MODULE 1
Community Engagement
I. Objectives:
At the end of the module, the student will be able to:
1. Discuss community engagement and what it is all about;
2. Understand impact of good community engagement strategies; and
3. Identify behaviors that may be helpful during the community engagement.
II. Topic Outline:
The following concepts will be discussed in this module:
- Community Engagement
- Types of Community Engagement
- Behaviors to Exhibit During Community Engagement
III. Activities:
A. Community Engagement
The US NIH (United States National Institute for Health) defined community
engagement as:
“…the process of working collaboratively with and through
groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special
interest, or similar situations to address issues affecting the
wellbeing of those people. It is a powerful vehicle for
bringing about environmental and behavioral changes that
will improve the health of the community and its members.
It often involves partnerships and coalitions that help
mobilize resources and influence systems, change
relationships among partners, and serve as catalysts for
changing policies, programs, and practices (CDC, 1997, p.
9).”
It can take many forms, and partners can include organized groups, agencies,
institutions, or individuals. Collaborators may be engaged in various public issues
promotion, research, or policy making.
It can be seen as a continuum of community involvement. Figure 1.1 below,
based from a diagram originally drawn by the International Association for Public
Participation shows one way of illustrating such continuum. A specific collaboration is
likely to move and is likely to evolve along this continuum over time toward greater
community involvement. Although community engagement may be achieved during
a time-limited project, it usually involves and most likely to evolve into long-term
partnerships with scope of a single issue to evolving into partnership that address a
range of social, economic, political, and environmental factors that affect the
community.
B. Types of Community Engagement
1. Community building – projects that intentionally bring people to get together to know
one another [i.e. Team building, etc.]
2. Community education - Projects that provide instructional services or curricula, or
serve to educate the public about a social issue (in a non-partisan way) [i.e. Oplan
Ligtas ang May Alam, Project NOAH]
3. Community organizing - Projects that bring people together with the goal of solving
a community issue
4. Deliberative dialogue - Projects that intentionally bring people together to build
understanding across differences [i.e. Bangsamoro Peace Talks, etc.]
5. Economic Development – Projects that work on developing the regional economy in
a sustainable way
6. Engaged research - Research that directly benefits the community by clarifying the
causes of a community challenge; mapping a community’s asset; or contributing to
solutions to current challenges and also fits a partner educational institution’s faculty
member’s research agenda
7. Institutional Engagement – Partner institution’s resources intentionally offered
without undue barriers to the community [i.e. UP Gurong Pahinungod]
C. Behaviors to Exhibit during Community Engagement
“A facilitator helps a group move through a process to make necessary decisions to
accomplish mutual goals in the available time.”
- Chastain, 2013
A facilitator…
… leads so that participants know the group is in charge.
… suggests ways and uses tools to help the group move forward, but
makes no decisions for the group.
“A facilitator is responsible to the group and its work”
• Interrupt a speaker if they are off topic
• Makes suggestions to assist the meeting process
• Make minor adjustments to the agenda as the meeting progresses.
IV. Evaluation
A. Reflection Paper. In your own community, identify an existing social
issue/problem/challenges. Think or suggest ways of addressing this
issue/problem/challenges. Answer the following:
1. How can you help, in your own little way, address this?
2. What are the possible steps or strategies that you can do?
B. Activity Proposal. Based on your answer in A, design an activity proposal for an
existing issue you want to address in your community. Refer to the format to be
provided by your NSTP Faculty Instructor. Present it to your Instructor using a
Video presentation.
V. References:
Chastain, Ana. (2013). Techniques of successful facilitators: Minor, yet major, things
to remember. Michigan State University Extension Services. Available at
http://www.canr.msu.edu
Chastain, Ana. (2013). How can I become a more effective facilitator. Michigan State
University Extension. Available at https://extension.msu.edu
