Critical Steps

Meanings:

1. Integration - This refers to the process of bringing together different stakeholders,

perspectives, and resources to form a cohesive and unified approach in
community organizing and participatory action research (COPAR). It involves
building partnerships, fostering collaboration, and ensuring that everyone's
contributions are considered and integrated into the overall strategy.
2. Social Investigation - This is a systematic process of collecting, collating,
analyzing data to draw a clear picture of the community. It involves conducting
research and gathering data about the community's social, economic, cultural,
and political context. It aims to understand the community's strengths,
challenges, and needs through methods such as surveys, interviews,
observations, and data analysis. The findings from social investigation inform the
subsequent steps in COPAR.
3. Tentative Program Planning - Tentative program planning refers to the initial
stage of developing a program or action plan to address the identified issues
within a community. It involves creating a preliminary framework that outlines the
proposed strategies, activities, and goals for the community organizing process.
4. Groundwork - Groundwork refers to the preparatory activities that lay the
foundation for successful community organizing. It involves building
relationships, establishing trust, and engaging key stakeholders in the
community. This step includes conducting community meetings, awareness
campaigns, and capacity-building activities to mobilize and empower community
members.
5. The meeting - Meetings are a crucial component of COPAR and involve bringing
community members together to discuss issues, share information, and make
decisions collectively. Meetings provide a platform for dialogue,
consensus-building, and participatory decision-making. They can be used to
develop action plans, assign tasks, and monitor progress towards goals.
6. Role play - Role play is a technique used in COPAR to simulate real-life situations
or scenarios. Community members assume different roles and act out various
roles to explore different perspectives, develop empathy, and enhance
problem-solving skills. Role play can be used to facilitate discussions, explore
power dynamics, and build community cohesion. It is a way of training the people
to anticipate what will happen and prepare them for such eventuality.
7. Mobilization or Action - It is the actual experience of the people in confronting the
powerful and the actual exercise of people power. Mobilization or action involves
implementing the plans and strategies developed through COPAR. It entails
activating the community, raising awareness, advocating for change, and taking
collective action to address the identified issues. Mobilization can include
activities such as protests, campaigns, community projects, and policy advocacy.
8. Evaluation - Evaluation is the process of assessing the effectiveness and impact
of COPAR initiatives. It involves systematically collecting and analyzing data to
determine the extent to which the goals and objectives have been achieved.
Evaluation helps in identifying strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement
in the COPAR process and allows for adjustments to be made accordingly.
9. Reflection - Reflection is a critical step in COPAR that involves taking time to
pause, analyze, and reflect on the experiences, outcomes, and lessons learned
throughout the process. It involves considering the successes, challenges, and
impacts of the initiatives undertaken, as well as identifying areas for
improvement. Reflection helps in informing future actions and decision-making in
COPAR.
10. Organization - Organization refers to the process of establishing and
strengthening community-based organizations. COPAR is a participatory
approach to community development that empowers individuals and
communities to identify and address their own issues and challenges.