UNIT \ The Process of Community : ‘ 3 / Immersion [ “We don't accomplish anything in this world alone... and whatever happens i the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads from one 10 another that creates something.” Sandra Day O'Connor ‘ Learning Objectives Bi | At the end of this unit the student shoulkt be able to: = 1 ©. verbalize the process of immersion as a guide for rer Ws service tothe i 1 communities; i 1b. design o:community immersion plan of icoplemnentdtion following the. epracesss: | fos and | | c."intarnaliza the importenes of carrying out the stops ‘fe f eommt yi immersion inst : 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 terinination of the project. ‘A Modular Wok Text in NSTP 2for Trainers and Students 51“Structured Learning Exercise] . 1. The students will be divided into groups of 10 members. 2. Each group will be assigned a particular phase to discuss and role play. 3. They then, will be asked to prepare for a creative presentation for a period of 15 minutes where they will properly portray the immersion phase assigned to them. A seven-minutes allotment will be given to each presenter. 4. After the presentation, indicate the process of community immersion in five minutes by making the number order. 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 regards the process of community immersion, (Discussion Highlights] 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 other 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 selecti 1. Select our areas. The marginalized sectors are your target clients because they are the ones needing your assistance more than any other groups 52" a 'A Modular Work Tex in NSTP 2 for Trainers and Students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 arid resources within the capability of the students and community partners, You cannot extend what you do not have in the first place. 4. Places 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 secure 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 arca?” Sometimes despite the tommunity 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 comiunity 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. Ifyou live in Cavite and you happen to have chosen Bulacan as an immersion area, would jt be easy for you to conduct, monitor and evaluate your projects in the latter area mentioned? ‘A Modiular Work Text in NSTP2 for Trainers and Students, 53‘You have to take into account how much time you spend traveling, how riuch money you spend for transportation or lodging. There is a chante 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 Il: Eritering 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 phat 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: ~ Ostentations Entry. Complete with banner and 4 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 “{dentity 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 is 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 54 [A Modular Work Text in NSTP 2 for Trainers and Students‘on community relations, believing that both parties are partners to community development. Key to this type of entry is strong linkage with the people in the community. When entering the community, the niembeis 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 conversations. 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 contfact.- ‘A Modular Work Tex In NSTP 2 for Trainers and Students 55Phase Ill: 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 stay 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. ¢. 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 conérete 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 bf oneness with the community. ‘They begin to sce that the people’s problems 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. Henee, 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. ‘A Modular Work Text In NSTP2for Trainers and Students 59‘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 needs astessment 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 findings 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. Cy ‘A Modular Work Text in NSTP 2 for Tainers and StudentsGeographical and Transportation Information - includes information on the community's patterns and population contributions. 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). Demographic Data ~ includes data.on age characteristics, size, race, and transience of population. Economic Data - refers to the economic base, social, cultural, educational, recreational organizations. This includes the values and social pattern. 1. Geographic Profile : (Data source may come from barangay or city/municipal hall) a. physical 1. Location/Boundaries (north, east, west, south) Terrain * i, Facilities (ike clinic-hospital, schools, recreation hall, etc) 1M, Climate V. Basic food b. Cultural : History of place and people Il. Languages being used IN. Peace and order situation {usual community conflict and/or crime rate) WV, Clothing (most applicable to rural setting) I. Social (Data comes from survey Total Population Total Number of Household Population distribution by Gender and Age) Population distribution by Educational Attainment Health and common ilinesses recreation IM. Economic a. Age eamersin the family b, Employment ‘<_ Household monthly income IV. Life skits 2, Abilities b. Interests V. Spiritual Aspect 1 Number of people with active membership in the church epaoge (Tobe continued. A Medular Work Text in NSTP 2 or Trainers and Students a(Continuation) Vi. Socio-Political Aspect 2, Known social programs or projects arid other related community efforts (whether existing or planned efforts) Expression of satisfaction/dlissatisfaction towards current social programs ‘&. Percelved community problems d. Récognized community leaders ‘Other agencies, GO's or NGO's that are inthe 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 62 1 Foiused 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 cari provide good information that will guide and give you better understanding on historical issues needed by the community. 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. 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, Survey. Survey and questionnairés ‘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 Needs (MBN) Form of the DSWD. + |A Medular Work Textin NSTP 2 for Trainers and Students1. 10. Steps in Conducting Needs Assessment Establish a working committee to solicit citizen and community involvement and develop a plan of action, List important aspects that are needed to be looked upon. This may also mean identifying the surveyors’ own capability.and strength. Identify the population to be surveyed. This also inchides making communications with community leaders and authorities of the identified population to facilitate other procedures. 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 from the barangay, municipal or city records office. Select a random sample of person to survey. A good number of representative population to be surveyed will contribute to the validity of the information. Develop and pretest a questionnaire. Afterwards, if the questionnaire was found to be a valid tool for measurement of data, proceed to distributing the questionnaire for community use. Collect and collate the information. . 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. Go back to the community for validation of information. This may be done through a community assembly or simple community group discussion. . 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 a 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. ‘A Modular Work Text in NSTP 2 for Triners and Students 63“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. 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 cach 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 ‘needs of the clients will bethe | community service projects performed by the dominant consideration throughout trainees during their immersion’ time, the the conduct ofthe projects.” ° . bree following must be considered: + program must bé responsive to the needs of the clients; + contribute to the upliftment of the living conditions of the clients; + maximize the resources available in the communit; + tap the potentials of the clients and give due recognition; +, objectives must be SMART with tangible results that touch the lives of the clients; 64 |A Modular Work Text in NSTP 2for Trainers and Studentsproject must be done systematically to ensure significant contributions from pre-planning, planning stagé, implementation, and evaluation; £ + complete documentation must be observed as basis-for reporting and for fature studies; + projects must be within the capacity and concérn 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 bayin and pagkamaka alikasan, The following flow of activities will guide NSTP trainees in the implementation of their proje: ‘a. Pre-immersion Preparation of project proposal based on community needs Approval ofthe 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 directot ‘Community responds to the request by signifying their acceptance througha 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 programm approved, the NSTP trainees will implementthe specifics ofthe activities as designed. The actual immersion time will ast for 8-10 ‘meetings with the clients or partner community. It may also depend on the dasign of the project. b. Actual community immersion Inthe course of the actual work, coordination, monitoring 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 reference in finalizing their tasks: Pictorials ate also required to support the activities undertaken {To be continued...) ‘A Modular Work Text in NSTP 2 for Trainers and Students, 65(Continuation) Presentation of = Each group of trainees will make a narrative report. The ‘community service presentation of documents during the post evaluation of outputs thie program is about the community service activities : conducted during the immersion time. 4. Monitoring = Continuously done to measure effectiveness of activity. e. Evaluation — = Each group willbe 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 particulars of the projects undertaken especially in terms of time frame. This will enable their clients or partner coinmunity 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 endeavor 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 seck the assistance and support of the school’s extension services/community outreach unit just to sustain the project. “Tf 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 66 ‘A Modular Work Text in NSTP 2 for Trainers and Studentsvolunteer workers, the schoo! 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. Syothesis) Community needs assessment is a means to measure problems, issues and concerns of a specific locality which could be done by ifiterested group with sponsors to establish Gredibility. 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 assessments 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? *Anation isa totality of men united through @ ‘community of fate into a community of character.” Otto Bauer |A Modular Werk Text in NSTP 2 for Trsiners and Students 07