Community Organizing

• Is a social development methodology used to Process - The sequence of steps whereby

facilitate the process of forming self-reliant, self- members of a community come together to
determining communities which are able to critically assess to evaluate community conditions
sustain their development activities. and work together to improve those conditions.
• It is complemented with community development Structure - Refers to a particular group of
which addresses livelihood and other critical community members that work together for a
concerns to make a community truly self-reliant common health and health related goals.
and sustaining.
Importance of COPAR
Characteristics of Community Organizing • Is an important for community tool for
• Proceeds from people's priority needs development and people empowerment as this
• Based on community analysis helps the community workers generate
• Re ects urgent issues and community’s resolve to community participation in development activities.
act in this issue • Prepares people/clients to eventually take over
the management of a development programs in
Critical Activities in Community Organizing the future.
1. Community Integration - Immersion to • Maximizes community participation and
where the people are involvement; community resources are mobilized
for community services.
2. Social Investigation
3. Tentative Program Planning Emphasis of COPAR
4. Ground Work-Laying - The starting point for • Community working to solve its own problem.
community organizing • Direction is established internally and externally.
5. Meeting 8. Evaluation • Development and implementation of a speci c
6. Role-Playing 9. Re ection project less important than the development of
7. Community 10. Organization the capacity of the community to establish the
project.
Mobilization or Action • Consciousness raising involves perceiving health
and medical care within the total structure of
The Process of Community Organizing society.
• The process of community organizing is the core
of all the activities of the community organizer/ Principles of COPAR
community health nurse. • People especially the most oppressed, exploited
• Most e ective in terms of development is COPAR and deprived sectors are open to change, have
and CBPR (Community-Based Participatory the capacity to change and are able to bring
Research) Model. about change.
• COPAR should be based on the interest of the
Community Organizing Participatory Action poorest sector of the community.
Research (COPAR) • COPAR should lead to a self-reliant community
• Is a widely used framework in public health and society.
nursing that aims to empower marginalized • Concern toward society and nature.
communities by giving them the opportunity to • Acknowledgement that people has the capacity to
engage in the research process where they play re ect, learn, and change.
an active role as participants. • Democratization of knowledge production and
• A social development approach that aims to use.
transform the apathetic individualistic and • Commitment to nonviolent social change.
voiceless poor into dynamic, participatory, and
politically responsive community. Phases of the COPAR Process
• A collective, participatory, transformative, 1. Pre-Entry Phase
liberative, sustained, and systematic process of • Is the initial phase of the organizing process
building people's organizations by mobilizing and where the community organizer looks for
enhancing the capabilities and resources of the communities to serve and help.
people for the resolution of their issues and • Activities include:
concerns towards e ecting change in their a. Preparation of the Institution
existing oppressive and exploitative conditions. • Train faculty and students in COPAR
• A process by which a community identi es its • Formulate plans for institutionalizing
needs and objectives, develops con dence to COPAR
take action in respect to them and in doing so, • Revise/enrich curriculum and
extends and develops cooperative and immersion program
collaborative attitudes and practices in the • Coordinate participants of other
community. departments
• A continuous and sustained process of educating b. Site Selection
the people to understand and develop their
• Initial networking with LGU
critical awareness of their existing condition,
• Conduct preliminary social investigation
working with the people collectively and e ciently
• Make long/short list of potential
on their immediate and long-term problems, and communities
mobilizing the people to develop their capability
• Do ocular survey of listed communities
and readiness to respond and take action on their
immediate needs towards solving their long-term
problems.
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 • Criteria for Initial Site Selection: • Conduct baseline survey by students,
• Must have a population of 100-200 results relayed through community
families assembly
• Economically depressed. No strong c. Core Group Formation
resistance from the community • Leader spotting through sociogram
• No serious peace and order • Key Persons - Approached by most
problem people
• No similar group or organization • Opinion Leader - Approached by key
holding the same program persons
c. Identifying Potential Municipalities • Isolates - Never or hardy consulted
• Make long/short list of potential 3. Organization-Building Phase
municipalities • Entails the formation of more formal structure
d. Identifying Potential Communities and the inclusion of more formal procedure of
• Do the same process as in selecting planning, implementing, and evaluating
municipality community-wise activities.
• Consult key informants and residents • It is at this phase where the organized leaders
• Coordinate with local government and or groups are being given training (formal,
NGOs for future activities informal, OJT) to develop their style in
e. Choosing Final Community managing their own concerns/programs.
• Conduct informal interviews with • Key activities:
community residents and key a. Community Health Organization (CHO)
informants • Preparation of legal requirements
• Determine the need of the program in • Guidelines in the organization of the
the community CHO by the core group
• Take note of political development • Election of o cers
• Develop community pro les for b. Research Team Committee
secondary data c. Planning Committee
• Develop survey tools d. Health Committee Organization
• Pay courtesy call to community leaders
e. Formation of by-laws by the CHO
• Choose foster families based on
guidelines 4. Sustenance and Strengthening Phase
f. Identifying Host Family • Occurs when the community organization has
already been established and the community
• House is strategically located in the
community members are already actively participating in
community-wide undertakings.
• Should not belong to the rich segment
• Respected by formal & informal leaders • At this point, the di erent committee setup in
the organization-building phase are already
• Neighbors are not hesitant to enter the
house expected to be functioning by way of
planning, implementing, and evaluating their
• No member of the host family should
be moving out in the community own programs, with the overall guidance from
the community-wide organization.
2. Entry Phase or “Social Preparation Phase"
• Key activities:
• Is crucial in determining which strategies for
organizing would suit the chosen community. a. Training of CHO for Monitoring and
• Success of the activities depend on how Implementing of Community Health
m u c h t h e c o m m u n i t y o rg a n i z e r s h a s Program
integrated with the community. b. Identi cation of Secondary Leaders
a. Guidelines for Entry c. Linkaging and Networking
• Recognize the role of local authorities d. Conduct of Mobilization on Health and
by paving them visits to inform their Development Concerns
presence and activities e. Implementation of Livelihood Projects
• Her appearance, speech, behavior, and 5. Phasing-Out Phase
lifestyle should be in keeping with • The phasing out is when the community
those of the community residents organizer or community health nurse leave the
without disregard of their being role community to stand alone.
model • This phase should be stated during the entry
• Avoid raising the consciousness of the phase so that the people will be ready for this
community residents; adopt a low-key phase.
pro le • The organization built should be ready to
b. Activities in the Entry Phase sustain the test of the community itself
• Integration - Establishing rapport with because the real evaluation will be done by
the people in continuing e ort to the residents of the community itself.
imbibe community life
• Living with the community
• Seek out to converse with people
where they usually congregate
• Lend a hand in household chores
• Avoid gambling and drinking
• Deepening social investigation/
community study
• Veri cation and enrichment of data
collected from initial survey
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