must be within the capacity and concern of the trainees that
will allow them to gain the knowledge, skills and encourage reflective
action; and
 develop shared commitment among the trainees.

Projects must promote civic consciousness imbued with good citizenship

values of pagkamaka Diyos, pagkamaka tao, pagkamaka bayan and pagkamaka
kalikasan.

The following flow of activities will guide NSTP trainees in the implementation of their project:
a. Pre-immersion - Preparation of project proposal based on community
- Approval of the proposal
- Once the project is approved, the trainees will prepare all
immersion requirements.

- Letter of request regarding their immersion to the

community or the partner agency signed by the
trainor/coordinator and approved by the NSTP director.

- Community responds to the request by signifying their

acceptance through a letter.

- Trainees, based on the identified needs, submit a project

design to the community for approval.

- Once approved, trainees will submit a detailed program

schedule of action.
- Based on the detailed program approved, the NSTP
trainees will implement the specifics of the activities as
designed. The actual immersion time will last for 8-10 meetings
with the clients or partner community. It may
also depend on the design of the project.
b. Actual community - In the course of the actual work, coordination, monitoring
immersion and evaluation is done to give immediate action to problems
encountered and make necessary adjustments
 if needed.

- During this stage, trainees are required to make and

complete their journal of events which serves as a reference
in finalizing their tasks. Pictorials are also required to support
the activities udertanken.
c. Presentation of - Each group of trainees will make a narrative report. The
community service presentation of documents during the port evaluation of the
outputs program is about the community service activities
conducted during the immersion time.
d. Monitoring - Continuously done to measure effectiveness of activity
e. Evaluation - Each group will be rated as part of the final rating given to
them.

- Implementation of the project ends by the time all

requirements have been satisfactorily done.

Phase VI: Termination of Projects

NSTP trainees are expected to complete their projects in the community in
the span of 50-90 hours as prescribed to the CHED-endorsed Program of
instruction for it to be credited in the training course. Right at the very start the
trainee implementers must apprise their target participants of the particular of the
projects undertaken especially in terms of time frame. This will enable their clients
or partner community to prepare for any eventualities should the implementers will
terminate the project. Trainees are advised to inform them with due respect of the
status of the project and other details as may be deemed necessary.
Nevertheless, the trainees may decide to continue with the project if the endeavour
proves worthy of continuation, follow-up or replication. If the proponents and
implementers have decided to pursue and push through with their venture, they
can seek the assistance and support of the school’s extension services/community
outreach unit just to sustain the project.
If in case trainees lack hours of community immersion or did not perform
well, they are bound to receive an unsatisfactory rating; more so, failure of
compliance must be noted. If trainees go beyond the required
number of hours in the community in their conduct of the project for failure to
conform or comply with the requirements of the plan of action formulated, then a
similar ‘poor’ rating should be accorded.
As trainees, one must learn how to work within the allotted time frame
given, for their convenience and also for the community’s sake. If one stays in the
community beyond the agreed time, the action can be construed by the community
for something else like, extending more help (intensified volunteerism) to them or
that they could still ask for their help even beyond their capability. This might also
encourage their dependency on the implementers.
However, it is not really a problem if trainees want to extend their
community services in the community. In fact, NSTP encourages trainees to
continue their community work. This time, their services will already be regarded
as their personal commitment to doing voluntary work, separate and distinct from
the NSTP-initiated activities. In step with enjoining NSTP students to eventually
becoming volunteer workers, the school may establish volunteer corps either
under the auspices of the school’s NSTP unit or extension services office to
ensure the continuity of the immersion program for volunteers.
Question and answer session may serve as the closing activity. Here, a
representative from each group will act as a member of a panel which will provide
answers to questions from the audience (class) should there be points of inquiries
or clarifications in regard the process of community immersion.

Worksheet 1 . Community Mapping

Name: Date:

Course & Section: Trainor: Rating: _

SUMMARY

Community needs assessment is a means to measures problems, issues and

concerns of a specific locality which could be done by interested group with
sponsors to establish credibility. It involves steps to follow in order to consider well
specific areas which will be included in developing the instruments. It particularly
involves the population demographic areas, economic and social level. It is also
designed to gather information and help determine how best one can respond to
the needs of the community, issues or concerns, and potential areas of
intervention.
When the needs are identified the people then must come to an appreciation that
there are needs that exist among them and these are shared by all of them. They
should then visualize their goals and the ideal life they want to achieve and reflect
their dreams in life.

Finally, know and make your case…

Needs assessment are a critical part of community organizing
practice/development work. It is essential to ask the question:
 How do you know there is a problem?
 How do you know there is a need for a particular intervention? Answering
this question entails gathering empirical (objective) and perceptual
(subjective) data.
 How serious is the problem/need?
 How pervasive is it?
 How many people do it affect?
 Who believes there is a problem/need?
 Who is defining the problem/need?
 Why at this time?

“A nation is a totality of men united through a community of fate

into a community of character.”

Otto Bauer