COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, SOLIDARITY AND CITIZENSHIP

MODULE 8
UNIT 2- COMMUNITY ACTION

LESSON 8: SELECTED CASES OF COMMUNITY

ACTION INITIATIVES

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:
1. Identify sample cases of community action initiatives.
2. Determine the objectives of the sample community action initiatives.
3. Analyze the selected community action initiatives

WHAT IS IT TO LEARN?

COMMUNITY ACTION INITATIVES

The government is expected to provide assistance to communities, especially the less privileged.
Community action initiatives are a way for the government, along with other organizations, to cater to the
needs of communities. In a community action initiative, the members of the community and organizations
become channels for change. People involved in community action initiatives plan and implement ways to
transform a community and attain a better quality of life.

Community action initiatives are anchored by objectives that are based on specific concerns groups
in the area want to address. They may also be guided by a certain model or framework, and may involve the
modification of certain policies or practices for the community's welfare.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that the success of community action initiatives does not depend
solely on their objectives, planning, and implementation. There are also factors to consider, such depend as
the values being prioritized while the project is being carried out. The following are examples of community
action initiatives planned by the government.

Philippine Open Government Partnership National Action Plan

The Homeless People's Federation Philippines, Incorporated (HPFPI) is a network of organizations all over
the Philippines. It has helped communities in the country, including those victimized by devastating
calamities and incidents throughout the years, including the 2000 Payatas trash-slide and the 2008 Iloilo
flashflood. In its projects, the HPFP has performed the following activities:

1. Providing the communities with savings that they can use to improve their finances and rebuild their
communities

2. Helping the disaster victims obtain land tenure, rebuild or improve their homes, and access opportunities
to improve their financial status
3. Coordinating with poor communities in disaster-prone areas and helping them find ways to reduce the
risks they may experience

The Community Disaster Intervention Projects of the HPFPI

In 2011, the Philippines became one of the founding members of the Open Government Partnership (OGP),
a worldwide initiative that aims to empower people and improve governments around the world. As a
member of the OGP, the Philippine government has sought to fulfill and formalize initiatives in reforming
the government. One product of these efforts is the Philippine Open Partnership National Action Plan. The
action plan for 2015 to 2017 is entitled Shared Commitment for Better Outcomes, and contains the
following objectives:

1. Increasing the integrity of the government by being more transparent about how the state budget
sources is spent and how much is earned from industries that are dependent on natural resources.

2. Approving the Freedom of Information Act, and providing the public with greater access to data from the
government

3. Strengthening the involvement of citizens in government affairs by letting them participate in auditing the
state finances and in budgeting , as well as by providing business an avenue to address economic problems
in the country.

Community Action Extension Programs in State Colleges and Universities

Higher education institutions in the Philippines such as state colleges and universities (SCUs) offer
promising platforms towards extension programs where activities related to community action are
conducted. These activities include trainings, livelihood programs, and demonstration projects In these
extension programs, the SCUs focus on the welfare of the targeted communities, and help them develop
productivity and sustainability.

Aside from conducting trainings, livelihood programs, and demonstration projects, the extension program
also undertakes the following:

1. Utilizing technology to strengthen agro-first ecosystems and improve farm productivity, thus resulting in
food security and reduced poverty

2. Attaining Livelihood Enterprise Development to obtain higher income while observing sustainable
development

3. Conducting research and sub-development programs for farmers and fisherfolk

COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY INITIATIVES

Comprehensive community initiatives involve partnerships that take part in several interrelated activities
occurring simultaneously. These initiatives involve collaborative planning, documentation of the activities
implemented, the assessment of the targeted community’s capacity and ability to adapt and the promotion
or dissemination of the objectives of the project.

A comprehensive community initiative may have both narrow and broad goals. As these goals are achieved
and the project becomes successful, it can be adapted by other communities. Ultimately, the success of this
project results to change in the targeted community.

Some of the issues that can be addressed by comprehensive community initiatives are the following:

 Education-related concerns Such as the increase percentage of drop outs

 The unjust treatment of the minority or the marginalized

 Abuse and neglect of the vulnerable people in the community

  Self-destructive behaviors such as suicide, substance abuse, and excessive drinking

 Problems in one's mental and physical health

 Crimes and violence committed by young people

 Poverty caused by unemployment

An example of a community action initiative in the Philippines is the training provided by the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) to health workers. The UNICEF teaches these health workers how to administer
immunization to children in remote barangays. Through this initiative, the UNICEF able to extend its support
to the poorest families in the country.

The Philippine Shell Foundation, Incorporated (PSFI) has also launched projects that have helped
millions of Filipinos for decades. One of these is the Sanayan sa Kakayahang Industriyal (SKIL), where out-
of-school youth are trained to gain technical skills such as welding, automotive mechanic refrigeration.
Another project launched by Shell is the Sanayan sa Kakayahang Agrikultura (SAKA)

SAKA was launched to provide the poor and the Out-of- youth with opportunities for employment and
livelihood. The SAKA program has the following objectives:

 Enhancing the employability and earning potential of out-of-school youths from poor families,
particularly those with small landholdings.

 Providing training on how to manage small farms and improve their productivity, based on an
innovative curriculum.

 Providing agro-based training 1or high school graduates who seek employment or want to conduct
trade on their own

 Promoting personality development, desirable sociocultural values, a positive work attitude, and
self-discipline

WHAT’S MORE?

Activity 1. Think of a certain activity that was conducted in your community and which you would like to
be a part of in the future. Discuss the activity and how it benefited the members of your community.

ACTIVITY THAT WAS

CONDUCTED IN YOUR
COMMUNITY

________________________
________________________ Activities would like to be a part of in the future
________________________
________________________ __________________________________________
____ __________________________________________
__________________________________________
____________
Activity 2. Assess the community action initiatives discussed in the lesson. In the table below, outline the
issues they addressed, how they benefitted their target communities and their outcomes.

PROGRAM ISSUES ADDRESSED BENEFITS OUTCOMES

Philippine Open
Government Partnership
National Action Plan
The Community Disaster
Intervention Projects of
the HPFPI
Community Action
Extension Programs in
State Colleges and
Universities
Sanayan sa Kakayahang
Agrikultura (SAKA)

Reference:
Semorlan, Ava Ann P.Ph.D et al, Community Engagement, Solidarity and Citizenship for SHS, 2018
PREPARED BY:PAMELA B. ALZAGA, RSW, LPT (SHS TEACHER)
GRADE 12- CESC, SAN JOSE COMMUNITY COLLEGE