SOCIAL WORK

Focus of
Community
Organizing
Hello there!

Reporters
Carmela Orig Pangan Roche Abe Tayabas
Nina Pauline Baquero Sr. Jan Lovely
Bermiso
Jecel Ones
 What are the focus of community
organization
.
1. “Removal of blocks to growth.”

Identified blocks to growth are ignorance, negative

values as bahala, ningas cogon and maniana habit,
exploitation of the weak and ignorant and some
oppressive social structures.
2. “The release of potentialities in the individual, group and
community as a whole.”

This can be achieved through people’s participation in

community activities, projects and specially in the problem-
solving and decision making-process. The people have also
to be recipients of training programs like leadership training,
seminars on cooperatives, nutrition, primary health care,
livelihood programs, skills training, disaster preparedness,
etc.
3. “The development of the capacity of indigenous leaders to lead, to
manage and function in their assigned social roles in the community.”

Indigenous leaders’ capacity to lead can be further developed if given

important and challenging roles as committee, chairman or to take
charge of a community activity or project. He should be given wide
latitude in making decisions and the proper orientation and training for
his assigned role. Learning by doing this is an effective method of
developing the leadership potentials of an individual.
4. “Developing the ability of different sectors in the community to function as an
integrated whole.”

This can be done if all sectoral plans and activities are integrated in one
community plan and when the implementation of said plans and activities are done
through the cooperative and collaborative efforts of the different sectors involved in
the planning with the people. Thus the plans of the government sector, the private
sector, (NGOs, civic and business organization) and the religious sector need to
be integrated into one community plan to avoid competition and duplication of
services and activities involving the same target system.
5. “Strengthening people’s capacity for problem solving, decision
making and cooperation.”

The people should not be mere recipients of development efforts. They

should be involved in planning activities that affect their lives from
problem/need identification, analyzing their identified problems/needs,
planning for their solutions, implementing said plans and in monitoring
and evaluating their implementation. People’s participation in these
community activities would develop and enhance their capacity to solve
their problems and meet their needs in a cooperative manner.
6. “The use of inner/indigenous resources before tapping external resources.”

A self-reliant and self-managed community is the primary goal of community

organization. Thus the people should learn to tap and make full use of their own
resources befire tapping external resources. A community, no matter how
depressed, has its own inner resources to tap as human resources and natural
resources like springs for water supply, raw materials such as forest product
like rattan, nito, wild fruits, wild honey, marine products, clay, etc. the value of
self reliance need to be inculcated as dependence on others resources stunt
growth and only delay the community’s development.
What are the purposes of
community organization?
 01
To solve certain
problems and meet
needs.
 02
To achieve selected
social goals.
 03
To strengthen the people’s
capacity in dealing with their
problems, needs and
aspirations.
Through organized efforts, community organization aims to solve certain
problems that the people consider of great priority or attain their
community’s pressing needs and aspirations. It may be their problems on
housing, drug abuse, street children, on crimes and juvenile delinquency
or the need for a water supply system, primary health care, etc. The
organized efforts may be composed of a neighborhood welfare council,
ad hoc committee, task force wherein the government, the private and
religious sectors are represented, committee, study group and the
development council depending on the kind of problems/needs to be
.
solved or met. The CO worker is therefore required to possess skills in
organizing, coordinating and inter-group relationships, if she has to
effectively enable the people to solve certain problems and needs with
their active participation.
The CO worker is expected to help the community to achieve some
selected social goals and objectives. It may be their aspirations for
a better life through ownership of the land they till as tenants or the
electrification of their community to boost economic productivity. In
this case the CO needs to act as broker with the landlord, the
Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Energy to
help them attain their aspirations. She may also organize the
.
people for cooperative projects as Consumers Cooperative, Credit
Cooperative and Cooperative Marketing.
Strengthening the people’s capacity in dealing with their problems, needs
and aspirations would require adequate training through relevant seminars
and on the job training. Thus they should be allowed to determine what
are their priority problems/needs and enunciate their own aspirations.
They should also be allowed to plan the solutions to their own problems
and needs and implement these plans themselves with the
guidance/assistance of the CO worker. In this way they acquire the
capacity to deal with their own problems/needs and enable them to
.
become a self-reliant and self-managed community.
Thank
you!