Topic 1

Introduction to Community
Immersion
 Discussion Highlights
Community immersion is one important requirement of the National Service Training
Program (NSTP) prescribe to students, male and female alike, in private and public higher
education instruction and technical-vocational schools (RA 9163, Sec.7). In essence, it is the
practicum-based element of NSTP where lessons learned and acquire 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 nation.
This practicum requirement essential to NSTP 2 is not only applicable to the Civic Welfare Training
Service (CWTS) and the Literacy Training Service (LTS) components but he Reserve Officers
Training Course (ROTC), as well.
As a concept, community immersion is a strategy in community organizing that is sought to
imbibe among the NSTP trainees a better understanding and realization of the different
community concerns through exposure on actual life situations specifically in the deprived, and
the underprivileged (DDU) communities. These experience will allow them to integrate with other
people who may facilitate them to undergo certain changes that will make them civic
conscious and socially responsible citizens.

Community Immersion is a strategy of transforming DDU

communities and trainees into self-sustaining ones as men for
each other imbued with good citizenship values of being:

MAKADIYOS
MAKATAO
MAKABAYAN
MAKALIKASAN
 Corollary, community immersion, as a process, is aimed at developing among
student-trainees, through the training program, their appreciation of rending community
works is quintessential in affording for them the opportunity to experience and put
themselves in real-life situation in the communities they serve. For 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 projects and activities meant to address the multi-faceted issues
and concerns supported by needs assessment / analysis study that maps out 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 the
people in the service areas and, at the same time develop their ethics of service imbued
with the good citizenship values of Maka-Diyos, Maka-Bayan, Maka-Tao, and Maka-
kalikasan thereby better preparing them as reservists in responding to 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 deprive,
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. It is to be noted that these aspects cannot and should not
defined singly and separately, but must be viewed interdependently and in totally. However,
for purposes of delineation, the economic aspect suggests financial management while social
aspect focuses on people’s interaction and reactions and relationship building. On the other
hand, the spiritual aspect is associated with religion and our relationship to the Supreme Being,
regardless of whatever we call our God.
Translating the aforementioned aspects of human existence NSTP had contextualized the
said concepts by determining the various dimension of development along CWTS component
of the Program, as per guidelines of the NSTP Law, to wit:

 Education;
 Health;
 Safety and disaster management;
 Sports and recreation;
 Environmental services;
 Entrepreneurship and livelihood;
 Moral of citizenry and other social / general welfare concerns.
 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 mere spectators of community action, nonchalant and passive citizens to
responsible and effective change agents who are empower to touch the lives of other people.
Howbeit, is 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 institution and schools may vary depending on the NSTP implementer’s 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 immersion program for our NSTP students.

OBJECTIVES OF NSTP COMMUNITY IMMERSION

The community immersion requirement of NSTP is a mechanism specifically design to allow
students-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, deprive and the underprivileged communities and
marginalized groups of out 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.
 Community Immersion

Morals of Citizenry
Education

Trainee’s Participation
and Involvement

Knowledge, skills Enhance civic

consciousness
Health and attitudes
through the and defense
Dimension of involvement preparedness
Development and
participation in
the NSTP
Community Immersion Program
contributes to the people
in the service area.
Development the
Sports and Recreation Ethics of Service
imbued with good
citizenship values of
Exposure on being:
community real
life situation
especially the MAKADIYOS
Entrepreneurship Depressed,
•
Safety and Disaster Deprived and • MAKATAO
Management Underprivileged • MAKABANSA
sectors (DDU’s)
• MAKAKALIKASAN

Environmental Awareness ATRUE RESERVIST.

 FIGURE 1. AN ILLUSTRATION OF HOW COMMUNITY IMMERSION AS AN APPROACH AND
STRATEGY CAN BE USED TO HELP IMPROVE COMMUNITY LIFE AND DEVELOP STUDENT
TRAINEES.

SYNTHESIS
Community immersion is a means for NSTP trainees to value the critical role they
plan in nation building as t hey begin to have a deepened sense of awareness and
involvement in real life situation in the communities that encourage them to do civic
works particularly those that relate to the dimension on education, health,
entrepreneurship, environment, safety welfare concerns. Further, it is a scheme intended
for them to contribute significantly in upholding the youth and members in national
building by setting the groundwork of development in the grassroots level.

Serving the poor in an NSTP way…

The youth becomes they symbol of the generations…