Community Organizing Participatory Action Research (COPAR)

GROUP ACTIVITY
Cambosa . Dela Rosa . Felicisimo . Malait . Mercado . Santos

Objective: To understand community organizing, the range of

actions we can take, and what they can change

~ THE RAINING ROCKS PARABLE ~

Once upon a time, there was a little town in the mountains called Swisstown. One winter,
a villager taking a walk in the hills finds a man lying in the snow—he has been hit by a falling
rock. The villager, being a very caring person, uses their jacket to bandage the injured man and
carries him back down to the village.
The next day two more people are hit by falling rocks, and they are rescued by other
villagers. The next day, four people are hurt, then eight, then twenty. Life becomes dangerous
for all villagers because rocks keep falling. A few villagers sneak up the mountain and discover
that the rocks are being thrown by a millionaire, Filthy Richbanks, and his friends, who hope to
build a luxurious hotel and golf course in Swisstown. They are throwing the rocks hoping to get
rid of the villagers so they can take over the land.
The Red Cross shows up in town. They set up a huge rescue operation. They set up a
clinic to heal the injured, send dogs to find injured people who are lost outside, a shelter for
those whose homes are destroyed, and social workers to help people deal with the traumatic
effects of the falling rocks. Finally, the Red Cross makes a giant net to place over Swisstown to
stop the rocks from falling.
One day, the net breaks, and rocks fall on the village, injuring hundreds and destroying
homes, schools, and stores. The Red Cross is working furiously to heal people and provide
shelter. From then on, rescue work became an important part of the villagers’ lives. Everyone
becomes involved in helping those hurt by the falling rocks.
Three months later at a town meeting, a group of villagers get together to make a
proposal. They are sick and tired of the falling rocks, of their people being hurt, and they want
to change the situation. They propose that the villagers unite and go up the mountain to
demand that Filthy Richbanks stop dropping the rocks.
The mayor and other politicians disagree, saying Swisstown needs everyone to stay in
town and keep the rescue effort going. If anyone leaves, they might not be able to continue
tending to those injured by rocks. The town is split in two groups---those who want to stay and
keep the rescue effort going, and those who want to march up the mountain and confront Filthy
Richbanks.
 ~ SUMMARY ~

Title: Raining Rocks

Characters: Villagers, Filthy Rickbanks and friends, Red Cross, Mayor, and other Politicians
Setting: Swisstown

Issue/problem: Filthy Rickbanks’ intentional throwing of rocks to get rid of the villagers and take
over the land for redevelopment

Plot:
It has been months of rescuing and treating the injured villagers due to the falling
rocks. Various measures have been made to manage the situation such as
utilizing a giant net enough to cover the town and participation of the whole
community to heal the injured. During the town meeting, a proposal has been
made suggesting the villagers’ desire to demand the Filthy Richbanks to refrain
from throwing the rocks, however, the proposal was disproved by the mayor and
other politicians. Finally, they decided to split the town into two: (a) the villagers
going up the mountain to change the system controlled by the filthy richbanks,
and (b) the villagers who want to keep up the rescue effort - meeting immediate
needs of the people.

~ GROUP STRATEGIES PROMPT ~

Villagers who want to go up the mountain

1. What is your strategy in dealing with the falling rocks?
“Villagers unite and go up the mountain to demand that Filthy Richbanks stop
dropping the rocks.” Basically, their strategy is to have a conversation with the
other party because they assume that it will stop them from falling rocks in their
town. Their focus is to stop the Filthy Richbanks in their doings and provide safety
and protection for the whole community.
2. Why do you think your strategy will work?
The strategy would probably work because firstly, as the Filthy Richbanks
continue dropping rocks in the town, there are villagers who would stay and
“maintain” the safety of themselves and their co-villagers. Secondly, even if it
would not work “fully”, it would give them an assurance of what would happen
 as they settle with a decision. Thirdly, the negotiation that will happen might
serve as a long-term solution.
3. How would the scenario end if your strategy is used?
The villagers keep the rescue without even knowing how long it will last. Uniting
and going up to the mountain for demand would result in a possible agreement
at the very least.
4. What are some risks of your strategy? What are the benefits?
Risks:
- Given the possibility of the continuous dropping of rocks, the rescue team
that stayed (decreased in number) would be in a more dangerous
situation in the town. Moreover, the villagers that would be going up the
mountain could be hurt along the way as well.
- Even if they tried their best to demand and settle, there is a huge
possibility that the strategy would not work - resulting in more damage in
their town and higher threats to their safety.
Benefits:
- If a legal agreement would be settled, they would at least know what to
do instead of just waiting for the Filthy Richbanks to stop dropping rocks.
- With a legal agreement, they would know about their rights about their
ownership and what to do between parties.
- Would serve as a long term solution

Villagers who want to keep up the rescue effort

1. What is your strategy in dealing with the falling rocks?

PHASE 1: Immediate Action
● Assign watchers to monitor when rocks are falling
● Assign messengers to warn the villagers when there are falling rocks
● Continue to treat the wounded and train more villagers in emergency
response/healthcare
PHASE 2: Long Term Action
● Collect resources (the rocks) and build 1) SHELTER and 2) BARRIER
● Organize creation of more healthcare facilities
PHASE 3: Last resort
● Relocate remaining villagers outside the range of the falling rocks
 2. Why do you think your strategy will work?

The said strategy will work in the sense that there is an even distribution of
respondent teams for immediate and long-term action. If, for instance, more
people are being designated to the immediate response, those who are being
injured prior to the planning will have their injuries getting severe. If people,
meanwhile, are assigned for the long-term response, chances are that they will
be hurt more intensely when the rocks go down. An even distribution of the work
allows for people to plan retroactively and in hindsight, knowing the short and
long-term effects of the issue.

3. How would the scenario end if your strategy is used?

There is no certainty that the problem will be solved by the aforementioned

strategies because no one knows when the filthy rich bank and its allies will stop
dropping rocks. The strategies they have will only provide a short-term solution
unless they are forced to relocate to a location where they will no longer be
affected by the falling rock, which is their last resort.

4. What are some risks of your strategy? What are the benefits?

Risks:
- Even if they have many alternative strategies, it won't matter if they don't know
when the filthy rich bank and its partners will stop dropping rocks. Their safety
will not be guaranteed, and the situation they are in will remain dangerous.
- The risks of the strategy include the fact that this may go on for a loop, and the
former people who are assigned to each team may get bored and instead just
migrate to another town.
Benefits:
- The benefit includes a constant cycle of respondents ready to face the above
issue on hand. This, in turn, adopts the future generations of the village to think
as they grow up on which side they will aid with.

Filthy Richbanks and Friends

1. Which of these two groups do you feel you could work more closely with to
achieve your goal?
 As the villagers who stayed are just dependent on those who will climb up, the
Filthy Richbanks and Friends could work closely with the villagers who will climb
up because they are the ones who are willing to talk and settle. Organizing a
solution to a specific problem is much better than waiting for nothing.

2. Which of the two groups is more threatening to you and your goal? Why?

On the other hand, the villagers that will climb up are also the ones who are
more threatening to the goal. They will probably settle for an agreement that
would not benefit the Filthy Richbanks if they will not work fairly.

3. What is your strategy to deal with each of these groups?

Having the power and money, they could first talk over with the politicians and
negotiate with them. From then, if they will not be blinded by power and money
without settling for a legal agreement given that the villagers own the land, the
only strategy is to have a legal agreement.

~ REFLECTION ~

1. What do you notice?

- Some people are very dependent on others where in fact they could help
themselves.
- Some or most of the risks that may bring harm in citizens are not adequately
supported by those with authority or are in agencies.
- People themselves can be the cause of risks that can harm other people
- Money is power.

2. What motivates the Villagers who want to keep up the rescue effort?

The influence of the mayor and politicians (the ones with authority and power)
may have motivated the villagers more. Additionally, one cannot deny the fact
that it is hard to oppose those with power (the higher class) and the “current
situation” that they are facing (the need to be rescued) is more important
 because it is “immediate”.

3. What motivates the Villagers who want to go up the mountain?

They want the Filthy Richbanks and friends to stop what they are doing. Given
that the villagers own the land and they are being forced out of it through
violence, the harm motivates them to climb up and talk to them. Also, it has been
long since they have been dropping rocks and this is something that needs to be
addressed already.

4. What motivates Filthy Richbanks and friends?

The area where they would get to build a luxury and golf course and seeing how
the villagers are being affected motivates them more to achieve their goal. They
feel superior when they can see how the villagers cannot do anything more than
just rescuing the people.

5. Which group is most likely to change the conditions?

The villagers who will climb up are most likely to change the conditions because
those who will stay are dependent on them and it seems like they would just stay
in their current situation without knowing what is going to happen - if either the
dropping would stop or it would just worsen.

6. Which of these groups represents community organizing?

Same with the 5th answer, the villagers who will climb up represent community
organizing. They initiated how to address the current situation that they are
facing. They want and need solutions not only for themselves but for the whole
community.

7. Does Filthy Richbanks want the rescue effort? How does the rescue effort help Filthy
Richbanks?

It is not that they actually “want” the rescue effort because their goal is to have
the land from the villagers, in a violent way. However, the rescue effort seems to
be “helping” the Filthy Richbanks as they enable the situation. The Filthy
 Richbanks probably see the situation as “Oh, it’s not for us to stop because there
are rescue teams in the town. Sooner or later they’ll get tired without having any
long term solution”, but fortunately, there are villagers who are willing to go up
the mountain. So technically, the rescue effort just preserves the safety (current
situation) but does nothing to solve what is happening in the long run.

~ WAYS TO MAKE CHANGE ~

The Variables (in relation to the Parable):

● The Pyramid of Power: Describes the distribution of political power, economic power,
and spiritual power - the basic layout of society and how it is controlled, or governed.
○ Bottom: least amount of power and bearing the weight of the day to day
operations of the society - “working class” (Swisstown villagers)
○ “Middle class”
○ Going up: the various other segments of society with increasing amounts of
power, and less and less of the population involved as you move up the pyramid -
“upper-middle class to upper class” (Filthy Richbanks and friends)
■ Most people live in a money paradigm - describes the power of money
(luxurious hotel and golf course) to be able to go up the pyramid of
power
● Community Organizing: the process of building power (Challenging the pyramid of
power) through involving a constituency (Villagers who want to go up the mountain) in
identifying problems they share and the solutions to those problems that they desire;
identifying the people and structures that can make those solutions possible (Mayor,
politicians; Filthy Richbanks); enlisting those targets in the effort through negotiation
and using confrontation and pressure when needed, and building an institution
(solution) that is democratically controlled by that constituency that can develop the
capacity to take on further problems and that embodies the will and the power of that
constituency.
○ strategies: meeting with corporate or government decision-makers to hold them
accountable for their actions (Filthy Richbanks and friends), designing programs
for others to implement and meet the needs of the community (Swisstown
villagers), and aggressive group action to block negative developments or
behaviors (Raining rocks; luxurious hotel and golf course)
● Advocacy: ensure people’s access to care, navigate the system, mobilize resources,
address health inequities, influence policy, and create system change
○ influencing outcomes and driving change on behalf of your community
● Education: facilitate the education of the problem to promote awareness and
empowerment of people, considering marginalized groups.
○ strategies: Informing the people about the cause, thoroughly discussing with the
people the nature of the alternatives, their content, and possible consequences,
and supporting people’s rights to make a choice and to act on their choice,
influencing public opinion
● Self-Help: the process of social action (town meeting) in which community members
(Swisstown villagers) organized themselves for planning activities, making groups and
individual plans to meet their shared needs and solve their common problems (rescue
operations, net, shelter)
○ requires a democratic approach
○ prioritize the clients’ rights through providing mechanisms for people to
participate in activities that aim to improve the conditions of the community -
empower the people to make decisions and carry out actions
● Services: various health-related and organizational activities that utilize the resources
available to the community in order to meet the immediate and long-term needs -
beneficial for the betterment and coping of the community
○ supply health and basic services such as food, clothing, shelter, or money to
affected people
○ execute the plans, with a maximum reliance upon community resources and
effort
 As to the principles of COPAR, people especially the most oppressed, exploited, and deprived
sectors are open to change, have the capacity to change, and are able to bring about the change.

The “Ways to Make Change” chart implies that for an effective and long-term solution
to happen, community members, organizers, and health workers must work hand in hand as
they accept and challenge the pyramid of power. The ways of making change (services,
self-help, education, advocacy, and community organizing) are connected distinctively to the
pyramid of power (parting/contrasting ways).

The services and self-help are more inclined to the community's acceptance of the
pyramid of power. This denotes that the community behaves on their supposed level, at the
bottom of the pyramid (working class), through supplying the needs and demands of the
affected people.

Conversely, advocacy and community organizing are sloping towards challenging the
pyramid of power. These measures specify the community’s behavior of linking themselves to
the upper class with the help of their collective power. The individuals or groups act on behalf
of the affected people and confront/influence the higher-ups about the community’s shared
problem that involves them. These actions by the community manifest the kind of power held
by the upper class - thus imposing a challenge to the pyramid of power.

Meanwhile, education can be perceived to be in the middle but is more inclined on the
other half (challenges pyramid of power). This may indicate that educating the affected people
drives them to participate/assist in services that address the problem (accepts pyramid of
power) and/or allows them to understand the issue or problem they face (challenges pyramid
of power) - that may influence them to be advocates.

Also, the chart entails that as the community builds collective power while stepping
forward in every category (from services to community organizing), the intensity of challenging
the pyramid of power (upper middle class/upper class) increases. This implies the community’s
competence and perseverance to take actions with the aim of helping the entire community to
achieve their common goals.
 Moreover, the "Ways to Make Change" is seen as an implicit balance between the
activities performed by the community. This shows the necessity of taking the courage to
establish a long-term solution while still looking after the affected people. It is critical to take
actions on both sides by splitting the community to carry out diverse courses of action (towards
acceptance of and challenging the pyramid of power) - since the confrontation/persuasion itself
does not ensure a win, it may take a while or worse, may not succeed.

In the Raining Rocks parable, the villagers who want to keep up the rescue effort accept
the pyramid of power as they remain in the working class by helping the society cope with the
situation. In contrast, the villagers who want to go up the mountain challenge the pyramid of
power as they confront the filthy richbanks, with regard to the raining rocks and
redevelopment, to move the current systems.

The Ways to Make Change and COPAR

COPAR is facilitated through various strategies performed by the community that may be
identified as accepting and challenging the pyramid of power. These measures aim to transform
apathetic, individualistic, and voiceless poor into dynamic, participatory, and politically
responsive communities.

After identifying the problem, people have to work on their immediate and long-term problems
(of the people) by mobilizing the people and their resources (by the people) for a continuous and
sustained process of educating people in the community on how they will solve their problems
(for the people). Encountering the same problem in the future can be more manageable as the
community already has the grasp on the appropriate approach to solve it.

Simply, COPAR is a continuous and a sustained process of:

● Educating the people - to understand and develop their critical consciousness (viz.,
education)
● Working with people - to work collectively and effectively on their immediate and
long-term problems. (viz., services, advocacy, community organizing)
● Mobilizing with people - develop their capability and readiness to respond and take
action on their immediate needs towards solving the long-term problems. (viz.,
self-help)

The Ways to Make Change strategies are overlapping, requiring each to be satisfied and
fulfilled in order for the community to effectively solve their common problems and achieve
their common goals.

OOO = Organizers Organize Organizations

 ~ There is nothing interesting to do after school for youth ~
Note: This does not mean that every action should be community organizing — your program will
probably have a range of activities and actions throughout the year. However, we do not want to be
like the Villagers continuing the rescue mission forever — some actions must move the system or
nothing ever changes.

Services

★ Youth can volunteer and participate in community activities, like a community pantry, for
disaster victims. They can collect stockpiles of relief goods like food, water, medicines,
clothes, and blankets inside their homes and the community.
★ Environmental activities like the seed-to-feed programs or coastal clean-up.
↬ Seek help from a profitable organization to provide funds and resources for more
in-depth involvement in any charitable activity.

Self-Help

★ Community organizations, school clubs, and parents can collaborate in conducting

recreational activities that every youth wants to engage in. It may be physical activities
where they can engage in sports and games (soccer, tennis, basketball), social activities
(parties, picnics), outdoor activities (camping, hiking), or service activities (volunteering
in a community program, conducting a symposium for community awareness).
★ Youth organize and facilitate a teenagers-as-teachers program to teach and help young
children and youth as their age with their studies.
↬ Persuade community officials to plan and build an institutional facility that
focuses on youth engagement and recognition to skill-mediated learning.

Education

★ Posters or flyers-making to capture and encourage other youth in the community to

participate in the afterschool activities.
★ Social media campaign and visitation to reach youth in different areas of the community.
↬ Coordinate with school administrators and supervisors to conduct a conference
meeting with the parents and also the youth to reach out about the issue and
encourage their suggestions for the activities.

Advocacy

★ SK chairman of the community will be invited to public speak to encompass the

importance and continuity of afterschool activities for youth.
 ★ ​Youth can conduct webinars or virtual meetings with an invited speaker who can provide
testimonials and statements on why activities for youth must be pushed through.
↬ Communicate with barangay officials to initiate projects to discuss the problem
and initiate youth projects considering their safety and protection.

Community Organizing

★ Youth organizations and parent-teacher associations gather together to demand

after-school activities for youth to the town mayor.
★ Local Youth Development Council (LYDC) and Sangguniang Kabataan in every barangay
work together to plead for funds from politicians and officials for more youth activities.

~ RESEARCH TOPIC ~

Topic: Youth Emerging to Adulthood: Facilitating a Meaningful Transition

Description:
Youth face new responsibilities to/for themselves and the community as they
transform into adults. It is a phase of significant developmental changes and
challenges, where youth build and integrate their capabilities, talents,
attitudes, values, and social skills needed to achieve a healthy and successful
transition into adulthood. Youth to adulthood is a fast-paced transition. They
have to be equipped with skills that are needed to function as a healthy
member of the household and the community. Such skills are but are not
limited to, critical thinking, resilience, creativity, systems thinking, and
empathy.
Problems:
↺ Experiences of chronic stress or adverse events related to negative
interactions with their environment, school failure, risky/impulsive behaviors,
accidental injury, criminal activity, or substance misuse or overuse
↺ Low self-esteem and fear of judgements due to lack of support and poor
mindset
↺ Feelings of isolation with having to blend in societal structures
↺ Emerging dynamics in social and cultural settings surrounding them
↺ Inability to address the distinct needs of every adolescent who owns a unique
identity
Purposes:

○ To allow youth to reflect/realize/practice their future responsibilities and roles

as an integral part of the community
○ To promote independence and competence among youth as they transform
into adults
○ To prepare the youth’s physical, mental, and spiritual capacities for the
unknown and uncertain future
○ To facilitate the community’s involvement in shaping the youth’s aptitude and
coping

Strategies: The goals of the strategies are to address the restricting factors and help them
uncover their capabilities to help the youth achieve a more peaceful and less painful
transition to adulthood, thus a meaningful one.

Education

★ Educational or recreational activities (Creative Writing, Volunteering, Photography,

Learning a new language, Singing and/or playing an instrument, Arts and Crafts,
Cooking and/or Baking)
★ Specialized skills development (these programs have activities that are built on
promoting specific skills related to a specialty topic such as sports, arts, science and
technology, youth development, and more)

Advocacy

★ The youth can voice out their emotional and psychological needs or problems
through poster making in groups so as to help them relate with one another
★ The community organizers will motivate the youth to demonstrate their talents and
skills in order to inspire and help other adolescents who face difficulties in uncovering
their own skills.

Community Organizing

★ Convince university officials and professors to execute various programs and

interactive/independent tasks that challenge/strengthen decision-making,
capabilities, attitude, and values of the youth while at the educational level.
★ Seek help from medical and mental health professionals to effectively address the
physical and mental health needs of the youth such as stress, anxiety, fear, poor
judgement and coping, undue behavior, etc.