COMMUNITY

definition, importance and concepts

Communities are generally defined by their common cultural
heritage, language, beliefs and share interests.

 Small place-based: barangay, coastal village

 Large place-based: region, state, nation

 IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING
THE COMMUNITY
1. Provides benchmarking data
2. Provides preliminary project planning information
3. Provides an idea of the community’s
strengths/challenges
4. Provides an opportunity to understand the
community’s dominant rules and norms
5. Provides an occasion to gauge the attitude and
behavior of the community
6. Makes networking and partnership building more
favorable
7. Gets project implementation less complicated
 1. PROVIDES BENCHMARKING
DATA
Before taking any community action, it is important to
establish benchmark data. The data illustrate the
preliminary picture or image of the community.

It serves as the initial community situation or briefer.

 2. PROVIDES PRELIMINARY
PROJECT PLANNING INFORMATION
It is necessary to secure community information and feedback
needed for the conceptualization of a project design or plan.

• Strategies and actions to enhance the quality of life in a

community
 3. PROVIDES AN IDEA OF THE COMMUNITY’S
STRENGTHS AND CHALLENGES

• It will make the design more feasible and realistic

• The project development team involves the key stakeholders in

the community such as community leaders and the people who
will directly and indirectly affected by the project.
 4. PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO
UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITY’S DOMINANT
RULES AND NORMS

• The intensity or degree of reactions or sensitiveness of the

community members is affected by those rules and norms.

• A successful community development project requires a

consideration of those rules and norms.
 5. PROVIDES OCCASION TO GAUGE THE
ATTITUDE/BEHAVIOR OF THE COMMUNITY

An understanding of the community members’ attitude and

behavior will give the project development team an idea whether
the project will be supported or rejected or whether it can be
negotiated with the people.
 6. MAKES NETWORKING AND PARTNERSHIP
BUILDING MORE FAVORABLE

• By having an idea of the different advocacy and interest groups

in the community, it is easier for people from schools,
institutions or groups to partner with local networks or
associations.
 7. GETS PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
LESS COMPLICATED
Without a good grasp of the community they are aimed at,
project development and implementation become complicated
and stressful.

An understanding of the community will tell the project

development and implementation team what not to do or what to
be more concerned of.
THE NATURE OF A
COMMUNITY
 A COMMUNITY IS A
SOCIOLOGICAL CONSTRUCT
The concept of a community is not only a “construct”, it is a
sociological construct or a set of interactions or human
behaviors that have meaning and expectations between its
members.

There is not just action, but actions based on shared

expectations, values, beliefs and meanings between individuals.
 A COMMUNITY HAS FUZZY
BOUNDARIES
When a community is a little village separated by
a few kilometers from other villages in a rural
area, its boundaries appear at first to be very
simple.
If the residents interact with people outside
the village, for example, marry persons from
other places and move or bring a spouse in to
live with them.
At any given time, those village residents may
have sisters, brothers, cousins, parents and
relatives living elsewhere. The boundary of the
community is no longer that precise.
 A COMMUNITY MAY MOVE
When technology is not based on local horticulture, the community
residents may be physically mobile.

They may be nomadic herders walking long distances with their horses,
carabaos, etc.
They may be mobile fishing groups who move from time to time to
where the fish are available.
They may be hunters who move to follow the game.
 A COMMUNITY CAN EXIST WITHIN
A LARGER COMMUNITY
There are many communities within larger
communities including districts, regions, ethnic
groups, nations and other boundaries.