POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE OF DAVAO DEL SUR, INC.

MacArthur Highway Brgy. Kiagot, Digos City

TOWARDS A RESPONSIVE COMMUNITY ACTION

(A Modular Work text in NSTP 2 for Trainers and Students)

Module 3 (week 5, 6 & 7)

NAME: _________________________________ DATE: __________________

COURSE/SECTION: _______________________

2022
THE PROCESS OF COMMUNITY IMMERSION

INTRODUCTION
Community immersion generally takes on different overlapping phases, similar to performing
community organizing strategies called social preparation phase, integration, social analysis, program
implementation, evaluation and report writing, and termination of the project.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the of this module, the student must be able to:

1. Verbalize the process of immersion as a guide for rendering service to the communities;
2. Design a community immersion plan of implementation following the process; and
3. Internalize the importance of carrying out the steps of community immersion in series.

DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTS

THE PROCESS OF COMMUNITY IMMERSION

The community immersion process is a series of interrelated and intertwined phases which
commences with the Pre-Immersion followed by Entering the Community, Community Integration,
Community Needs Assessment, Program or Project Implementation, and Termination of the Project.

PHASE 1 – PRE-IMMERSION
This regards the identification of the community where the students will be immersed at.
Trainees will have to prepare themselves physically, mentally and spiritually for many task ahead.
Trainees must have waivers from their parents or guardians stating that they are informed of the
mandate to undergo the NSTP community immersion. The school also needs to organize its own
manpower, resources and other technical needs.
Aside from preparation of the trainees and the school, the community is primarily the one to be
prepared and informed. With this, trainees must set up criteria in selection of an area for immersion.

AREA SELECTION
Factors to be considered in area selection:

1. Groups or communities to be chosen belong to the deprived, depressed and underprivileged

(DDU). The marginalized sectors are your target clients because they are the ones needing your
assistance more than any other group in the society. Example of marginalized groups are the
youth, women, slum dwellers, the differently-abled, among others.
2. Willingness of local groups and community leaders to work with you on community projects.
This goes to say that we should start with the people and work with the people.
3. Anticipated activities and demands fall within your available resources and ability to meet
them. You cannot extend what you do not have in the first place.
4. Presence of development agencies and other support institutions providing assistance to the
areas. Supporting agencies are probable resources waiting to be tapped that can provide
additional financial assistance when it comes to projects that are also within their type of
service.
Soliciting their support will also prevent duplication of services and activities. You have
to identify if their schedule of activities coincides with yours so that will not confuse the people
 with your separate identity. There is a danger that people will not support you if the schedules
of your activities overlap with those of an agency that has long existed in the community before
you came.
Through appropriate communications and relations with these agencies, they can most
likely be the source of other updated baseline of that data you will need to understand the
community.
5. Stable peace and order situations. You have to put into consideration your own safety when
you conduct your immersion. Some of the salient questions you need to ask are that, “Are the
roads and work area secure to travel on?” Am I not putting myself and other members of the
immersion team in danger if we conduct our immersion in this venue?” Will I and my school be
compromised if I continue to work in this area?”
Sometimes despite the community leaders’ commitment to work with the trainees,
when
the community in general does not regard their area as having stable peace and order situation,
they themselves will not cooperate because their community issues go beyond what you can
respond to.
Remember, you are also a student and that one of your main objectives is to learn and
experience community living without disregard to your own safety.
6. Accessibility. Successful community immersion also relies on how quickly and how often you
can visit the community. If you live in Cavite and you happened to have chosen Bulacan as an
immersion area, would it be easy for you to conduct, monitor and evaluate your projects in the
latter area mentioned?
You have to take into account how much time you spend traveling; how much money
you spend for transportation or lodging. There is a chance that you will spend extra effort on
task like carrying training materials in the field, etc. That could otherwise be prevented if you
have choosen a much accessible venue for immersion.
If you have been able to select an area for immersion based on the foregoing factors,
you can now proceed to entering the community.

PHASE II – ENTERING THE COMMUNITY

To ensure success in entering the community, it is necessary to have community mapping of the
target area. This will help you identify the geographic coverage of the project. It will also help point out
the resources that may be used by the trainees in the community and the relationship of people with
these resources
Angelito G. Manalili in his book Community Organizing for people’s Empowering (1990),
remarked that there are different ways of entering the community. Similarly, immersion begins with the
initial steps in community organizing. Anchored on Manalili’s concepts, those planning to conduct
community immersion can enter the community thru;
 Ostentatious Entry – complete with banner and a general assembly of the people, the
community ushers in the people who will undergo immersion or outsiders. People naturally
expect more from the outsiders because the latter’s identity is boosted.
 Banking on the People’s Weakness – outsiders sometimes enter the community through
catching people’s attention. At times when community people are in distress, they usually
adhere to outsiders, like during economic crisis, emergency and disaster situations. The
outsiders try to find out which aspect is it that the community will need them for and through
this, they emphasize on how they could be helpful.
 Academic Style of Entry – communities are often called social laboratories because they are a
place to test the theories learned in classrooms. Academic institutions field some students into
 the community to assist the community regarding its concerns. A trialogue between the school,
the students and the community is done to identify the terms to which the community service
will be fulfilled.
 But the best way is People-Centered Approach – this approach ultimately believes on the
capacity of the community people to participate and acknowledge whether outsider assistance
is really needed. Users of this type entering the community invest on community relations,
believing that both parties are partners to community development. Key to this type of entry is
strong linkage with the people in the community.

When entering the community, the members of the community immersion team must establish
good rapport and relationship with the community people. Gathering information and doing a
background investigation about the situation in the community may prove to be of great help in
pursuing the goal of stablishing linkages in the locality. Ground working can also be an effective
mechanism in knowing the community well. Talk to as many people as possible and document or
record your conversations.
Pay courtesy call to recognized leaders of the community. Make communications ahead of time
of entering the community. Write the community leader a letter of intention and in turn you should
have a letter of acceptance from them. Whatever type of entry to be used, it is a must to secure a
memorandum of agreement between you and the community. This will set your working
parameters. It is giving due respect to them and formalizing a commitment of the helping contract.

PHASE III – COMMUNITY INTEGRATION

Integration is a continuous process wherein the trainees come into direct contact and become
involved with the community people. This phase is where the immersion phase gets more personal. The
trainees should realize that there is an existing concern within the community. As the problems of the
community become more apparent, you become aware and validate that you are part of the circle.

Integration may be done through:

a. Border Style – if provisions allow, the trainees may choose to stay and live-in the immersion
area for a certain period of time. They may live-in the community to pursue deeper knowledge
about the community. However, the ‘boarder’ or guest status will still be the regard of the
people toward them useless they integrate themselves fully with community life.
b. Elitist Style – some trainees tend to stay close to key informants and political players during
their stay in the community. Due to this, their social circle becomes limited and their interaction
is confined to few people. Immersion activities must always take into account the involvement
of the majority.
c. But the best way is the People-Centered Method of Living with the People.

PHASE IV – COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Needs assessment, social analysis or community diagnosis as others refer to, is a concrete base
for the formulation of programs. It reflects the sentiments, needs, aspirations and recommendations of
the community people. When it is done properly, it will reflect also the trainees’ feeling of oneness with
the community. They begin to see that the people’s problems also reflect their own.
Needs assessment becomes significant when it is conducted through integration with the
people. Our analysis and assessment should be done with the people. Hence, it does not merely contain
our perceptions, but also of the people’s for it to be genuinely pro-people. Analysis of social situation
becomes meaningful if it used as an instrument for conscientization. Those immersing in the community
realize the relation between their local condition and situation of other communities around them. Their
realization of the problems should help make the community realize the relation between their local
condition and situation of other communities around them. It is important that the people realize that
they can do something to change their situation for the better.
Assessing the needs of the community is a prelude to effective program offered to clients. This
will ensure solutions to problems, issues and concerns of the people in the locality.
This discussion covers the meaning, importance, steps, and exercises in preparing community
needs assessment instruments that will equip students to prepare similar tool which they will utilize in
measuring the needs of the community assigned to them.

COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT DEFINED

Community needs assessment is the process wherein problems, issues and concerns of the
community are identified through the use of several tools for assessment. It encourages the
participation of the community, as they are the stakeholders, to the findings in the assessment.

Importance of Needs Assessment

1. Gather information about citizens’ attitudes and options in order of importance.
2. Determine how citizens rank issues, problems and opportunities in order of importance or
urgency.
3. Give citizens a voice in determining policies, goals and priorities.
4. Evaluate current programs and policies.
5. Provide speculations about what people are thinking.
6. Provide speculations about what people really want.

INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN ASSESSING COMMUNITY NEEDS

1. Historical Development – this refers to data on how the community became what it is today and
provides insights into the kind of resources to collect and weed.
2. Geographical and Transportation information – this includes information on the community’s
patterns and population contributions.
3. Political and Legal Functions – this includes strategies for community-based selection [or this
may include strategies that community uses for selecting players in the political sphere].
4. Demographic Data – this includes data on age characteristics, size, race, and transience of
population.
5. Economic Data – this refers to the economic base, social, cultural, educational, recreation
organizations. This includes the values and social pattern.

I. Geographic Profile
(Data source may come from barangay or city/municipal hall)
A. Physical
I. Location/Boundaries (North, East, West, South)
II. Terrain
III. Facilities (like clinic/hospital, schools, recreation hall, etc.)
IV. Climate
V. Basic Food
B. Cultural
I. History of Place and People
II. Languages being used
 III. Peace and Order situation (usual community conflict and/or crime rate)
IV. Clothing (most applicable to rural setting)
II. Social (Data comes from survey)
I. Total Population
II. Total Number of household
III. Population Distribution by Gender (and Age)
IV. Population distribution by Educational Attainment
V. Health and common illness
VI. Recreation
III. Economic
a. Wage Earners in the Family
b. Employment
c. Household Monthly income
IV. Life Skills
a. Abilities
b. Interests
V. Spiritual Aspect
a. Number of people with active membership in the church
VI. Socio – Political Aspect
a. Known social programs or projects and other related community efforts (wether
existing or planned efforts)
b. Expression of satisfaction/dissatisfaction towards current social programs
c. Perceived community problems
d. Recognized community leaders
e. Other Agencies, GOs or NGOs that are in the area or that serve the community

Sample of Community Needs Assessment Framework/Design for Urban and Rural Setting

Methods in Collecting Data for Community Needs Assessment

1. Focused Group Discussion (FGD) with Key informants – the key informants of the community
are people who hold socially responsible positions such as educators, public officials, clergy and
business representatives or those who are active in community events. These are the people
who can provide good information that will guide and give you better understanding on
historical issues needed by the community.
2. Community Forum/Assembly – this involves holding of group events that may include the entire
community. It gives visibility to the leaders and raises the status of the community but it
requires lots of planning and publicity. This meeting can be a venue where people can express
their needs and be immediately validated by the rest of the attendees. Participatory action
research effectively uses this method.
3. Public records – public records like national census will provide data for social and demographic
indicators of the community. Data included are age, gender, educational level, locality, etc. that
tend to contribute to library use.
4. Survey – survey and questionnaires involve asking individuals in the community about their
everyday needs. This can be implemented through the following:
a. Mailing questionnaires to randomly selected members of the community;
b. Performing telephone survey
c. Handing out surveys while people are in an assembly; and
d. Posting questionnaires on your public access computer catalog.
 An example of this is the Minimum Basic Needs (MBN) Form of the DSWD.

Steps in Conducting Needs Assessment

1. Establish a working committee to solicit citizen and community involvement and develop a
plan of action.
2. List important aspects that are needed to be looked upon. This may also mean identifying the
surveyors’ own capability and strength.
3. Identify the population to be surveyed. This also includes making communications with
community leaders and authorities of the identified population to facilitate.
4. Determine the information that is needed. It may be existing information which must be
collected or it may be information gathered using a survey. Information like demographic profile
may be readily gathered from the barangay, municipal or city records office.
5. Select a random sample of person to survey. A good number of representative population to be
surveyed will contribute to the validity of the information.
6. Develop and pretest a questionnaire. Afterwards, if the questionnaire was found to be a valid
tool for measurement of data, proceed to distributing the questionnaire for community use.
7. Collate the information.
8. Analyze the data. This may be done together with the core group members of the community.
Community participation. Community participation in analyzing gathered data is also important
so that they can feel the ownership of the issues and concerns in their community.
9. Go back to the community for validation of information. This may be done through a
community assembly or simple community group discussion.
10. Finalize the document. Make sure that there are corresponding recommendations for the issues
and concerns found.

“THE STORY OF THE LONE COMMUNITY SERVANT…..

Once there was a community servant who saw that the problem of poverty in his community
was related to the low wages that a big-shot company was giving to the residents who worked for it.
So, the community worker organized a work stoppage until “their” demands were given, including a
wage hike. He was successful in gathering 100 community people to picket with him. But on the third
night of the strike, he was surprised to find no one behind him in the picket line… Apparently the
problem, in the eyes of the community people will not be solved through strikes but through a round
table discussion with the management.
The community was not consulted of the real method of approaching the problem and so the
community servant was left on his own in the picket line”

Community Assistance in Assessing Needs

1. Help identify community groups and citizens to be involved in the working committee.
2. Facilitate group discussion to identify important issues and set priorities.
3. Help select the sample to be surveyed and design a system to identify respondents.
4. Provide tested questions from which the working committees choose questions that address the
issues and concerns.
5. Help design a process to distribute and collect survey questionnaire code, enter and analyze the
resulting data.
6. Provide summary reports of data.
7. Suggest programs to report the results and strategies to solicit community involvement.
8. Work with citizens to identify courses of action based on the information.
PHASE V – PROGRAM/PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

Project implementation deals with the actual execution of the plans. This phase of project
development includes making the final arrangement with the target clients/community partners,
officials involved in the activities, right schedule of each event, day to day activities and needs of the
clients, manpower each day of the program, monitoring and evaluation plan and other requirements
like social and recreational activities and the culminating activities of the project.
It must be remembered always that the needs of the clients will be the dominant consideration
throughout the conduct of the projects.

To ensure the success of the NSTP community service projects performed by the trainees during
their immersion time, the following must be considered:
1. Program must be responsive to the needs of the clients;
2. Contribute to the upliftment of the living conditions of the slients;
3. Maximize the resources available in the community;
4. Tap the potentials of the clients and give due recognition;
5. Objectives must be SMART with tangible results that touch the lives of the clients;
6. Project must be done systematically to ensure significant contributions from pre-planning,
planning stage, implementation and evaluation;
7. Complete documentation must be observed as basis for reporting and for future studies;
8. Projects must be within the capacity and concern of the trainees that will allow them to gain the
knowledge, skills and encourage reflective action; and
9. Development shared commitment among the trainees.

Projects must promote civic consciousness imbued with good citizenship values of Pagkamaka-
Diyos, Pagkamaka-Tao, Pagkamaka-Bayan and Pagkamaka-Kalikasan.

a. Pre-immersion - Preparation of project proposal based on

community needs
- Approval of the proposal
- Once the project is approved, the
trainees will prepare all immersion
requirements.
a. Letter of request regarding their
immersion to the community or the
partner agency signed by the
trainor/coordinator and approved by the
NSTP Director.
b. Community responds to the request by
signifying their acceptance through a
letter.
c. Trainees, based on the identified needs,
submit a project design to the
community for approval.
d. Once approved, trainees will submit a
detailed program schedule of action.
- Based on the detailed program approved,
 the NSTP trainees will implement the
specifics of the activities as designed. The
actual immersion time will last for 8-10
meetings with the clients or partner
community. It may also depend on the
design of the project.
- In the course of the actual work,
coordination, monitoring and evaluation
is done to give immediate action to
problems encountered and make
b. Actual community immersion necessary adjustments if needed.
- During this stage, trainees are required to
make and complete their journal of
events which serves as a reference in
finalizing their tasks. Pictorials are also
required to support the activities
undertaken.
- Each group of trainees will make a
c. Presentation of community service narrative report. The presentation of
outputs documents during the post evaluation of
the program is about the community
service activities conducted during the
immersion time.
d. Monitoring - Continuously done to measure
effectiveness of activity.
- Each group will be rated as part of the
e. Evaluation final rating given to them.
- Implementation of the project ends by
the time all requirements have been
satisfactorily done.

PHASE VI – TERMINATION OF PROJECTS

NSTP trainees are expected to complete their projects in the community in the span of 50-90
hours as prescribed to the CHED-endorsed Program of Instruction for it to be credited in the training
course. Right at the very start the trainee-implementers must apprise their target participants of the
particulars of the projects undertaken especially in terms of time frame. This will enable their clients or
partner community to prepare for any eventualities should the implementers will terminate the project.
Trainees are advised to inform them with due respect of the status of the project and other details as
may be deemed necessary. Nevertheless, the trainees may decide to continue with the project if the
endeavor proves worthy of continuation, follow-up or replication. If the proponents and implementers
have decided to pursue and push through with their venture, they can seek the assistance and support
of the school’s extension services/community outreach unit just to sustain the project.
If in case trainees lack hours of community immersion or did not perform well, they are bound
to receive an unsatisfactory rating; more so, failure of compliance must be noted. If trainees go beyond
the required number of hours in the community in their conduct of the project for failure to conform or
comply with the requirements of the plan of action formulated, then a similar ‘poor’ rating should be
accorded.
As trainees, one must learn how to work within the allotted time frame given, for their
convenience and also for the community’s sake. If one stays I the community beyond the agreed time,
the action can be construed by the community for something else like, extending more help (intensified
volunteerism) to them or that they could still ask for their help even beyond their capability. This might
also encourage their dependency on the implementers.
However, it is not really a problem if trainees want to extend their community services in the
community. In fact, NSTP encourages trainees to continue their community work. This time, their
services will already be regarded as their personal commitment to doing voluntary work. Separate and
distinct from the NSTP-initiative activities. In step with enjoying NSTP students to eventually becoming
volunteer workers, the school may establish volunteer corps either under the auspices of the school’s
NSTP unit or extension services office to ensure the community of the immersion program for
volunteers.

ACTIVITY 1.1
DIRECTIONS: Answer the following questions relative to community needs assessment.

1. What is community needs assessment? Why is it important in formulating NSTP projects?

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2. What are the information to be include in assessing community needs?

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3. How are data collected for a meaningful results of community needs assessment?
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ACTIVITY 1.2
DIRECTIONS: immersing in a chosen community is not an easy task. It requires knowledge, skills and
attitudes which assure that a trainee could properly respond to community needs. But another
important thing to consider is how manageable are the community situation and environment. The
following can be possible scenarios in the community during project implementation. As a trainee, how
will you respond to the following situations?

Situation 1
You are interviewing the head of a household during a community needs assessment survey
when all of a sudden all other family members started hanging around your interview area. Children
started to be noisy. They climb your back and pull your arms. Their parents or guardians seemed
unaware that the children were already bothering you. They went on telling their story to you about the
community. What will you do so that you can better facilitate the interview.

Reaction to Situation 1:
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Situation 2
You are implementing a free tutorial session every Saturday to 15 elementary students so that
you could assist them in their studies. You have planned well you budget and have already assigned
tasks for each person in your group. One day, some parents came approached your group. They
expressed that the tutorial services have contributed to a great extent in reinforcing student learning.
They were happy to see college students helping depressed communities. They praised you for your
high standard of education and told you that they wished their children could be just like you when they
grow up. But, they also asked whether their children could be part of the tutorial service. Despite, that
you are really following the terms of your memorandum of agreement and project proposal, what will
be your next action regarding this situation?

Reaction to Situation 2:
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Situation 3
During you regular community visits you encountered a member of the barangay council. He
came to you and said to you, in front of many people, that he was not informed of the project you are
undertaking. Although you remembered that this particular council member was not present when your
paid a courtesy call to the barangay leaders. What will you do to convince him and the rest of the
community of your good intentions?

Reaction to Situation 3:
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Situation 4
The community you were serving was unfortunately razed by a fire. You gathered your members
and organized a relief operation to momentarily attempt to their basic needs by mobilizing some of your
school’s resources. You were dispensing the goods when you realized that people from a nearby
community not affected by the fire were lining up to receive some relief. Some family members of the
community were able to get twice as much relief goods. Despite your good intentions, what could have
been possibly done to avert the situation? What could you still do after finding out what was
happening?

Reaction to Situation No. 4

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