COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SOLIDARITY AND CITIZENSHIP
MODULE 1
Community action is very important for the sustainability of life on Earth. It is therefore
necessary for core values within every community to be carefully considered.
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 What are Core Values then?
They are our guiding principles that dictate our behavior. They guide us with what we
feel, think, as well as how we behave. They allow us in shaping a better way of
living where we may enjoy utmost freedom and hence, freely show our skills and
creativity.
Community values are the non-negotiable core principles or standards that the
community's citizens wish to maintain. They must be acknowledged, honored and
constantly defended to ensure that change and development occur in accordance
with these core principles and standards
What are the Core Values of Community Action?
1. Social Equity
2.Gender
Equality
3. Human Rights
4. Participatory Development
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Define Equity
It is the quality of being fair and impartial
Equity in schooling as ensuring that differences in educational outcomes are not the
result of differences in wealth, income, power or possessions. Equity in this sense
does not mean that all students are the same or will achieve the same outcomes.
Rather, it means that all students must have access to an acceptable international
standard of education, regardless of where they live or the school they attend.
What is Social Equity
The fair, just and equitable management of all institutions serving the public directly or
by contract; and the fair and equitable distribution of public services, and
implementation of public policy; and the commitment to promote fairness, justice
and equity in the formation of public policy.
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Social Equity is the active commitment to fairness, justice, and equality in the
formulation of public policy, distribution of public services, implementation of public
policy, and management of all institutions serving the public directly of by contract
Define Equality
- the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.
Example of Equality
Equality is defined as the condition of being equal, or the same in quality, measure,
esteem or value. When men and women are both viewed as being just as smart
and capable as each other, this is an example of equality of the sexes.
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Define Gender
Gender is defined as the socially constructed roles and behaviors that a society typically
associates with males and females.
An example of gender is referring to someone who wears a dress as a female.
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What is Gender Equality
Gender Equality, Why we need it?
We need gender equality urgently. Gender equality prevents violence against
women and girls. It’s essential for economic prosperity. Societies that value women
and men as equal are safer and healthier. Gender equality is a human right.
Everyone benefits from gender equality.
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Define Rights
a moral or legal entitlement to have or obtain something or to act in a certain way.
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights
are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to
people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory.
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Define Human Rights
Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex,
nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status.
Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture,
freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more.
Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights” and that “everyone
is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without
distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, birth or other
status.
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Why is Human Right important?
ensures people have basic needs met
protects vulnerable groups from abuse
allow people to stand up to societal corruption
encourages freedom of speech and expression
gives people the freedom to practice their religion (or not practice any)
allows people to love who they choose
encourages equal work opportunities
gives people access to education
protects the environment
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provides a universal standard that holds governments accountable
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Define Development
is a process that creates growth, progress, positive change or the addition of
physical, economic, environmental, social and demographic components.
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What is the purpose of development?
The purpose of development is a rise in the level and quality of life of the
population, and the creation or expansion of local regional income and
employment opportunities, without damaging the resources of the environment.
Development is visible and useful, not necessarily immediately, and includes an
aspect of quality change and the creation of conditions for a continuation of that
change.
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What is Participatory Development?
Participatory development is defined as a process which actively and substantially
involves people in all decisions affecting their lives.
A process through which stakeholders can influence and share control over
development initiatives, and over the decisions and resources that affect
themselves.
Why is participatory Development important?
It strengthens civil society and the economy by empowering groups, communities,
organizations to negotiate with institutions and bureaucracies, thus influencing public
policy and providing a check on the power of government.
Enhances the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of development program
MODULE 2: EMPOWERMENT AND ADVOCACY
It is important to involve people in the design and implementation of development
interventions to ensure ownership and sustainability. It is not easy to get people's participation, but
there are tried and tested ways to elicit people's participation.
People's participation can be incorporated into different stages of development intervention.
Hence, there is no reason why people cannot be involved in charting their own development.
Empowerment has different types (social, economic, political) domains (society, market,
state), and levels (local, intermediary, macro, super-macro). It would be wise to know their
differences. The different components of empowerment help steer people away from developing a
dole-out mentality.
Empowerment and participation reciprocate and fuel one another. But before empowerment
takes place, participation must first occur. There are different levels of participation. These levels
serve as a usual guide to identify people's level of involvement in charting their development.
What is Empowerment?
➢ Authority or power given to someone to do something.
➢ The process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one's life and
claiming one's rights
WHAT IS ADVOCACY?
Before direct action comes planning, and before planning comes an understanding of what
needs to be put in plan. So first, here's a reminder of what advocacy is (as well as what it's not).
- An activity by an individual or group that aims to influence decisions within political, economic,
and social institutions.
- The act of speaking on the behalf of or in support of another person, place, or thing.
- An active promotion of a cause or principle
- Involves actions that lead to selected goals
- One of the many possible strategies, or ways to approach a problem
- Can be used as part of a community initiative, nested in with other components.
- does not necessarily involve confrontation or conflict
Some examples may help clarify just what advocacy is:
• You join a group that helps build houses for the poor--that's wonderful, but it's not advocacy
(it's service)
• You organize and agitate to get a proportion of apartments in a new development designated
as low to moderate income housing - that's advocacy
• You spend your Saturdays helping sort out goods at the recycling center - that's not advocacy
(it's service)
You heard that land used for the recycling center is going to be closed and you band together with
many others to get the city to preserve this site or find you a new one. Some of you even think about
blocking the bulldozers, if necessary. That's advocacy.
Empowerment and Advocacy
Empowerment and advocacy are social democratic practices that enable people to overcome
barriers and contribute focus on social justice. They enable social workers to help give people
changes to better understand and hence, experience a better quality of life. Empowerment helps its
client make better decisions and control their own lives by reducing social or personal barriers,
increase the ability to use their own power, and transfer power to people who lack it. Advocacy
seeks to better represent the interests of clients with limited power to powerful individuals and social
structures. At this time, empowerment ideas are being displaced in their importance by the growth in
the concept of advocacy although both areas are relevant to social work.
Empowerment Strategies that will foster Personal Growth
1. Positivity – positive attitude is of great importance in empowerment strategies. Negative energy
will not only slow your growth but will also affect performance.
2. Self - confidence – believing in yourself and in your capabilities is the only way for you to at least
reach the unreachable
3. Meditation – Meditating daily will help you relieve your brain of all chaos and insecurities.
4. The people around you – it is very important to surround yourself with people who are positive
and encouraging.
5. Priorities - You will feel empowered only when your head and your objectives are in the right
place.
Principles of Community Action
1. Opens doors and leads the way – providing access to the opportunities people need to improve
their lives
2. Turns hope into reality – identifying the needs of the entire community, collaborating with others,
and taking action to improve life for everyone in the community
3. Empathize - understanding and sharing the feelings with the group
4. Treats people with respect – treating others the way we want to be treated
5. Says “Yes” ---- If we do not provide the needed service, we link you to those who do
6. Gives a voice to the poor ---seeking to make society more flexible and responsive to the needs of
the poor
7. Mirrors the diversity of our communities – the society includes low- income people, local public
officials, business and community groups
MODULE 3: COMMUNITY-ACTION INITIATIVES BASED ON ITS CORE VALUES
AND PRINCIPLES
VALUES
Values are our guidelines for living and in choosing the right behaviour. Each of us has a set
of deeply held beliefs about how the world should be. For some people, that set of beliefs is largely
dictated by a particular religion, denomination/ sect, culture, peer group, or the society at large. For
others, it has been arrived at through careful thought and reflection on various experiences. For
most of us, it is probably a combination of the two. Values often concern the core issues of our lives:
personal relationships, morality, gender and social roles, race, social classes, and the organization
of the society, to name just a few.
PRINCIPLES
Principles are the fundamental scientific, logical, or moral/ethical “truths” arising from
experience, knowledge, and values on which we base our actions and thinking.
ASSUMPTIONS
Assumptions are the next level of truths. The ones we feel to be irrelevant we can take for
granted, given the principles we have accepted. If we accept, for instance, that life is an “unalienable
right” – a right of every human being that cannot be taken away – then we will usually assume that
killing another person is wrong, or at least that we don’t have the right to do it.
Why is community action important?
Community action is necessary because it focuses on putting communities at the heart of their own
local services.
REVIEW: CORE VALUES AND PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY-ACTION INITIATIVES
1. Human Rights
Human rights are universal and inalienable. All people everywhere in the world are entitled to
them.
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
No one, therefore, should suffer discrimination on the basis of race, colour, ethnicity, gender, age,
language, sexual orientation, religion, political or other opinion, national, social or geographical
origin. The rights of everyone to an adequate standard of living cannot be compromised at the
expense of other rights, such as the right to health or the right to education, property, birth or other
status as established by human rights standards.
Rights are inherent to all human beings regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language,
religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery
and torture, freedom of expression, the right to work and education, and many more.
In essence, the human rights-based approach is the way in which human rights can be protected in
clinical and organizational practice by adherence to the underlying core values of fairness, respect,
equality, dignity and autonomy.
2. Social Justice
Social justice is a concept of fair and just relations between the individual and society. This is
measured by the explicit and tacit terms for the distribution of wealth, opportunities for personal
activity, and social privileges.
Social justice assigns rights and duties in the institutions of society, which enables people to receive
the basic benefits and burdens of cooperation, including taxation, social insurance, public health,
public school, public services, labor law and regulation of markets, to ensure fair distribution of
wealth, and equal opportunity. It is based on the concepts of human rights and equality and can be
defined as "the way in which human rights are manifested in the everyday lives of people at every
level of society". Several movements are working to achieve social justice in the society. Social
justice principles refer to values “that favor measures that aim at decreasing or eliminating inequity;
promoting inclusiveness of diversity; and establishing environments that are supportive of all people.
"The social justice principles include equity, diversity and supportive environments.
3. Empowerment and Advocacy
Empowerment - Authority or power given to someone to do something.
- Seeks to engage local populations in development projects.
Advocacy - Public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy
An advocate is someone who provides advocacy support when you need it.
Empowerment and advocacy are social democratic practices that enable people to
overcome barriers and contribute to practice a focus on social justice. They enable social
workers to help give people chances to better understand and change their lives. Both are
concerned with a shift of power or emphasis towards meeting the needs and rights of people
who otherwise would be marginalized or oppressed.
Social work skills: Empowerment and advocacy. Qualified social workers are expected to
have the necessary skills to empower service users to participate in assessments and
decision making and to ensure that service users have access to advocacy services if they
are unable to represent their own views.
4. Participatory Development
- Seeks to engage local populations in development projects.
- A process wherein stakeholders can influence and share control over development.
To give the poor a part in initiatives designed for their benefit in the hopes that development projects
will be more sustainable and successful if local populations are engaged in the development
process.
5. Gender Equality
Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, is the state of equal ease of access to
resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decisionmaking; and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations and needs equally, regardless of
gender.
Gender equality is achieved when women and men enjoy the same rights and opportunities
across all sectors of society, including economic participation and decision-making, and when the
different behaviors, aspirations and needs of women and men are equally valued and favored.
MODULE 4: APPROACHES AND SYSTEMATIC METHODS IN COMMUNITY
ACTION
Methodologies and Approaches of Community Actions
• Partnership building - is a way for your organization to expand its capacity and value across your
expanding network of stakeholders. It is a relationship between individuals, organizations, or groups
that is characterized by mutual cooperation towards the achievement of a specified goal.
Partnerships may take several forms and characteristics, depending on the needs of the strategy
and desires of the partners.
• Community profiling – a comprehensive description of the needs of a population that is defined
or defines itself, as a community, and the resources that exist within that community carried out with
the active involvement of the community itself for the purpose of developing an action plan or other
means in improving the quality of life within the community. (Hawlin & Percy – Smith, 2007.p.5
• Assessment - serves and identifies the available resources to address the unmet needs of the
community's most vulnerable residents. These assessments help determine the underlying causes
and conditions of poverty within one’s community and identify unmet needs. The assessment then
guides our work to implement programs that will help our most vulnerable residents out of poverty.
• Community Action Planning - The community action plan is one of the participatory tools used to
build the capacity of community members in taking action in accordance with the problems, needs,
and potentials of the community.
• Resource mobilization - refers to all activities involved in securing new and additional resources
for your organization. It also involves making better use of, and maximizing existing resources.
• Social action -is about people coming together to help improve their lives and solve the problems
that are important in their communities. It involves people giving their time and other resources for
the common good, in a range of forms – from volunteering and community-owned services to
community organizations or bayanihan acts. While many of these activities occur without the support
of the public sector (in which case the role of public servants is to ensure that the right conditions are
in place for social action to thrive), some require more specific support from the public sector.
• Evaluation - There are many good reasons for a community group to evaluate its efforts. When
done properly, evaluation can improve efforts to promote health and development at any level -from a small local non-profit group to a statewide or even national effort. Evaluation offers the
following advantages for groups of almost any size:
MODULE 5: PREPARING A COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN
Advantages and Disadvantages of Community Action Plan
Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of Community Action Planning which
may greatly help asyou go along with this module:
Advantages
1. Strongparticipation fromthe local community
2. By implementing community action,the solutions forexistingproblems will come from the
community itself and hence, will better cater the needs of the people.
3. Guarantees that all relevant groupsparticipate in the activities.
4. Guarantees the acceptance and support from the local community.
Disadvantages:
1. Requires time and resources to involveall relevant stakeholders in the process
2. Finding consensus among community members with varying age groups can be very difficult
3. Community action plans won’t be effective enough without motivating the
people in the community to give their full support for the program/activity.
ELEMENTS OF AN ACTION PLAN
1. Specific
-Objectives need to be clear and detailed.
2. Measurable
-Outcomes must be what the person really wants.
-Outcomes should produce tangible rewards.
3. Agreeable
-For the citizens to agree, the activity proposed in the action plan must be something that will greatly
benefit the rest of the people in the community.
4.Realistic
-The needed resources must be readily available in the locality.
5.Time-specific
-Deadline for achieving each stage should be set.
6. Supportive back-up
-A helping relationship is always useful. Moreover, the details on what kind of support to be offered
must be clearly spelled out.
Steps in Preparing an Action Plan
1. The goal must be clearly defined.
-You must start by discussing what you want to achieve.
Analyze the situation and try to brainstorm with colleagues for possible solutions before
choosing the best option.
-Specify the goal:
1. Specific-define clearly
2. Measurable-include measurable indicators to tract progress.
3. Attainable-realistic and achievable with the resources, time, money and experience, etc.
4.Timely-has finishing date
2. List down the steps to be followed
Create a rough template to list down all the tasks to be performed, due date and people responsible.
3. Prioritizing the task and setting the deadline
-Reorganize the list of tasks to be organized. Don’t forget to consult the person responsible for
carrying out the task to understand his/her capacity before setting the deadline.
4.Set the milestones
-One should also consider mini goals leading to the main goal at the end. This is an advantage in
adding milestones to give the team members something to look forward to.
5.Identify the resources needed
-This is the most crucial point to ensure that all necessarily resources are available.
6. Visualize the course of action
-Creating something that everyone understands. Action comes in the shape of flowcharts or tables
which clearly communicate the elements to identify tasks, task owner and resources.
7.Monitor, evaluate and update
-Allocate a specific time to evaluate the performance of the team.
-Mark the tasks which are already accomplished.
1.Cover Letter
A letter to the community from the Mayor or community leader
2.Introduction
A description of the purpose of the action plan and how it was developed
3.Community Profile
A brief overview of thedistinguishing characteristics of the municipality and its priority issues
4.The Community Action Plan
a.A description of the issues and community goals
b.Leads the organization from each sector
c.Current activities and projects
d.Suggestions for new projects or a community-wide campaign
5.Resources
a.Where to go for financial support
b.Where to get advice and educational material
c.Where to get donated products or services
6.Network
A contact list of key groups, government departments, and others who are supporting the
Community Action Plan.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR COMPLETING A COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN
• Partnerships among people. To accomplish the goals and objectives in the plan, the people
involved must establish unity and commitment. It is important that the involved people
develop good relations and trust one another.
• Budget. Financial resources are usually necessary to develop and carry out a community
action plan. Therefore, it is important to develop a budget plan that describes the expenses
for carrying out the action plan. What you include in the budget should match the proposed
strategies and activities.
• Close alignment with the community’s mission and vision. The vision that was
developed during the community assessment process reflects where the community wants to
be headed. The mission is the purpose of your group. During the writing of the action plan,
the writers work from the vision and the mission to identify several major goals (priority or
strategic) that must be reached. These, in total, work toward the vision and the mission.
MODULE 6: PLAN USING PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES
What is Participatory Planning?
I. Rationale and Definition: Participatory planning is an urban planning paradigm that
emphasizes involving the entire community in the strategic and management processes of urban
planning; or, community-level planning processes, urban or rural. It is often considered as part of
community development. Participatory planning aims to harmonize views among all of its
participants as well as prevent conflict between opposing parties. In addition, marginalized groups
have an opportunity to participate in the planning process.
II. The Need for Participatory Action Planning
1. Public distrust of planning based on past practices Participatory planning is needed when
there is public distrust of previous planning practice and/or where new development may lead to
significant conflicts. Therefore, public relations consultants have been hired to 'do public outreach,
run community meetings, provide public notices and informational items to get the public involved'.
This sounds less ambitious than many examples encountered in our research, but the point remains
that there is a perceived need to make a step-change from past practices.
2. Governments' desire to improve the co-ordination. Planning needs to change from a narrow,
self-enclosed system of regulation to become a means of delivering development that achieves
broader objectives, social justice, and other sustainable development action initiatives.
3. Respect to Grassroots Community Planning practice needs to engage with the reality of
diversity today. This means being aware of different cultures and ensuring that issues of diversity
are addressed throughout the planning process. Traditional public participation has often failed to do
this. Participatory planning is built around diversity, conflicting interests, and the need to listen to the
voices of marginalized groups. A recognition amongst governments and non-governmental
organizations that sustainable development requires consensus building and engagement with
citizens.
Grassroots involvement and local participatory democracy are much more a part of a political
culture while in other country it is a non-political culture, a sense of resistance. Thus, there is a good
deal of regional variability in attitudes toward planning, government, and local activism. Planning is
accepted widely and there is an emphasis on grassroots participation and inclusivity.
WHAT ARE THE LEVELS OF PARTICIPATORY PLANNING?
There are several ways to be considered in participatory planning. As demonstrated in the
discussion regarding its advantages and disadvantages, this kind of process always presents, even
at best, a trade-off between efficiency and inclusiveness. Time pressure, the needs of the
community, the skills and experience of those participating, and the nature of the intervention,
among other factors, all help to dictate the actual shape of the planning process. So, what are the
possibilities? Just how participative do you want to be? David Wilcox, in his excellent "Guide to
Effective Participation," sets out the following as a model of the different possible levels of
participation:
1. Information - The least you can do is tell people what is planned.
2. Consultation - You offer several options and listen to the feedback you get.
3. Deciding together - You encourage others to provide some additional ideas and options
and join in deciding the best way forward.
4. Acting together - Not only do different interests decide together what is best, but they form
a partnership to carry it out.
5. Supporting independent community initiatives - You help others do what they want perhaps within a framework of grants, advice and support provided by the resource holder.
Each of these levels may be appropriate in different circumstances, or with different groups,
although only at "deciding together" and above do they really begin to be fully participatory in
the sense that the term is used in this section.
What is the history of Participatory Approach?
Participatory approaches are a product of long-lasting interaction between researchers,
development workers, government agents and local populations. The history of participatory
methods in development co-operation began in the late 1970s with the introduction of a new
research approach called "Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA)", which immediately became popular with
decision-makers in development agencies. Building on close collaboration with local populations
RRAs were designed to collect first-hand data from the local people about their perceptions of their
local environments and living conditions in rural areas. RRAs were usually conducted as 1-3 days
workshops with villagers in the field and facilitated by small teams of RRA specialists or researchers.
RRA methods were specifically adapted to respond to local conditions. Thus, communication
processes with illiterate persons not used to communication in abstract terms were carefully
considered. Visualization using locally comprehensible symbols, and tools like mapping,
diagramming, and ranking were introduced. A limitation of RRA, however, was that it was extractive;
the role of the local people was limited to providing information, while the power of decision-making
about the use of this information remained in the hands of others.
Steps of Participatory Approach
1. Form a planning team
2. Identify possible issues and list all broad groups of stakeholders
3. Carry out participants’ analysis
4. Determine the purpose and level of public participation
5. Identify constraints and special circumstances
6. Select a method (or a combination of methods) of participation
7. Decide
Why are Monitoring and Evaluation Relevant?
Participatory Monitoring is the systematic recording and periodic analysis of information that
has been chosen and recorded by insiders with the help of outsiders. Both insiders and outsiders
can monitor participation, but it may be for very different reasons. Outsiders may be interested in
equal community representation in decision making, while insiders may be interested in equal
distribution of costs and benefits.
Participation is often an outsider objective because they are concerned with equal representation of
all elements and groups in the community. Outsiders may want to ensure, through monitoring
participation, that all involved and affected people in the community are represented when decisions
regarding activities are made.
MODULE 7: IMPLEMENTING COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN
WHY IS ACTION PLANNING IMPORTANT?
Proper planning of any initiative is vital for yielding the best results or outcomes possible. An
action plan, while an important investment of time and energy, can be an effective tool that grounds
all collaborators with a mutual purpose. Developing an action plan is a critical first step toward
ensuring project success. (Jenette Nagy n.d.)
An action plan assures that:
• No detail is unnoticed
• Proposed action steps are practicable and/or realistic
• Collaborators follow through with their obligations
• Measurable activities are documented and evaluated
Overall, action planning is important because it provides a reference point with a thorough
timeline and assignment of accountability for achieving tasks along the path towards making a
difference. (Jenette Nagy n.d.)
Research findings of the Center for Community Health and Development recommended that
there are several aspects that appear to have a positive effect on rates of community and system
change—and one of those includes action planning:
• Analyzing Information About the Problem, Goals, and Factors Affecting Them
• Establishing Your Group's Vision and Mission
• Defining Organizational Structure and Operating Mechanisms
• Developing a Framework or Model of Change
• Developing and Using Strategic and Action Plans
• Arranging for Community Mobilizers
• Developing Leadership
• Implementing Effective Interventions
• Assuring Technical Assistance
• Documenting Progress and Using Feedback
• Making Outcomes Matter
• Sustaining the Work (Jenette Nagy n.d.)
WHAT IS ACTION PLANNING?
The overall goal of action planning is to increase your community’s ability to work together to
affect conditions and outcomes that matter to its residents—and to do so both over time and across
issues of interest. (Jenette Nagy n.d.)
As your community works towards a broad vision of health for all, making supportive
environments for change requires all-inclusive efforts among varied sectors of the community. These
include health organizations, faith communities, schools, and businesses. Representatives of each
sector come together to form a community partnership. Your community partnership can strive to
influence systems changes—programs, policies, and practices that can improve the community’s
capacity to be a healthy environment. (Jenette Nagy n.d.)
A community partnership initiates its work by generating an action plan.
An action plan outlines what should happen to achieve the vision for a healthy community.
Desirable changes and proposed activities (action steps), timelines, and assignment of
accountability provide a detailed road map for collaborators to follow. (Jenette Nagy n.d.)
WHEN SHOULD YOU CREATE AN ACTION PLAN?
Ideally, you should develop an action plan within the first six to twelve months of the start of
an initiative or organization. Once an action plan is made, it should be revisited often (e.g., as often
as monthly but at least annually) so it can be improved to meet the changing needs of your
community. (Jenette Nagy n.d.)
REFINING YOUR ACTION PLAN: BUILDING CONSENSUS ON PROPOSED CHANGES
Step 1: Checking the Proposed Changes for Completeness. The group should examine
proposed changes for each sector, as well as collectively. To review the proposed changes in each
community sector, we recommend asking two questions: Collectively, do these proposed changes
make the most of this sector's contribution to the mission of fostering healthy youth development?
What other changes in programs, policies, or practices could or should be made in this sector? To
review the set of proposed changes and their completeness, we suggest asking: Would all the
changes, collectively, be enough to increase youth health to desired levels? What other changes in
programs, policies, or practices could or should be made in the community? (Vincent T. Francisco,
et al. 2002)
Step 2: Using a Survey (or More Informal Review) to Build Consensus. To help attract
and preserve commitments, it is important to build agreement on the changes to be sought. The
group may use a survey to review the proposed changes. This can also be done less formally, such
as individually or in small groups. We recommend listing all the proposed changes, organized by
community sector, along with questions about their importance and viability for addressing the
mission of promoting health for all. (Vincent T. Francisco, et al. 2002)
For each change to be sought, we recommend asking: Is this proposed change important to
the mission of reducing increasing healthy development among youth? Is the proposed change
possible? The following is an example of a useful survey for building consensus on your action plan.
(Vincent T. Francisco, et al. 2002)
Proposed Changes in the Schools: How important is it to… How feasible is it to...
Not at all | Very good
Provide skills training in conflict resolution. 1 2 3 4 5 | 1 2 3 4 5
Provide adequate lighting on school grounds. 1 2 3 4 5 | 1 2 3 4 5
Step 3: Securing a Formal Decision from the Entire Group. Seek formal support of the
proposed changes by the members of the initiative. A one-half day action planning retreat or working
session can be used to do this effectively. Seek agreement. Use a formal vote to resolve
disagreements about changes only when necessary. When the action plan is complete, arrange for
all members to vote on the completed plan. (Vincent T. Francisco, et al. 2002)
FINALIZING YOUR ACTION PLAN: LISTING ACTION STEPS FOR PROPOSED CHANGES
Step 1: Identify Major Action Steps for Each Change. To prepare action steps for your
action plan, define the following for each proposed change: What actions will be taken, the
responsible agents (by whom), timeline, resources and support needed, and potential barriers and
resistance. (Vincent T. Francisco, et al. 2002)
Step 2: Review of Earlier Analysis. Use the information gathered in the previous chapters
to direct your initiative’s action steps for carrying about identified community and systems changes.
(Vincent T. Francisco, et al. 2002)
Step 3: Finalize and Communicate the Plan. A strong, comprehensive action plan needs a
group that is united and organized. This should include the list of changes by community sector,
related action steps, and a proposed time frame. (Vincent T. Francisco, et al. 2002)
SAMPLE
Survey Questionnaire for the Involvement of Students in Community Action
Dear Student,
This survey intends to determine your initial level of involvement as students in community
engagement.
In view of this, your utmost honesty, cooperation, and participation by answering all the needed
information in this questionnaire are hereby requested. Rest assured that your answers will be
treated confidentially and will be used solely for enriching the lesson.
Your cooperation will be highly appreciated.
Truly yours,
_______________________
Teacher
Name (Optional) : _____________________________________________
Part I. Reasons for Involvement
Direction: This evaluation is to
appraise your reasons for
prospective involvement in a
community action by
encircling the appropriate
score. Choose your answer
from the listed alternatives:
Weighted Mean
Point Scale
Descriptive Rating
Interpretation
4.21 – 5.00
5
Always
Highly Considered
3.41 – 4.20
4
Often
Considered
2.61 – 3.40
3
Fair
Moderately Considered
1.81 – 2.60
2
Seldom
Less Considered
1.00 – 1.80
1
Never
Not Considered
MODULE 8: SYNTHESIZING INSIGHTS GAINED FROM A COMMUNITY ACTION
PLAN
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. This is a Chinese adage that
holds weight in the realization of any task or endeavor. The beginning of every endeavor is always
perceived as the most difficult, yet once this will be hurdled, all else will follow. In the making of a
community action plan, previous knowledge on the most used methods in the conduct of a social
science community initiative should be revisited. Highly noted methods which are the ones that are
also commonly used are the following: the survey, observation and historical methods. It must be
noted that important steps should be well-followed to make sure that the objective of the community
plan initiative will be achieved. The Six-Step in the formulation of a Community Action Plan are the
following:
Step 1. Study the community (PESTEL Model)
Step 2. Map out the community (Community Needs Assessment)
Step 3. Engage the stakeholders (Key Informant Interview/ Focus Group Discussion).
Step 4. Plot the community needs (SWOT and Force Field Analysis
Step 5. Mobilize the project (SPOA).
Step 6. Evaluate and document the process (Project Impact Evaluation).
Evaluation on the implementation of a community action plan is deemed important to
determine what works well and what could be improved in a program or initiative. Evaluating the
community action plan helps the learners to know whether the objectives have been achieved or not.
As such evaluation helps planning of better strategies for next implementation. Furthermore,
evaluating a community-based action plan will help the learners know whether the aims and
objectives are attainable or not. As such, it helps in the formation of aims and objectives.
More About Community Action Plan
A community action plan is a road map for implementing community change by identifying the
specifying “What” will be done, “Who” will do it and “How” it will be done. In other words, the action
plan describes what the community wants to accomplish, what activities are required during a
specified timeline and what resources are needed to be successful. Here are several advantages
that the entire community may enjoy from conducting community action plan:
1. Strong participation of the local community regarding social problems like sanitation and water
issues.
2. The solution for different programs will come from the community itself and hence considers
primarily their needs and priorities.
3. Guarantees that all relevant groups participate in the activities, particularly the women and other
community groups that are often forgotten; and
4. Guarantees the acceptance and support of the solution by the local community.
General Principles of Community Action
Here are three of the most important principles that you may put in mind when dealing with
Community Action Plans:
1. It is a process for action; not a blueprint for future development.
2. The solution for problems comes from the community itself and the role of the facilitator is more
on formulating the problems in the community.
3. It is not determined from outside the community but grows/emerges from the affected community.
4. Avoid activities such as lecturing or teaching the people; but concentrate more on workshops as a
form of discussion with the community.
5. Guarantee that all relevant groups participate in the activities, particularly the women and other
community groups that are often forgotten.
6. Facilitate input from all groups; do not allow one group or leader to dominate the discussion.
7. Remember that one issue might appear to be not very important for one group but is important for
another group.
8. Avoid too many pictures and text; it is better to absorb and remember several points rather than
make a long list;
9. Use simple language and avoid difficult terms; and
10. Make the material (if necessary) as simple as possible.