Community Organization

MEDT 03 COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH (LABORATORY)
Lesson 2: Overview of Community Organizing Participatory Action Research

(COPAR)
Learning Objectives:
At the end of lesson, the students will be able to:
1. understand the process of community organization

2. determine the different role and functions of community organizers
3. understand the different steps and stages of community organization
Introduction:
Community organization is a process by which the community is able to identify its needs
and take actions to fulfill the needs or solve the problems.
Definitions of COPAR
• A social development approach that aims to transform the apathetic, individualistic
and voiceless poor into dynamic, participatory and politically responsive community.
• A collective, participatory, transformative, liberative, sustained and systematic
process of building people’s organizations by mobilizing and enhancing the
capabilities and resources of the people for the resolution of their issues and concerns
towards effecting change in their existing oppressive and exploitative conditions
(1994 National Rural Conference)
• A process by which a community identifies its needs and objectives, develops
confidence to take action in respect to them and in doing so, extends and develops
cooperative and collaborative attitudes and practices in the community (Ross 1967)
• A continuous and sustained process of educating the people to understand and
develop their critical awareness of their existing condition, working with the people
collectively and efficiently on their immediate and long-term problems, and
mobilizing the people to develop their capability and readiness to respond and take
action on their immediate needs towards solving their long-term problems (CO: A
manual of experience, PCPD)
Steps in Community Organization

 Collection of facts
 Analysis of data
 Study the resources
 Evolving strategies or various courses of action
 Selecting suitable energy
 Implementation
 Monitoring and evaluation
 Feedback
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021-2022 TTV
Importance of COPAR
1. COPAR is an important tool for community development and people empowerment as this
helps the community workers to generate community participation in development activities.
2. COPAR prepares people/clients to eventually take over the management of a development
programs in the future.
3. COPAR maximizes community participation and involvement; community resources are
mobilized for community services.
Principles of COPAR
1. People, especially the most oppressed, exploited and deprived sectors are open to change,
have the capacity to change and are able to bring about change.
2. COPAR should be based on the interest of the poorest sectors of society
3. COPAR should lead to a self-reliant community and society.
COPAR Process
• A progressive cycle of action-reflection action which begins with small, local and
concrete issues identified by the people and the evaluation and the reflection of and on
the action taken by them.
• Consciousness through experimental learning central to the COPAR process because
it places emphasis on learning that emerges from concrete action and which enriches
succeeding action.
• COPAR is participatory and mass-based because it is primarily directed towards and
biased in favor of the poor, the powerless and oppressed.
• COPAR is group-centered and not leader-oriented. Leaders are identified, emerge and
are tested through action rather than appointed or selected by some external force or
entity.
COPAR Phases of Process
1. Pre-entry Phase
• Is the initial phase of the organizing process where the community/organizer looks for
communities to serve/help.
• It is considered the simplest phase in terms of actual outputs, activities and strategies
and time spent for it
Activities include:
• Designing a plan for community development including all its activities and strategies
for care development.
• Designing criteria for the selection of site
• Actually selecting the site for community care
Criteria for Initial Site Selection

• Must have a population of 100-200 families.
• Economically depressed. No strong resistance from the community.
• No serious peace and order problem.
• No similar group or organization holding the same program.
Choosing Final Community

• Conduct informal interviews with community residents and key informants.
• Determine the need of the program in the community.
• Take note of political development.
• Develop community profiles for secondary data.
• Develop survey tools.
• Pay courtesy call to community leaders.
• Choose foster families based on guidelines
Identifying Host Family

• House is strategically located in the community.
• Should not belong to the rich segment.
• Respected by both formal and informal leaders.
• Neighbors are not hesitant to enter the house.
• No member of the host family should be moving out in the community.
2. Entry Phase
• Sometimes called the social preparation phase as to the activities done here includes
the sensitization of the people on the critical events in their life, innovating them to
share their dreams and ideas on how to manage their concerns and eventually
mobilizing them to take collective action on these.
• This phase signals the actual entry of the community worker/organizer into the
community.
Guided by the following guidelines:

– Recognizes the role of local authorities by paying them visits to inform them
of their presence and activities.
– The appearance, speech, behavior and lifestyle should be in keeping with
those of the community residents without disregard of their being role models.
– Avoid raising the consciousness of the community residents; adopt a low-key
profile.
3. Formation phase
• It is the phase when a core group is created – which then be trained to develop their
capabilities in leading their community.
4. Organization Building Phase

• Entails the formation of more formal structures and the inclusion of more formal
procedures of planning, implementation, and evaluating community-wide activities.
• It is at this phase where the organized leaders or groups are being given trainings
(formal, informal, OJT) to develop their skills and in managing their own
concerns/programs.
5. Sustenance and Strengthening Phase

• Occurs when the community organization has already been established and the
community members are already actively participating in community-wide
undertakings.
• At this point, the different community setup in the organization building phase are
already expected to be functioning by way of planning, implementing and evaluating
their own programs with the overall guidance from the community-wide organization.
Strategies used may include:

 Education and training
 Networking and linkaging
 Conduct of mobilization on health and development concerns
 Implementing of livelihood projects
 Developing secondary leaders
Functions of Community Organizers

 Identify and attract the people to be involved in the organizations.
 Create social movements by building a base of concerned people, mobilizing these
community members to act, and developing leadership from and relationships among
the people involved that make the organization effective.
 Act as area-wide coordinators of all the programs of different agencies so as best to
meet community needs for health and welfare services.
 They also facilitate self-help programs initiated by local common-interest groups, (for
example training local leaders to analyze and solve the problems of a community.
 Work actively, as do other types of social workers, in community councils of social
agencies and in community-action groups.
 At times, the role of community organizers overlaps that of the social planners.
Role of Organizer in Community Organization
 To be an educator.
 To initiate thinking about the people and help them properly by identifying their
problems.
 To make them conversant with the problem-solving process.
 To bring relevant knowledge to the people and make them acquainted with the
various plans and projects.
 To make the community realize the need for evaluation of their efforts so as to create
in them the necessary power of appreciation and ability for future planning.
Reference:
COPAR – Community Organizing Participatory Action Research
https://rnspeak.com/copar-community-organizing-participatory-action-research/

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MEDT 03 COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH (LABORATORY)

Lesson 2: Overview of Community Organizing Participatory Action Research

At the end of lesson, the students will be able to:

1. understand the process of community organization

Steps in Community Organization

Criteria for Initial Site Selection

Choosing Final Community

Identifying Host Family

Guided by the following guidelines:

4. Organization Building Phase

5. Sustenance and Strengthening Phase

Strategies used may include:

Functions of Community Organizers

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