MODULE 5: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TYPES OF COMMUNITY
PRINCIPLES, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS,
AND PAMANTASAN SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE Formal Communities
I. Introduction of Community Engage in joint activities and decisions, help each other and
a. Understanding the Community share information with each other; they care about their
b. Types of Community standing with each other
c. Aspects for Community Description Example of Formal Communities
d. Importance of Understanding the 1. Ecovillages
Community 2. Co-Housing communities
II. Community Development Principles 3. Co-ops communities
a. Human Dignity and Community 4. Religious communities
Development
III. The Community Engagement Process Informal Communities
a. Community Engagement Consist of a set of personal relations, social networks,
b. Concept of PLM Community Engagement common interest and emotional sources of motivation
c. PLM Community Engagement Process Example of Informal Communities
IV. Pamantasan Social Perspective 1. Academic communities
2. Recreation communities
3. Retirement communities
INTRODUCTION OF COMMUNITY
UNDERSTANDING THE COMMUNITY
Urban Communities
Large in terms of land area and population, advanced in
Community
science and technology, with favorable physical
Originated from the Latin word communis which means environment and diverse cultures, and the people are
common, public, general or shared by all or many. It engaged in various occupations
later develops into its Latin translation communitatem Characteristics of Urban Communities
which translates into community, society, or fellowship 1. Advancement in science and technology
Community is defined in the dictionary as a unified body 2. Many business establishments, recreational centers,
of individuals such as: educational and religious institutions
o People with common interest living in a particular 3. People are crowded
area 4. Social heterogeneity
o A group of people with a common interest or 5. Class Extremes
characteristic living together within a large society 6. Greater population
o A body of persons of common and especially 7. Many crimes committed
professional interests scattered through a larger 8. Family ties tends to be weak
society 9. Limited spaces
While we traditionally think of a community as the people 10. Greater impersonality among neighbors
in a given geographical location, the word can really refer 11. Higher stand of living
to any group sharing something in common. 12. Shortage of employment
o This may refer to smaller geographic areas – a 13. Informal settlers are rampant
neighborhood, a housing project or development, a
rural area – or to a number of other possible Rural Communities
communities within a larger, geographically Usually produce their own food for subsistence
defined community. Characteristics of Rural Communities:
In a sociological point of view, the simplest definition of a 1. Greater personal interaction
community is: “An aggregation of families and individuals 2. Deep, long-term relationships
settled in a fairly compact and contiguous geographical 3. Generally, peace and order exist
area, with significant elements of common life, as shown bt 4. Mutual give and take affairs
behaviors, manners, customs, traditions, and modes of 5. Emphasis of shared values
speech 6. Wider area
7. Vernacular is usual spoken Others are considered leaders because of their activities or
8. Few goods and services their positions in the community – Community activists,
corporate CEOs, college presidents, doctors, clergy
Global Communities Still others are recognized as leaders because, they are
It is the international aggregates of nation-states trusted for their proven integrity, courage, and/or care
World Community: Common point of view towards issues for others and the good of the community
of human rights, global warming, and climate change,
peace and order, socio-economic conditions as well as Community Culture (Formal and Informal)
disputed issues such as territorial conflict This covers the spoken and unspoken rules and traditions
by which the community lives
Sectoral Communities It can include everything from community events and
Include the voluntary sector or non-profit sector slogans – “Matira matibay sa Barrio Dalisay” – to norms
o Voluntary, non-profit and non-government of behavior – turning a blind eye to alcohol abuse or
organization domestic violence – to patterns of discrimination and
o Also called third sector (in contrast to public and exercise of power.
private sector)
o NGOs; Non-governmental organizations Existing Groups
Most communities have an array of groups and
ASPECTS FOR COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION organizations of different kinds – service clubs (Lions,
Rotary, etc.), faith groups, youth organizations, sport teams
Demographics and clubs, groups formed around shared interests, the
boards of community-wide organizations, as well as groups
The facts about the population that you can find from
devoted to self-help, advocacy, and activism.
census data and other similar statistical information.
Some things you might like to know, besides the number of Knowing of the existence and importance of each of these
people in the community: groups can pave the way for alliances or for understanding
a. Gender opposition
b. Racial and ethnic background
c. Age
d. Marital status Existing Institutions
e. Family size Every community has institutions that are important to it,
f. Education] and that have more or less credibility with residents
g. Income Colleges and universities, libraries, religious institutions,
h. Employment and Location hospitals – all of these and many others can occupy
important places in the community. It’s important to know
Community History what they are, who represents them, and what influence
The long-term history of the community can tell you about they wield
community traditions, what the community is, or has been,
proud of, and what residents would prefer not to talk about Economics
Recent history can afford valuable information about Who are the major employers in the community? What, if
conflicts and factions within the community, important any, business or industry is the community’s base? Who, if
issues, past and current relationships among key people and anyone, exercises economic power? How is wealth
groups – many of the factors that can trip up any effort distributed? Would you characterize the community as
before it starts if you don’t know about and address them poor, working class, middle class, or affluent? What are the
economic prospects of the population in general and/or the
Community Leaders (Formal and Informal) population you’re concerned with?
Some community leaders are elected or appointed –
Barangay officials, Chairman, Kagawad, Mayors, Social Structure
Councilors. Many aspects of social structure are integrated into other
areas – relationships, politics, economics – but there are
also the questions of how people in the community relate to
one another on a daily basis, how problems are (or aren’t) assessment and any actions and activities that result from it
resolved, who socializes or does business with whom, etc. easier to conduct.
This area also includes perceptions and symbols of status Ensuring the security of your group and participants. There
and respect, and whether status carries entitlement or may be neighborhoods where staff members or participants
responsibility (or both) should be accompanied by others in order to be safe, at least
at night. Knowing the character of various areas and the
Attitudes and Values invisible border that exist among various groups and
Much of this area may be covered by investigation into neighborhoods can be extremely important for the physical
others, particularly culture. safety of those working and living in the community.
What does the community care about, and what does it
ignore? What are residents’ assumptions about the proper
way to behave, to dress, to do business, to treat others? Is
there widely accepted discrimination against one or more
groups by the majority or by those in power? What are the
norms for interaction among those who with different COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES
opinions or different backgrounds? Provides us key concepts on how we can understand people
in the community we are dealing with
It is a holistic approach towards working with them, the
people.
These principles will guide us on how we shall identify
community challenges, analyze community response, and
propose collaborative projects where the class can
IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING THE
maximize their skills and talents
COMMUNITY
Knowing the context of the community so that you can
HUMAN DIGNITY AND COMMUNTIY DEVELOPMENT
tailor interventions and programs to its norms and culture
and increase your chances of success
Gaining a general idea, even before an assessment, of the
community’s strengths and the challenges it faces
Capturing unspoken, influential rules and norms.
o Example: If people are divided and angry about a
particular issue, your information might show you
an event in the community’s history that explains
their strong emotions on that subject
It is important to understand community – what a
community is, and the specific nature of the communities
we work in. Anything we do in a community requires us to
be familiar with its people, its issues, and its history.
Carrying out an intervention or building a coalition are far
more likely to be successful if they are informed by the
culture of the community and an understanding of
the relationships among individuals and groups within it.
Taking the time and effort to understand your community
well before embarking on a community effort will pay off
in the long term.
Having enough familiarity with the community to
allow you to converse intelligently with residents about
community issues, personalities and geography. Knowing
that you’ve taken the time and effort to get to know them
and their environment can help you to establish trust with
community members. That can make both a community