NEEDS ASSESSMENT LESSON 3: NEEDS ASSESSMENT • Needs assessment is a planning process conducted to determine and address the needs of a group. • This is administered to improve or correct what is deficient in the area Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship PERSPECTIVES ON NEEDS ASSESSMENT There are three perspectives on need in a needs assessment: perceived need, expressed need, and relative need. 1. Perceived needs are based on the people's thoughts and ideas regarding their own needs. Each individual has their own ideas and standards regarding their personal needs. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship PERSPECTIVES ON NEEDS ASSESSMENT Example: In a small community, residents feel that they need more streetlights because they believe their area is unsafe at night. Even if crime rates are low, this is a perceived need because it’s based on their personal sense of security. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship PERSPECTIVES ON NEEDS ASSESSMENT There are three perspectives on need in a needs assessment: perceived need, expressed need, and relative need. 2. Expressed needs are defined by how people seek assistance to achieve their needs and how they translate their feelings and thoughts on their needs into action. This perspective assumes that all people with needs will seek help. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship PERSPECTIVES ON NEEDS ASSESSMENT Example: Residents petition the local government to build a health clinic because they currently travel far to access healthcare. Their action of petitioning is the expression of this need. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship PERSPECTIVES ON NEEDS ASSESSMENT There are three perspectives on need in a needs assessment: perceived need, expressed need, and relative need. 3. Relative needs consider the differences among the concerns of members of the population. Needs, therefore, must be addressed based on fairness and equity. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship PERSPECTIVES ON NEEDS ASSESSMENT Example: In Community A, children have access to a public library and a computer center. In nearby Community B, no such facilities exist. Therefore, Community B’s need for educational facilities is a relative need, because it arises from the comparison with a better-equipped community. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT • Community needs assessment includes gathering information, community engagement, focusing on the goal of community involvement, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of a community, and emphasizing the abilities of the members of the community and partner groups. • After identifying the needs of the community, leaders begin to address these through improvement of policies and plans for development. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship STEPS IN ADMINISTERING COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship These are the recommended general guidelines in implementing community needs assessments: Use of Focus Groups • Select members to be part of the focus group. They should share a degree of commonality to discuss about the target community's needs. For example, one focus group may involve the youth, while another group consists of adult residents. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship These are the recommended general guidelines in implementing community needs assessments: • The focus groups will gather information on the community and prepare their guided questions. Sample questions are the following: 1. What are the positive features of your community? 2. What are the things that you would like to improve in your comm 3. What can you contribute to the improvement of your community? 4. What developments do you envision in your community after 10 years? Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship These are the recommended general guidelines in implementing community needs assessments: Create a Needs Assessment Survey • After obtaining the inputs from the focus groups, the community's potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and needs for change can be determined. This can serve as the basis for preparing the needs assessment survey that can be created and distributed to the community members. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship These are the recommended general guidelines in implementing community needs assessments: Collect and Analyze Data • The leaders may summarize the data through computerized analysis programs and organize the data for better analysis. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship These are the recommended general guidelines in implementing community needs assessments: Conduct Community Public Forums • The data may now be relayed in public forums. The identified strengths, weaknesses, and concerns of the community are scheduled and presented in open public discussions. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship These are the recommended general guidelines in implementing community needs assessments: Produce Final Report and Plan of Action • After the final discussions and as ideas are gathered from the community, a detailed needs assessment report may already be prepared. Then, plans of action will be implemented to solve the concerns that emerged during the process of assessing the needs of the community. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship LEADEARSHIP AND PARTICIPATORY ACTION PLANNING LESSON 4: COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP • Community leadership is described as less hierarchal and often based on voluntary actions, serving as an instrument for change. • There are instances when community leaders are not formally. • Community leadership is described as less hierarchical and often based on elected. • They are envisioned to introduce innovations in the community offering solutions to social problems. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP • According to Uhl-Bien, Marion, and McKelvey (2007), the Complexity Leadership Theory stresses that "leadership should be seen not only as position and authority, but also as an emergent, interactive dynamic." The theory cites three types of leadership: Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP The theory cites three types of leadership: 1. Administrative leadership is hierarchical and controlling. 2. Enabling leadership encourages creative problem solving, learning, and adaptability. 3. Adapting leadership is a dynamic that empowers change. This is a way of dealing with problems that require learning new behavior and innovation. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP Onyx and Leonard (2011) and Eaton (2018) identified elements of successful community leadership and characteristics of community leaders. These are the following: 1. Leaders are involved in the formal and informal networks of the community. Thus, it is necessary for leaders to balance the needs of the group. 2. Leaders share decision making with the community and learn to be accountable to the community. 3. Leaders engage others in their activities and projects. They mobilize others and maximize individuals' strengths. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP 4. Leaders have a vision for the community's future. It is necessary for them to learn how to think forward. 5. Leaders possess practical management skills. They ensure that everyone works as a team and develop every person's capacity for leadership by encouraging self-leadership and selfresponsibility. 6. Leaders carefully plan who will be their successors. They mentor new leaders and practice stewardship 7. Leaders have commitment, persistence, and energy, and they always lead by example. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP One of the roles of the leaders is to guide their members to work collaboratively with their plans and reflect on the appropriate approaches to apply to ensure the success of the community. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship PARTICIPATORY ACTION • According to Animating Democracy participatory action, in relation to the definition in research, is an approach that uses different means to address issues identified by a community. • It allows for new ways of working, interacting, and knowing for the improvement of a community's practice. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship Five Characteristics of Participatory Action 1.Participatory The community maintains control over the process of dealing with issues. 2. Defined by a Need for Action The community initiates the project that will address the issues and this action is guided by a goal. 3. Useful and Meaningful The members of the community are provided with the opportunity to analyze situations and develop solutions. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship Five Characteristics of Participatory Action 4. Reflexive The members reflect regularly on the activities executed, and determine the benefits and purposes of the projects. 5. Flexible and Interactive Throughout the process, action plans may be modified depending on the needs of the community. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship RESOURCE MOBILIZATION LESSON 5: RESOURCE MOBILIZATION Resource mobilization is the process of getting a range of resources from a resource provider (or donor) by using different mechanisms for a community's project to work and achieve its goal. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship RESOURCE MOBILIZATION According to Sekajingo (2007), the following are important terms related to the concept of resource mobilization: Resources refer to the different things or materials that are needed (e.g., funds, people, goods, and services). Mechanisms refer to the different ways of directly getting resources. Resource providers refer to the different people or organizations that provide the resources. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship RESOURCE MOBILIZATION Resources are classified into five types: 1. Moral These are resources that give emotional support such as solidarity or sympathetic support. 2. Cultural These are resources that use one's knowledge such as meetings and news conferences. 3. Social-Organizational These are resources that deal with disseminating a message such as giving of brochures. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship RESOURCE MOBILIZATION 4. Material These are resources that include financial and physical capital like money and supplies. 5. Human These are resources exerted by a person that can be quantified such as labor and skills. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship RESOURCE MOBILIZATION On the other hand, the following are the resources that are commonly used in a local community: 1. Financial resources are the most preferred type of local contribution because these allow the purchase of other needed resources for the community. There are several ways of raising financial resources: • Cash donations • Grants from other groups • Fees from activities • Membership dues • Fundraising activities • Sponsorship from NGOs or local businesses Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship RESOURCE MOBILIZATION 2. In-kind material donations help reduce the costs of an activity that will be implemented in the community. The following are examples of in-kind material donations: • Office supplies • Materials for construction • Vehicles for transport • Sports and recreational equipment • Snacks for volunteers Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship RESOURCE MOBILIZATION 3. In-kind intellectual services are valuable contributions that include expert and professional services such as the following: • Legal service • Accounting service • Medical service • Psychological service • Engineering or Architectural assistance Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship RESOURCE MOBILIZATION 4. Spaces are areas that can be used for regular or special events such as • Room • Office • Building • Community center • School or playground Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship RESOURCE MOBILIZATION 5. Volunteer work of local citizens The following are the benefits gained by mobilizing local resources: Sense of Ownership Building Social Capital Sustainability Independence This is the sense of pride There is an increase in There will be a continuous Local communities and accomplishment for the value of social support from other local will be more having contributed to the networks and other groups independent and positive development of groups and individuals flexible in the one's community. who are willing to help in implementation of the community. activities Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship RESOURCE MOBILIZATION Techniques to Effectively Mobilize Local Resources: • Hold regular meetings • Establish committees • Raise public awareness through media coverage • Organize events and actions to raise resources • Recognize donors/volunteers by providing awards Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship RESOURCE MOBILIZATION Practical Mobilizing Local Resources: • Have the courage to ask for support. • Show gratefulness to all types of resources given. • Connect with potential stakeholders who can invest for resources. • Develop promotional materials. • Seek resources that relate to community projects. • Develop oneself by attending training programs. • Maintain transparency of records. • Focus on one's mission. • Scout several sources for support. • Express gratitude to all the supporters. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship SOCIAL ACTION LESSON 6: SOCIAL ACTION • Social action in Sociology pertains to the act that a person makes taking into account the reactions and behavior of others. • A social action is also executed in response to a certain situation or condition Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship SOCIAL ACTION Social action can be categorized into two types: 1. Rational action • These are actions performed based on a valued goal, but not considering the consequences of the process because the main focus is to one's goal. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship SOCIAL ACTION Social action can be categorized into two types: 2. Instrumental action • These are actions that are planned after careful evaluation of one's goal, and considering the different factors leading to the achievement of that goal. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship SOCIAL ACTION The following points describe a social action: 1. The action may be done by one or more persons. 2. The action influences other people and the whole society. 3. This is conducted in response to some social situations. 4. The action is in connection to a social system Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship ELEMENTS OF SOCIAL ACTION The actor The individual/s who perform/s the act The goal The objective as to why an action was implemented The situation The actor performs her/his role in response to certain situations which may be controllable or uncontrollable. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship SOCIAL ACTION In the Philippines, the National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA)/Caritas Philippines helps the poor and marginalized sectors in the hope of achieving social justice and transformation. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship SOCIAL ACTION The following are the projects carried out by NASSA/Caritas Philippines: 1. Alay Kapwa (Offering of Oneself) - a fundraising program that serves as an emergency fund during calamities and other major social concerns 2. SEARCHDev - a three-year program that focuses on providing technical guidance to improve the competencies of 20 Diocesan Action Centers Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship SOCIAL ACTION The following are the projects carried out by NASSA/Caritas Philippines: 3. Project SHARED- a diocese-to-diocese approach in managing risks in disaster-prone areas 4. EU-PEACH Project - a project that aims to strengthen organizational and technical competence in for disasters 5. HIV-AIDS - aims to continue the campaign for HIV-AIDS prevention 6. Lead to Heal- a 14-month transformational leadership program for key movers and workers of the national and diocesan levels Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship SOCIAL ACTION The following are the projects carried out by NASSA/Caritas Philippines: 7. Self-Help Group- inspires poor individuals, especially women, to realize their potential 8. Sustainable Agriculture- focuses on surpassing agricultural issues and challenges related to climate change and food production 9. FARMFIRST- aims to empower and develop model communities for climate change adaptation and sustainable development 10. Peace building, Human Rights, and Good Governance -supports advocacies and actions defending the rights and dignity of workers 11. Agrarian Justice- supports the call of farmers for agrarian reform and problems on land tenure and ownership Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship SOCIAL ACTION EVALUATION LESSON 7: SOCIAL ACTION EVALUATION According to Social Action Net, the following points describe an evaluation process: To assess or to make a judgment on a certain activity To build on what people already know and do To use and develop people's abilities and skills To check on the progress of the project To determine the impact of the activities in relation to the objectives of the project find out if resources are used effectively Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship SOCIAL ACTION EVALUATION According to Social Action Net, the following points describe an evaluation process: To gather substantial information that can aid in decision making and planning To view one's project on a wider perspective To analyze information collected and take action to improve situations To develop one's sense of collective responsibility Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship Steps in Conducting an Evaluation Step 1: Framing the Evaluation Identify the aims of the project. Identify the problems to be solved. State the objectives of the project. Form a small group and organize the details for evaluation. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship Steps in Conducting an Evaluation Step 2: Designing the Evaluation Consider the indicator for the effectiveness of the evaluation. Carefully plan for appropriate methods. Prepare a written evaluation plan (why, how, when, where evaluation will take place and who are involved). Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship Steps in Conducting an Evaluation Step 3: Doing the Evaluation. Prepare and test evaluation tools. Analyze the information Prepare presentation of results. Decide how the findings will be used. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship These are some tips to keep in mind when preparing questions for evaluation: Construct questions in simple language. Prepare questions that are clear and precise. Ensure that the questions are comprehensive for the respondents. Questions should not be leading and negatively stated. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship There are also varied ways to gather information. Some of these include: • Interviews (face to face, telephone, skype etc.) Questionnaires Social Media Analysis of existing information Observation from photos or drawings Written information such as in reports or minutes of meetings Focus groups and case studies Sentence completions Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship The following are the suggested guidelines when analyzing and interpreting the information gathered: • Discover patterns, key words, similarities, common themes, or issues from the gathered information. • Determine the relationships, correlations, associations, or contradictions. • Be prepared to find questions instead of answers and explore these. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship It will be helpful to write a report about the evaluation, and this can be prepared by considering the following: • Involve people in the writing of the report. • Keep it short and clear. • Subheadings may be used. • Emphasize key points in the evaluation (bold, underline). • Listings and checklists may be used. • Edit carefully. Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship The reports or the information can be disseminated through the following means: • Newsletters • Pictures • Events • Social Media • Meetings and Discussions Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship After the evaluation report has been prepared, it is time to make an action plan based on the findings. This can be done through the following: • Improve what members do in the community • Inform other people of the recommended process that will be implemented • Share experiences with others • Campaign for changes • Motivate and encourage members to take part in the action plan • Develop new and better services Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship Basic template can be prepared to guide or a group in implementing the action plan. Action Resources Time Allocated Responsible person/s Deadline When developing strategies for successful action plan, a SWOT structure can be used to summarize the findings of the evaluation. Strength Positive aspects found Opportunities Circumstances that offer positive outcome Weaknesses Factors that need improvement Threats a Factors that could cause damage in the community
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