DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON COMMUNITY

1. Social Science Perspective - a community is a congregation of people unified by at least one common
characteristic (geography, shared interests, values, experiences, traditions); there is a common pattern
of behavior�• Socialization - course of embracing the behavior patterns of the community

2 types of human associations (Ferdinand Tonnies, 1887):

* Gemeinschaft - “community” - a community with a tighter, more cohesive social entity brought
about by “unity of will”

* Gesellschaft - individuals participate as members driven solely by self-interest

2. Community-Based Perspective (Local and Grassroots Level) - this perspective requires vigilance in
assessing community structures and processes before any interventions and entails a thorough
understanding of the community in order to determine appropriate and strong solutions.�-sees the
community as:

* as a Setting for Intervention - the community is mainly defined geographically�- interventions may
be implemented at various places within community institutions (neighborhoods, schools, churches)�-
project interventions may concern education, health, and other services

* as a Target for Change - the community is the target beneficiary of service interventions and
community developments

* as a Resource - the community is a good material for promotion as it has a considerable degree of
“community ownership and participation.” Thus the situation provides a high possibility of project
intervention success

* as an Agent - communities, through local institutions, provide resources for realizing regular needs
(Steuart, 1993)

3. Ecological - a community is a congregation of species that occur together in the same time and space
and have a high probability for interaction�- behavior is perceived not only as a product of knowledge,
values, and attitudes of individuals but also as a result of social influences; therefore changing social
behavior necessitates applying social influences as strategies for social change�

4. Sectoral Perspective - community is seen as a system comprised of individuals and sectors with
diverse characteristics and interrelationships (Thompson, et. al)�- Each sector has its own focus, which
is primarily membership- and beneficiary-driven, and its own focus.�- every sector functions within
particular margins to sustain the requirements of its members and beneficiaries

5. Civil Society Perspective - views the community as composed of people, structures, and systems
endowed with resources but is confronted by social issues as well, and recognizes that those affected by
social problems must organize to pursue and advocate for social change.�-goal: mobilize community
members to participate in community advocacies�• Civil Society - a wide array of NGOs and volunteer
groups that are fighting for solutions to social issues that continue to worsen the condition of the
disadvantaged sectors of society (e.g the poor); recognizes that those affected by social problems must
organize and band together to pursue and advocate for social change

CLASSIFICATIONS OF COMMUNITIES

1. Rural-Urban - geographical;�• Rural areas = separate; away from the influence of large cities;
countryside, farmland, agricultural land.�• Urban areas = cities/towns

Questions to ask:

a. Where is it located?

R: away from the city, lots of open space and natural areas

U: city, not much open space and natural areas

b. Who lives there?

R: majority are poor people coming from farming, fishing, mining sectors who failed to finish college

U: educated professionals and businessmen; also a lot of urban poor & informal settlers from the labor
sector

c. How many people live in it? (population)

R: low density

U: high density

d. What is the land used for?

R: agriculture

U: government buildings, educational institutions, business establishments and factories, high-rise

housing/condominiums, infrastructure for transportation/roads, subdivisions

e. What are the services?

R: poor infrastructure facilities for electricity, water, transport, educ. institutions, health, employment,
etc.�U: presence of infrastructure facility
f. What jobs do people have?

R: farming, fishing, teaching, brgy. health workers�U: information technology, professionals (med.,
engineering, teaching), labor works, informal street and community works, corporate works

g. How do they treat each other?

R: sense of unity and belongingness, less social mobility and social differentiation

U: indifference, distrust, social night life because of bars, restaurants, entertainment

2. Local-Global - spatialized networks of social relationships; not spatial structures but different
representations of space competing against each other in a process to determine the society of that
society (Guy, 2009)�- challenge: to be cognizant of social realities and regard local culture in the advent
of globalization. �-“Think globally, act locally”

3. Physical space-Virtual Social Space�- Social space - either physical or virtual; �• Physical space =
unlimited 3-dimensional expanses in which material objects are located�• Virtual social space -
nonphysical spaces created by the development of technology�- concept of community went beyond
geographical limitations

TYPES OF COMMUNITIES

1. Geographic Community or Neighborhood - focuses on physical boundaries; has a diverse population

with people occupying different physical spaces, each with special attributes such as religion, economic
status, etc. Conflict: territorialism

2. Community of Identity - common identifiable characteristics or attributes such as culture. Conflict:

discrimination

3. Community of Interest or Solidarity - incorporates social movements (women’s rights, environment,

human rights); may be connected to community of interest at the local and international level; may be
formal, informal, or both. Conflict: sense of judgment.

4. Intentional Community - people who come together voluntarily and support each other; members
may share the same interests and identity or geographical location

DEFINITION AND FORMS OF COMMUNITY ACTION

Community Action - a manifestation of a collective grasp and ownership of a situation (that generally
has an effect on them)
Ingredients of Community Action: Must-Do’s in planning a community action

1. Common context - live in or come from a similar/familiar setting/locality

2. Common experience - sense of being one; drives the community to stick together

3. Common understanding of an issue - have the same view of the issue at hand; elevates the
community relationship from a “feeling” to a “thinking” level;

4. Common analysis - went through a process of analyzing the issue and may have a similar take on the
issue; puts community members’ understanding of an issue to a certain perspective based on core
values and principles; may strengthen or break relations

5. An acceptable standard - reach a minimum standard in undertaking an action together; paves the way
for a process of reaching compromises, minimum standards, and bottom lines; comm will target for
minimum standards often because of different core values and principles

6. an action that is acceptable to the community - discuss and agree on what action to take, who will
take the lead, who will do the supporting roles, and who will do other tasks

4 General Phases of Community Organization (Andres, 1988)

1. Issue identification, analysis, and dissemination - relevant community information are collected,
consolidated, analyzed, defined, processes, and disseminated; real needs are determined from felt
needs; debates, dialogues, etc.

2. Mobilization of Community - where work is systematized and people are organized

3. Organization - resources are mapped out and consolidated; determine what is lacking and what is
available, identify strengths, weaknesses, and options; plans are implemented systematically

4. Education - skills development / human resource enhancement; members are provided with
necessary skills and knowledge; prerequisite for the commencement of duties

To facilitate a process of appreciating community dynamics, community change agents must be aware
of the following:

1. Know the community issue - history, roots and development, what facilitated its growth, and where it
is now

2. Analyze the issue from different perspectives

3. Identify and get to know the relevant community structures and systems - (which may facilitate or
hinder success)

4. Identify and get to know the players - who are involved? who are the interest groups?

5. Identify community power actors

6. Trace connections - map out the linkages of stakeholders to find out the strengths, weaknesses, and
resources of the people involved

FORMS OF COMMUNITY ACTION: Community Engagement

Engagement

- engagement = interaction, relationship;

- partnership between two parties such as academic institutions and local communities for mutual
benefits

- characterized by reciprocal relations

Community Engagement

4-part definition:

* active collaboration

* builds on resources, skills, and expertise and knowledge of the campus and community

* improves the quality of life in the communities

* in a manner that is consistent with the campus mission

- Involves a paradigm shift from the traditional mode in which in an educational institution works.
Educational institutions are expected to be a link between the academic and community life

- focuses on engaged learning—an educational methodology wherein the class objectives are learned by
working on projects with a community partner; this puts classroom skills and knowledge into practice
while serving the community
Citizenship

Citizenship - membership of a citizen in a political society; denotes allegiance of the member and
protection of the state a status

Citizen - a member of a democratic community who enjoys full civil and political rights and is accorded
protection inside & outside the territory of the state; a person

(De Leon, 1997)

A citizen has both rights and responsibilities. A responsible citizen ensures awareness of these rights and
of his/her obligations (allegiance to the state, duty to defend it, obey laws, exercise rights responsibly,
register and vote). The principle of citizenship recognizes that people have a moral responsibility to self,
others, and community which has to be matched and expressed with social responsibility. This means
acknowledging both individuals’ human dignity and the social dimensions of human existence. Thus, a
citizen must leave their comfort zone and get engaged.

Rights-based approach - opens the gate for the integration of the concept of citizenship and
development, which stirs the emergence of citizen participation.

Citizen participation - may be undertaken in 2 levels:

* Community level - through community development

* State level - through political participation

Solidarity

- is about regarding our fellow human beings justly and and respecting who they are as persons

- a person has to relate responsibly and act in solidarity with others and the whole humanity; his/her
acts affect others and their self

Catholic Social Teachings - solidarity is about treasuring our fellow human beings and regarding who
they are as people of God; comes from the understanding that “we are all one family in the world”

Saint John Paul II: solidarity is building a community that empowers everyone to attain their full
potential”
THE SOCIAL SITUATION - overview of the Philippines’ social situation

* Economic - relatively high poverty incidence, economy fluctuates because of environmental problems,
political uncertainties, and crime rates; fluctuations affect negatively income, economic development,
and development of the people

* Ecological - natural resources are imperiled by exploitation; land degradation = problem for poor
families who depend on land; logging and slash-and-burn - deforestation; deteriorating quality of water;
population increase = increase in human encroachment of natural resources

* Political - country is still far from having a stable, strong, and functioning democracy; corruption,
nepotism, cronyism, and political conflicts persist

* Social - still faces massive challenges in terms of access to basic social services; challenge: how to
expand people’s access to basic education and health services; housing issue; poverty.

Structures to look into:

* Economic - shape the basic patterns of production, distribution, exchange, and consumption in a
society

* Political - we look into the institutional concentration of power or the power within the community;
analyzing political structures help determine where and for whom key decisions are made, how much
participation is present, and how decisions are enacted

* Cultural - serve as the institutional bases for the myths and symbols of society

The situation calls for social change

MODELS OF SOCIAL CHANGE

Understanding change may come from different perspectives. It is important to appreciate these
perspectives for 3 reasons:

1. To understand the responses taken by those in positions of influence and authority

2. To help us know our strengths and weaknesses as change agents - make agents realize that at
different situations, there is a time to preserve, reform, and transform

3. To help us reflect and discern

3 Models of Social Change

1. Traditional Structure of Patronage and Dependence (Traditional) - power is concentrated at the top,
leaders and followers compete for patronage and connections; preserves the status quo and continues
exploitation

2. Class Conflict Model - portrays a lower class (exploited) — higher class relationship (exploiter)�-
Marxist; presents class conflict as inevitable�-seeks for a classless society

3. Interest Group Model - society is composed of groups and organizations from the lower strata of
society, each with its common interest, seeking to be heard & to influence policy decisions and
actions�- interest groups are from different sectors: farmers, labor groups, women, youth,
disadvantaged, etc.

The process of social change requires systemic and personal change

- systemic change looks into institutional systems and economic, political, and sociocultural structures

- personal change looks into the individual’s values and principles

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AS A PROCESS OF SOCIAL CHANGE

Social development

- the process of planned and life-affirming social change aimed toward a society where everyone is
liberated and where everyone achieves fullness of life (Penullar, 2015)

- life-affirming infers that all community development interventions have to be life sustaining; as such,
they must forbear violent modes of realizing social change

- Liberation requires the exclusion of all structures and processes that cradle human suffering

Operationally, Social Development means to work toward the elimination of unjust social practices and
systems, promote participation of the underrepresented, and implement life-giving interventions

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AS A PROCESS FOR COMMUNITY ACTION

Community Development

- a process wherein community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions
to common problems and pursue community well-being
Significant features of CD:

* Builds community capacity - builds capacity to address issues, find common ground, and balance
competing interests

* Builds community - process is as important as the result

* Linked with community work and planning - involves networking and linking NGOs, universities, and
government institutions to advance the local community well-being

* Empowers individuals and groups - empowers by providing the skills needed to effect change

* Strengthens the community - emphasizes self-help, mutual support, capacity development,

neighborhood integration, and promotion of collective action

* Strengthens civil society - strengthens through prioritization of community actions

* Builds active citizenship - strengthens capacity of people as active citizens through their community
groups, organizations, and networks; dialogue with citizens to shape and determine change; supports
active democratic life by promoting the disadvantaged and vulnerable communities

* Indicates the principles of community action - core values and social principles including human rights,
equality, respect for diversity, etc.

* Supports establishment of strong communities - helps people to recognize & develop their ability and
organize themselves to respond to common problems; supports establishment of strong communities
that uses assets to promote social justice and improve the quality of community life

THE YOUTH

Youth - the critical period in a person’s growth and development from the onset of adolescence toward
the peak of mature, self-reliant, and responsible adulthood;

- ages 15 to 30 years old (according to the The Youth in Nation-Building Act of 1995 (RA8044), which
established the National Comprehensive Youth Development)

- age 15-24 —> World Health Organization

- psychosocial perspective—those within the adolescence and early adulthood phase;�— Adolescence -
already have an integrated image of themselves as unique persons and are in the process of
constructing their personal identity, they cling to a peer group; Early Adulthood - form close
relationships with others
The Importance and Role of Youth in Community Action

4 integrated strategies to protect their social well-being:

1. Building youth-caring communities

2. Developing community-caring youth

3. reengineering the mechanism through which the youth services are delivered

4. becoming more responsive to the specific needs of the youth

CORE VALUES AND PRINCIPLES

Guiding principles

- foundation/framework which guides what the organization does

- reflects the organization’s values and the things it desires to accomplish

Community Youth Guiding Principles:

1. Organizational Core Values - standards of organizational behavior; these become the bases of the
members’ identity

2. Organizational Mission - reason for existence

3. Organizational Vision - picture of the future

4. Image - unique element or niche of the organization

5. Guiding Principles - beliefs and philosophy concerning what the organization does + why and how it
does it

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

- an international document that states basic rights and fundamental freedoms to which all human
beings are entitled

ARTICLES:

1. All human beings are born free and equal

2. Everyone is entitled to the same human rights without discrimination of any kind
3. Everyone has the human right to life, liberty, and security

4. No one shall be held in slavery or servitude

5. No one shall be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment

6. Everyone has the human right to be recognized everywhere as a person before the law

7. Everyone is equal before the law and has the human right to equal protection of the law

8. Everyone has the human right to a remedy if their human rights are violated

9. No one shall be arrested, detained, or exiled arbitrarily

10. Everyone has the human right to a fair trial

11. Everyone has the human right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty

12. Everyone has the human right to privacy and family life

13. Everyone has the human right to freedom of movement and residence within the state, to leave any
country and to return to one’s country

14. Everyone has the human right to seek asylum from persecution

15. Everyone has the human right to a nationality

16. All adults have the human right to marry and found a family. Women and men have equal human
rights to marry within marriage and at its dissolution

17. Everyone has the human right to own property

18. Everyone has the human right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion

19. Everyone has the human right to freedom of opinion and expression

20. Everyone has the human right to peaceful assembly and association

21. Everyone has the human right to take part in government of one’s country directly or through free
and fair elections and access to public service

22. Everyone has the human right to social security and to the realization of the economic, social, and
cultural rights indispensable for dignity

23. Everyone has the human right to work, to just conditions of work, to protection against
unemployment, to equal pay for equal work, to sufficient pay to ensure a dignified existence for one’s
self and one’s family, and to join a trade union

24. Everyone has the human right to rest and leisure

25. Everyone has the human right to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being, including
food, clothing, housing, medical care, and necessary social services

26. Everyone has the human right to education including free and compulsory elementary education and
human rights education

27. Everyone has the human right to participate freely in the cultural life and to share in scientific
progress, as well as to protection of their artistic, literary, or scientific creations

28. Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which these rights can be realized fully

29. Everyone has duties to the community

30. None of the human rights in this Declaration can be used to justify violating another human right

CORE VALUES AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY ACTION

- the values and principles that guide social development workers and advocates are heavily influenced
by the UDHR.

Principles:

1. Human Rights - inherent to all human beings. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without
discrimination . These rights are all interrelated, interdependent, and indivisible. The improvement of
one right facilitates the advancement of others

- Non-discrimination - cross-cutting principle in international human rights law. The principle is present
in all major human rights treaties and provides the central theme of some international human rights
conventions

2. Social justice - “a societal value which guides human interactions and, in particular, the fair
distribution of society’s benefits, advantages, and assets in all aspects of society.

- not only about obtaining and protecting rights but also about responsibilities and their consequences

- associated to social action

- requires equitable access to and distribution of resources, services, and benefits, as well as the
acknowledgement of the right of people to their cultural heritage

- education for justice—to create awareness of the real situation and call for action to secure justice
with peace
3. Empowerment and Advocacy

* Empowerment—the expansion of freedom of choice and action, specifically the expansion of assets
and capabilities of poor people to participate in, negotiate with, control, and hold accountable
institutions that affect their lives

4 elements of empowerment:

1. Access to information

2. Inclusion and Participation

3. Accountability

4. Local Organizational Capacity

4. Participatory Development - highlights the involvement of the marginalized in the development

process

- gives importance to the poor + a chance for them to be heard and get involved

4 propositions to characterize participatory development:

1. microlevel participatory development approach - based on the notion that there may be
considerable space for the poor and vulnerable to locally develop countervailing power and
organizations, not only to gain economic surplus but also to gain all-around development in their lives

2. The solution to current crises requires a holistic, conceptual framework. A complex strategy
needs to guide the development initiatives.

3. Human development is necessary and valuable. Improving human capabilities will yield a
return to the society.

4. Poor people’s representation in community-based organizations—ca hep in identifying local

priorities + facilitate in helping formulate content of development programs

5. Gender Equality and Equity - equal treatment of men and women: equal opportunities, elimination of
discrimination, equal pay for equal work, etc.

Reasons for importance of Gender Equality:

1. Gender Inequality is a major cause of deprivation of women (e. g. high levels of maternal
mortality because of low priority for female survival)

2. Low status of women makes it harder to enhance living standards in the society as a whole
 3. Gender equality possesses intrinsic value

HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AMONG THE GRASSROOTS

1. The Urban Poor - Rights Violated: right to life, liberty, property, due process, adequate standard of
living, health, etc.

2. Indigenous People - tribal people / ethnic minorities�- traditional practitioners of kaingin�- more
and more marginalized because of loggers, miners, ranchers, lowland migrants, and government
corporations encroach upon their ancestral lands�- RV: self-determination, ancestral domains,
customary law

3. Fisherfolk Sector - exploited by big-scale commercial fishers; thus, injustice�- more exploitation
because of Presidential Decree 704 because it allowed the exploitation of natural resources by
encouraging investment that will generate capital�- RV: right to subsistence

4. Small Farmers - major supplier of the country’s staple food; they support the very economy that the
whole nation depends on

HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE GRASSROOTS

Legal provisions supportive of the rights from UDHR:

1. Human Rights and The Urban Poor

* Part III of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights —Covenant recognizes
the right of everyone to adequate food, clothing, and housing, and to the continuous improvement of
living conditions

* Article II, Sec. 9 of the Philippine Constitution�The State shall promote a social order that will
ensure prosperity and free people from poverty through policies

* Article XIII, Sec. 9 of the Philippine Constitution�The State shall, by law, undertake a continuing
program for for urban land reform and housing & basic services to the underprivileged and homeless

* Article XIII, Sec. 10 of the PC�Urban and rural poor can’t be evicted or have their homes
demolished except in accordance with the law and in a just and humane manner

* RA 7279 Urban and Development Housing Act of 1992�Responds to needs, particularly on security
of tenure and adequate housing. Makes available: affordable cost decent housing, basic services, and
employment opportunities
2. Human Rights and the Indigenous Cultural Communities

* Articles I and VII of the UDHR

* United Nation’s International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights—Article 1 of this
Covenant states: “All people have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right, they freely
determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social, and cultural development”

* UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights�Article 27 states—persons belonging to

minorities shall not be denied their right, in community with other members of their group, to enjoy
their own culture, to practice and profess their own religion, or to use their own language

* Article II, Sec. 5 of the 1987 PC�The State shall protect the rights of indigenous cultural minorities
to their ancestral lands and to their economic, social, and cultural well-being

* RA 57—Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law�Ancestral lands of each indigenous community shall

include lands in the actual, continuous and open possession and occupation of the community and its
members, provided that the Torrens System shall be respected

* Resolution 1803 of the UN General Assembly�Violation of the rights of peoples and nations to
sovereignty over the natural wealth and resources�- is contrary to the spirit and principles of the UN�-
hinders the development of international cooperation and maintenance of peace

* Article VII of the International Labor Organization in Convention 107�(a) in defining the rights and
duties of the populations concerned, regard shall be given to their customary laws; (b) people are
allowed to retain their own customs and institutions where these are not incompatible with the national
legal system or the objectives of integration programs; (c) application of the preceding paragraphs shall
not prevent members of these populations from exercising the rights granted to all citizens and from
assuming the corresponding duties

* Article XII, Sec. 5 of the PC�The Congress may approve for the applicability of customary laws
governing property rights or relations in determining the ownership and extent of ancestral domain

3. Human Rights and the Fisherfolk

* National and Economic Patrimony of the PC�Article XII, Sec. 2 states: “The Philippine Constitution
guarantees priority subsistence fishermen and fisherworkers in the small scale utilization of natural
resources

* Natural Resource Reform under Social Justice and Human Rights�Article XIII, Sec. 7 mandates the
State to protect the rights of subsistence fishermen and local communities to the preferential use of
communal marine and inland fishery resources

* Article II, Sec. 19 of the PC�The State will develop a self-reliant and independent national economy
effectively controlled by Filipinos
 * Republic Act 8550 / Fisheries Code of 1998�- provides a new perspective�- high regard to food
security, proper utilization, management, development, conservation, and protection of the Philippine
fishery resources

* Republic Act 66567 / Agrarian Reform Law�- State shall protect the rights of subsistence fishermen,
especially of local communities, to the preferential use of communal marine and fishing resources both
inland and offshore. �- support through appropriate technology & research, adequate financial,
production, and marketing assistance, and other services

4. Human Rights and the Small Farmers

* International Covenant on Civil and Political�- PH has long been a signatory to this Covenant

* Republic Act 6657 / Agrarian Reform Law�Section 2 on the Declaration of the Principles and
Policies: it is the policy of the state to pursue a Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)�-
welfare of landless farmers will receive the highest consideration�- small farmers may invoke the
following rights:

* a more equitable distribution and ownership of land

* The Agrarian Reform Program is founded on the right of farmers and farmworkers to own the
lands they till or, in the case of farm workers, to receive a share of the fruits thereof

* The state shall recognize the right of farmers etc. to participate in the planning, organization, and
management of the program and shall provide support to agriculture through appropriate technology,
research, and adequate financial, production, marketing, and other support services

* Through incentives, the State shall encourage the formation and maintenance of economic-sized
family farms to be constituted by individual beneficiaries and landowners

* The State may lease underdeveloped lands of the public domain to qualified entities