Civic Welfare Training Service Program 2 Introduction
The Civic Welfare Training Service Program (CWTSP) is a program component of the National Service Training Program (NSTP) under the Republic Act 9163 known as the National Service Training Program Act of 2001 which refers to "programs of activities contributory to the general welfare and betterment of life for the members of the community or the enhancement of its its faci facili liti ties es,, espe especi cial ally ly thos thosee devo devote ted d to impr improvi oving ng healt health, h, educa educati tion, on, envir environ onme ment nt,, entrepreneurship, safety, recreation and moral of the citizenry (Section 3, d)." The Civic Welfare Training Service Program II (CWTSP II) is a second semester course which consists consists of projects projects and activiti activities es designed designed to encourage encourage the students students to contribute contribute in the improvement of the general welfare and the quality of life for the local community and its various institutional components, more particularly in terms of "improving health, education, environment, entrepreneurship, safety, safety, recreation and moral moral of the citizenry (Section 3, d.)." It incl includ udes es lect lectur ures es,, commu communi nity ty imme immers rsio ions ns/e /expo xposu sure ress and and civi civicc comm communi unity ty proj projec ect/ t/ss implementat implementation. ion. The students students are given the opportunity opportunity to do actual civic/communi civic/community ty service under under the supervis supervision ion of the teacherteacher- facilita facilitator tor.. Through Through the differ different ent projects projects planned, planned, impl implem ement ented ed and and evalu evaluat ated ed by the the stud studen ents ts them themse selv lves es,, they they are are expec expecte ted d to becom becomee civic/community minded and socially responsible. Colegio de San Juan de Letran recognizes a fertile ground and a greater manpower for civic/community service involvement involvement in the CWTSP. It is therefore therefore the goal of Letran through the CWTSP to form the students to become civic/community conscious, responsive and be involv involved ed in civic civic welfar welfaree activi activitie tiess in the light light of the Domini Dominican can spirit spiritual ualit ity y toward towardss the concretization and actualization of Letran's thrust of forming the students to become "builders and leaders of communities."
MODULE 1 The Ministry of Service Introduction
Letran’s CWS Program is viewed as a continuation of Christ’s Christ’s ministry ministry to the poor. It finds finds its model in the ministr ministry y of Christ Christ of bringin bringing g the Good Good News to the people. people. It is embracing discipleship with Christ whose teachings are founded on the love of God and the love of neighbor. At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to: 1. Understand the concept of community organizing, service and volunteerism. 2. Identify values needed to to confront situations situations that appear hopeless. hopeless. Part I. Understanding Community Organizing
Topic Discussion Defining Community Organizing
Community Organizing (CO), as commonly used has already joined the “wagon of overused” words both in the academic and non-academic circles. Every agency or organization has its own interpretation of things around its own interpretation of things around it and therefore it must be no surprise that CO, like other terms, has different definitions depending on who, where and for what. It is popularly used among development practitioners, social workers, health workers, agriculturists, forest workers, teacher and even students. There are those who use CO to promote en environmental protection while there are those who use environmental environmental protection protection promotes promotes community community organizing. organizing. Some say that CO is building organizations, other say it is just one of the aims of CO. some practitioners say that tantamount to tantamount to doing community development . Community organizing is organizing is not just physically gathering and organizing people so that they can collectively participate in solving problems. CO is more a process of community-based decisi decision-m on-maki aking ng involv involving ing the interv intervent ention ion of a change change agent agent partic particula ularly rly regard regarding ing the exploitation of community-based resources. As Paulo Freire noted in his participatory approach research, “Man is being who exist in and with the world. To exist is thus a mode of life which is proper to the being who is capable of producing, of deciding, of creating and communicating himself.” Let us now look at several definitions of community organizing: It is the process of bringing about and maintaining adjustment between the social welfare needs and resources in a geographical area or special field of service. This means that a community needs to be aware that their needs can be responded by what the community’s physical boundaries. Adjustment of these needs with the available resources will require: a) Identi Identifyi fying ng what resour resources ces are explo exploita itable ble;; b) Planning on how to tap, use and re-use them;
c) Employing Employing environ environmental mentally ly safe safe appropr appropriate iate technology; technology; and d) Promoting Promoting collective collective human human action in the the resource resource management/ma management/maintena intenance. nce. That is, in the essence, organizing the people for a common purpose/goal. According to the Philippines Business for Social Progress (PBSP), “CO is a systematic, Planned and liberating change process of transforming a complacent, deprived malfunctioning community into conscious, empowered, self-reliant and just humane entity and institution”. This means, the community as a social unit, u nit, needs to learn so that they become empowered to address problems confronting them. CO is a process forged along people’s along people’s empowerment and empowerment and the eventual formation of a self-reliant a self-reliant organization that will facilitate development in development in a sustainable manner. Apart from the above definitions, I would like to re-visit the concern that has been expressed for sometime now on the misuse and abuse of the concept of CO. Topic Discussion
The Concept of Community Organizing
1. Of Means and Ends (Process and Result) As a process, process, CO is a series of interrelated activities with the aim of unifying the people into an organi organizat zation ion proces process, s, charac character terized ized by people’ people’ss partic participa ipatio tion n in all aspect aspect or stages stages of the organizing process. CO is a complex process that goes beyond the mere setting up of a formal organization. It is a process which ultimately influences the patterns of relationships in the community through the development and maintenance of a normative system. Such norms are expected to affect the values, belief, attitudes and aspiration of the people in the community. As a radical approach in bringing development to the community. Being radical, CO employs coercion, advocacy and even threat to uproot the causes of social injustice in the development of the people. Although CO starts by addressing small and simple issues which the people can immediately act on or solve, its main focus is to dig into the root cause of the problems. As a result of the organizing process, CO refers to the resulting entity, which is the legitimate and real organization of the people. It becomes the real manifestations of the people’s collective wills to be able to participate, voice out and be heard and also to act and decide as unified body (group). The resulting organization mirrors the people’s interests, sentiments and aspiration. Does the end always justify the means? There is, without a flaw, the perennial question about the ethical considerations of the irreverent attitude and the unconventional methods that effective COs have employed in their practice. But Alinsky resorted thus:
Conscience is the virtue of observations and not of agent of action; in action, one does not always enjoy the luxury of a decision that is consistent both with one’s individual conscience and good of mankind; action is for mass salvation and not for individual’s personal salvation – particularly in the midst of society’s innate hypocrisy, its contradictions and apparent failure of almost every facet of our social and political life. 2. Of Power By giving power to the people we bring about “the future secured in the people’s hands”. Power is the basic element in the community organizing process. People’s power in CO is not based on material wealth in status in society. A powerful people’s organization (PO) is, therefore, an important means to find redress for their grievances and act against those conditions that appear and dehumanize them. People’s empowerment is making the people more assertive and advocative to face and fight human rights violations and exploitations. It exploitations. It is a process involving the recognizing and building upon innate capacity. It is not a program or activity but a process of enabling people, especially the weak, the poor, the unorganized, the illiterate, the oppressed to learn to surmount their powerlessness and to try to develop their God-given capacity to reach their in-born potential. Becoming vocal, they may be guaranteed basic freedom, opportunities and self-governance at the grassroots level. 3. Of Conflict (And Controversy) In CO, dissatisfaction or discontent (discontentment) is viewed as a positive ingredient that nourishes the enlightenment and development of a community. This is because it motivates people to come together and discuss and determined to solve problems affecting them. CO sees confrontation as a necessary and useful tool in solving social injustice. Change is part of human life and conflict (or friction) indispensable in social change. To live is to change. Change and conflict are fraternal twins in societal change. One functional aspect of conflict is that it leads to a search for solutions. It is an instrumental for innovative change. It also helps to release the latent socio-psychological frustration. 4. Of Praxis (Theory (Theory and Practice/Reflection and Action) By a praxis here, it means that theory and practice o0f community organizing. In the day-to-day community improvement or organizing work, it is difficult to identify or separate the theory from the practice. Theory and practices should be so inter-woven and complementary, each testing and strengthening the other. It also refers to reflection and action. action. 5. Of Conscientization Conscientization (Critical (Critical Awakening) Conscientization refers to the process in which men (humans) are not recipients, but as knowing subjects, achieve deepening awareness both of the socio-cultural reality which shapes their lives and their capacity to transform that reality (Paulo Freire; 1972).
Conscientiz Conscientization ation involves involves reflection and action action occurri occurring ng simult simultaneo aneousl usly y in the proces processs of organizing wherein critical reflection becomes form of action. Features of Conscientization: 1. It is peop people le’s ’s orga organi nize zed d resp respons onsee beca becaus usee the the syst system em it conte contends nds (str (strug uggl gles es with with)) is organized. 2. It mirrors mirrors and unmasks unmasks the different different aspects aspects (realiti (realities) es) of the system system so that the people people see them for what they are. 3. It chang changes es atte attemp mpts ts by elit elites es to petr petrif ify y (sol (solid idif ify) y) the the cult cultur uree of pove povert rty y and galvan galvaniz izee (electrifies) within people the spirit of critical awareness and mass protest. At the same time, it promotes the spirit of cooperation, unity and sincerity among the people to fight against the individualistic, competitive, exploitation and selfish characteristics of the elites. Goals of Community Organizing
Community organizing aims at achieving the following broad goals: 1. People’s Empowerment CO helps the community to become better equipped with appropriate skills, ethics to assert and advocate for their rights, towards social equity, fairness and human dignity. 2. Building Organization The organizing process brings into being relatively permanent structures that can better serve the needs needs and aspira aspiratio tions ns of the commun community ity.. A viable viable,, selfself- relian reliantt and grassr grassroot oots-m s-mana anaged ged organization (PO) is one of the aims of CO. through formal or non-formal set-ups or structures, the community acquires the skills of community management. 3. Building Alliances Comm Commun unit ity y orga organi nizi zing ng aims aims to give give the the peopl people, e, skil skills ls in intr intraa and and inte interr orga organi niza zati tiona onall management and processes through group linkages and networking among the various groups in the community. 4. Popular Democracy Popular democracy entails such attributes as consensus-building in decision-making, planning and participation in community projects. It gives rise to “one man one vote” system, freedom of speech and freedom of religion, among others. 5. Social Transformation
CO seek seekss to chan change ge the the life life of a comm communi unity ty and the whol wholee soci societ ety y into into a democ democra rati tic, c, nationalistic, self-reliant and self-governing entity. An entity to address the needs of individual members as well as community-based concerns such as environmental degradation. 6. Development of Local Leaders It aims to identify local leaders and equip them with the necessary skills to better serve their people. The Guiding Principles of Community Organizing
CO like other concepts, has set of principles to guide the practice. It is people’s organized response because the system it contends (struggles with) is organized: Go to the people. Live among them. Learn from them. Plan with them. Work with them. Start with what they know. Build on what they have. Teach by showing. Learn by doing. Not by showcase, but a pattern. Not odds and ends, but a system. Not piecemeal, but an integrated approach. Not to conform, but to transform. Not relief, but release. Go to the people and live among the people. Learn the culture of the people and try to integrate into the culture. Learn, plan and work with the people. people. The people are highly knowledgeable about the local situation so the community organizer must avail of this opportunity. Start from where the people are in their development . There must be a proportionate blend between top-down and bottom-up technologies in order to tap the indigenous resources in the community. Teach by learning first from the people. The community organizer must realize that local or indige indigenous nous knowled knowledge ge is not inferi inferior or to Wester Western n or scient scientif ific ic knowled knowledge. ge. Respec Respectin ting g the people’s knowledge will encourage them to learn other skills to complement what they already know.
Integrative and holistic approach. approach. The community organizing must focus on the interdependency and the interrelatedness of the factors needed to transform the situation of the people for the better. Cumulative and continuous. CO is not one time great even but grows gradually without break until specific problems are addressed and phased-out. Part II. Volunteerism: Volunteerism: The Call to Service
Topic Discussion Volunteerism
Volunteerism is a cross-cutting social phenomenon that involves all groups in society and all aspects of human activity. Volunteer action directly directly contributes to economic growth, social welfare welfare and protecting protecting the environment. environment. It also helps to build and/or consolidat consolidatee social social capital and to promot promotee more more partic participa ipatio tion n and self-i self-init nitiat iative ive,, thereb thereby, y, establ establish ishing ing or stabil stabilizi izing ng democratic processes. Volunteerism opens wide doors of opportunities for other other things. Serving others can lead an individual to new avenues which he can gain valuable experiences in life. Through volunteer work, one can expand his horizon and learn how to live with other people and can even gain new friends. The experience of living living in a new environment can make him more understanding and compas compassi sionat onatee while while at the same same time time learni learning ng new skills skills to develo develop p his self-est self-esteem eem and interpersonal skills. Opportunities abound for him to share his skills and resources, but so much more to share his hopes and dreams, and in the process, make other dreams come true. Serving others through volunteer work can challenge one to tap his resources, get in touch touch with his inner self and discove discoverr latent latent abiliti abilities es he never never though thoughtt he had. Given Given the responsibilities of a volunteer, many people have discovered their deep sense of commitment and the heart to help others. others. Volunteeris Volunteerism m recognizes recognizes the power of individuals individuals driven by their commitment to make a difference wherever they are.
MODULE II Understanding the Dimensions of Development: Responsiveness in the Letranites Introduction
The Letran’s CWS Program is founded on human development process which aims to facilitate the human and technical formation, particularly, of its students who will engage in volunt volunteer eer work. work. The students students receive receive an equall equally y intens intensee train training ing/se /semin minar ar on the differen differentt dimension of development as defined under the CWS program prior to and during the actual act of community work. Part I. Dimensions of Development
Topic Discussion
Health
Fitness and Healthy Living Being fit relates to every aspect of our health - physical, emotional and mental. All three are interconnected. And nutrition and physical activity are fundamental to each one. Topic Discussion
Education
Current Trend of Education in Philippines The current educational system is dominantly own by private investors or financed by loans and has become commerciali commercialized. zed. Such would be evidenced by the continuing continuing tuition fee increases. Thus, the marginalized marginalized sector, who has no capability, lack the appropriate education, knowledge, skills to possess a competitive edge in the employment market. Environment
Environment Development As development moves further and further to the metropolitan fringe, it competes with open space habitat and prime farmland. farmland. Loss of open space impacts impacts the environment in multiple ways. First, we lose many of the natural landscapes features we value such as forests, wetlands, etc. Second, we lose the functions functions that these features features provide such as runoff control, control, wildlife wildlife migration, etc. And in the instance of farmland loss, loss, we hasten the use of lesser quality soils for production, thereby heightening conversion of forests and wetlands for crop production and increasing dependency on irrigation, irrigation, fertilizers fertilizers and chemicals. chemicals. The communities should pursue open space protection and development objectives through the clustering of development activity away from sensitive natural areas. Entrepreneurship
Advantage of Small Businesses Entrepreneurship is the capacity and quality of an individual to effectively manage a business towards customer satisfaction and profitability services. It sees opportunities and makes the best of them. It is putting good use of something that otherwise may become wasted wasted (Coloma and Herrera, 2004). In entrepreneurship, the relationship is more personalized with customers and employees. There is a close relationsh relationship ip between them, them, hence, they can work harmoniously. harmoniously. The small entrepreneu entrepreneurr enjoys freedom freedom from from interferenc interference. e. He is the master master of his his own decision. decision. He can
enjoy flexible flexible time and can adjust store store hours to fit market conditions conditions.. He can quickly learn changes in the needs and an d interests of customers. The government supports the small entrepreneurs by extending financial and technical assistance, particularly production and marketing. Safety
First Aid We do not know when an emergency may occur and therefore we need to know how to react quickly to such situation. situation. Knowing how to react is essential essential in applying first first aid which is very crucial. First Aid is the immediate care given to person who has been injured or suddenly taken ill. It includes includes self-help self-help and home care if medical assistanc assistancee is not yet available available or delayed. Further defined, it is the skilled application of treatment, using facilities or materials available at the time, that any trained individual gives an ill or injured person while waiting for medical assistance. The first aider deals with the whole situation, the injured person and the injury or illness. He knows what not to do as well as what what to do. He avoids errors errors that are are frequently frequently made by untrained persons through well-meant but misguided efforts It is important important that we learn how to keep safe and how to get or give first first aid. First aid aid knowledge and skill can mean the difference between life and death, between temporary and permanent disability, and between rapid recovery and long hospitalization.
Calamity and Disaster Preparedness Disasters, whether natural or man-made, have always been a part our lives and we have learned learned to live with them by force of nature nature or by circumstances circumstances.. Our resiliency resiliency to overcome these difficulties is a symbol of our steadfastness and un daunted ness to rise from the rubbles and recover from the wrath of nature. Disaster comes to our lives and communities when we least expect them. It is therefore important to empower ourselves to overcome our vulnerability to disasters and be ready to cope with any disaster that may occur anytime. Fire Prevention and Protection It is imperative imperative that we be thoroughly thoroughly familiar familiar with with what to do in case of fire. Fires produce thick, dark smoke that irritates the eyes and breathing passage and can cause confusion. People who have become disoriented in fire have been found in closets, stair-wells and laundry rooms thinking they were exits.
Fire is considered as one of the leading cause of unintentional death due to injury. Thousands of people have been injured, many of them hospitalized for severe burns and some disfigured for life. The most effective way to protect ourselves and our homes from fire is to prevent a fire from starting. Identifying and diminishing fire fire hazards in and around our homes are our first first line of defense. Crime Prevention Crime Crime prevent prevention ion is an act to be done in order order that a crime crime could not happen. happen. It is through crime prevention prevention where we can lessen crimes crimes in our society. Don’t be a victim. Crime prevention is everybody’s concern. We have to join hands in order to lessen crime in our community it not totally eradicate it. Recreation
Importance of Recreation When people work work the whole day, they become very very tired and bored. Their tendency tendency is to divert their activity activity in the form of recreation. recreation. Recreation Recreation is a leisure leisure activity activity which is done during during free time. It is referred referred to as a play for the young and diversion for the adults, adults, because they are enjoying enjoying the activity. activity. It is believed believed that people occasionally occasionally need a break from their their routine activities and therefore providing community and recreational activities would allow them to develop different skills. Topic Discussion
Morals of the Citizenry
Ethics in Politics Graft and corruption have become institutions in government as they have been practiced in practica practically lly all levels levels of governm government ent includin including g the country’ country’ss highes highestt office office.. Graft Graft and corruption have become too endemic that the government is losing its moral ascendency to lead its constituents to the extent that it tends to deceive, bribe or coerce the people to submit to its rule. The political political marginalizat marginalization ion of the poor is a dominant phenomenon phenomenon at present. present. The nature and composition of government is predominantly elite in practically all branches and levels levels.. This This social social exclusi exclusions ons of the poor in the slay of politi political cal power result resulted ed in their their marginalization and the distribution and allocation of econo mic resources. Organize a forum on Ethics in Philippine Politics. Ethics in Business
The industrial sector, being underdeveloped, cannot provide jobs to the labor surplus. The growth of the urban poor population has been rapid that comprises the bulk of the informal sector. sector. Most being being unskilled unskilled labor, they do not have the competitive competitive edge in the employment employment market. market. Some are lucky enough to be absorbed absorbed in construction construction industrie industriess that provide provide them seasonal employment. Even those with academic qualification qualification hardly find jobs jobs and end up in the export labor labor market. market. Those who cannot find find oversees employment employment are forced forced to take jobs for which they are qualified.
MODULE III Practicum Work-Plan, Implementation and Evaluation: Social Mobilization – Community Involvement of the Letranites
The activities activities of the students students do not end in community community exposures/immer exposures/immersions sions.. After expe experi rien enci cing ng real real life life situ situat atio ions ns outs outsid idee the the scho school ol,, they they shou should ld be mobi mobili lize zed d to rende render r civic/community service. The students are given the opportunity to do actual civic/community service under the supervision supervision of the teacher- facilitator. facilitator. Through the different projects projects planned, impl implem ement ented ed and and evalu evaluat ated ed by the the stud studen ents ts them themse selv lves es,, they they are are expec expecte ted d to becom becomee civic/community minded and socially responsible. At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to: 1. Identi Identify fy commun community ity proje projects cts to be under undertak taken. en. 2. Implem Implement ent commun community ity projec projects. ts. 3. Evaluat Evaluatee the communi community ty project projectss undertak undertaken. en. Part I. Project Development and Management Topic Discussion
Project Management: Definition
Projec Projectt manage managemen mentt is the applica applicati tion on of the planni planning, ng, organi organizin zing, g, direct directing ing and controlling functions to all project related activities. activities. A project has the following following characteristics: 1. It has a definit definitee endpoint endpoint;; thus it is fini finite. te. Such a point point would would be when goals goals are achie achieved ved and objectives reached. 2. A project, project, to be called called one, requir requires es a fairly fairly involv involved ed mixture mixture of series series and parallel parallel work work tasks, and a significant mixture mixture of human skills, as well as resources and materials. materials. Thus a project is complex. 3. A project project is non-rep non-repetit etitive ive in in nature. nature. It is is generall generally y a unique unique effort. effort.
In proj projec ectt manag anagem emen ent, t, feedb eedbac ack k syst system emss shou shoulld be fast ast and and rel reliabl able, and and communications should be direct and clear. Topic Discussion
Stages in Project Management
The following are the three major stages in the life span of a project: 1. Planning This This stage, stage, using using the networ network-b k-base ased d managem management ent inform informati ation on system system would would integr integrate ate the elements of project planning which are outputs, identification and specification, activities and work packages, activity scheduling, networking, resource requirements, determination, resource estimating, allocation and scheduling. The project plan must definitely state in specific and measurable terms the outputs or outcomes expected of the project. 2. Sch Scheduli uling This This stage stage involv involves es superi superimpo mposin sing g the develop developed ed plans plans into into a timeta timetable ble,, and workin working g out minimum cost schedules. Work packages are groups of similar similar or related related activities. Care must be taken in identifying the appropriate level of activity that should be considered for control purposes specially during costing. Schedules Schedules are activity-du activity-durati ration. on. Scheduling Scheduling is characteriz characterized ed by activity activity starts and finishes and milestone milestoness (mileston (milestones es usually usually correspond correspond to events related to management management review, review, output deliveries, or project evaluation). Acti Activi vity ty-du -dura rati tion on is deter determi mined ned thro throug ugh h some some logi logica call and prac practi tical cal means means,, expe experi rien ence, ce, observation observations, s, scientific scientific calculations calculations or sometimes sometimes by educated educated feel but never by whim! The allocation of resources depends a great deal d eal on activity schedules. Activities are implemented with the use of various resources: manpower, money, certain defined technologies, equipment, etc. Each activity requires all these resources in varying degrees. 3. Moni Monito tori ring ng and Cont Contro roll Both the preceding stages should be finished prior to the start of actual operations of the project after which which project management management will be involved involved in the monitoring monitoring and control stage. This involves basically seeing to to it that the actual progress conforms to the developed schedules. This continues up to the end of the project and will involve many activities in the two preceding stages due to inevitable changes in the developed plan.
The three major elements here are the following: •
Project Performance is the volume of the work to be pursued in the implementation of the project. project. It is defined defined in terms of what what has to be accomplished accomplished and quality quality and reliability of outputs.
•
Project Specifications provides direction and criteria for the realization of the project objectives objectives or outputs. outputs. They represent represent a set of references references against which which the project management management and project personnel personnel will check their accomplishm accomplishments. ents. The project specs consist of information on what to do, how and how good activities should be done, when activities are done, when their outputs are due, and how much it costs to perform such activities.
•
Project Project Control includes all the plans developed in the project planning stage which are carried carried out. The means used in project project control are: regular regular reporting reporting of project project participants to a project control office as agreed in the defined activities network; progress control in which progress is check by comparing plans, the previous reports, and current reports, analysis of project progress which triggers the feedback and remedies or corrective actions required by the project and manpower utilization and cost data which reflects analysis of the correlation among schedules, amount of work done and cost. Corrective actions are resorted to when deviations from plans have occurred or are foreseen foreseen to occur. Modificat Modifications ions in system or project project specificatio specifications ns can occur as a last result.
Topic Discussion
Participatory Project Development and Management
We believe on the worth of the individual as a responsible, participating member of the society, society, and as such, are concerned with human organizatio organization n and development development process. process. The management and implementation of development programs and projects are intended to actively mobilize the people of the communities to collectively translate their ideas into concrete realities. It is to help the people of the communities to employ the right methods to organize self-help initiatives and to develop techniques relevant to their own situation for progress. 1. Community Organizing If projec projectt develop developmen mentt and manage managemen mentt is geared geared toward towardss promot promoting ing capabi capabilit lity y buildi building, ng, empowerment and self-reliance, it is but imperative that the process starts with organizing the community. This should be the case because the participation of the people can never be strong and decisive if they are not organized, if they are not united.
Community organizing is the preliminary step and foundation in the participatory process of planning and management of development projects. The need of starting from where wh ere the people pe ople of the community are and what they already have should be given emphasis. We only help in the process of organizing the community. The people of the community themselves must build their own organization 2. Social Analysis In the planning and management of development projects, social analysis of the community is specifically focused on the problems, needs and potentials of the people which will help them in the systematic identification of potential projects which can help solve their problems and meet their needs. As in community organizing, what we are aspiring for is that the people must take the leading role role in the social social analys analysis is of their their communit community. y. They They should should be the ones ones to identify identify their their problems, needs and capabilities. Just as in the experiential learning of the people in the community organizing process, there should be a deepening of critical self-awareness of the people about their community’s condition. 3. Project Identification Project identification gains meaning as the people discover potential projects which can help change oppressive conditions in their community and respond sensitively to their problems and needs. That is precisely why, just as in the earlier steps in participatory project development and management, we want the people to take the lead role in identifying development projects. We want them, based on their own analysis of their conditions, to identify the development projects feasible in their community. 4. Feasibility Study Preparation There are numerous projects which can possibly help solve the people’s problems and meet their needs. But in doing studies on development projects, we want the people to be critical in their decision-making as to what projects would be implemented. Just like in the preceding steps, we want the people, themselves, to the take the lead role in doing feasibility studies for for their development projects. In short, we want the feasibility feasibility studies to end up pinpointing to the people, themselves, which projects are viable and how they can start on their own, so that the foundation of a self-reliant and self-sustaining development is continuously built on their own capabilities and resources. 5. Project Selection Selection and Approval At this stage in the process of planning and management of development projects, we want the people to decide. Just as in the preceding steps, we want the people to decide what projects they want to implement in their community. Their decision will be guided by their own feasibility studies of the development projects.
Once the people have already selected and approved the projects which they will implement, we want them to prepare a proposal and plan for implementing implementing the project. At this stage, stage, the people must also prepare for the project implementation by having a clear-cut work plan and division of responsibilities among the members. It should be kept in mind that the active involvement of the people must be as extensive as possible. The whole organization must be motivated and encouraged to decide and act for the project’s realization. 6. Project Implementation In implementing implementing the project, we want to see the people taking the lead role. At this stage in the process of planning and managing development projects, the actual participation of the people shall be fully harnessed in meeting their objectives. As it has been in the earlier steps, this is also a developmental process in a continuum of action-reflection-action. 7. Project Management and Sustenance Sustenance Once completed, the project must be continually managed and sustained. The project must serve as an avenue for the people’s continuing capability building, self-reliance and empowerment. What we want to happen is for the people to know and continuously search for more effective ways of doing things. We want them to discover innovative ways of organizing their tasks and collectively pursuing them. If the project is intended to increase the income of the members of the organization, what we want to see is a situation where, no matter how meager, benefits derived from the project are divided equitably to those who labor to make the project a success. 8. Project Monitoring Monitoring and Evaluation In this this activi activity, ty, we want want the people to monito monitorr and evaluat evaluatee their their projec project. t. Monitor Monitoring ing and evalua evaluatio tion n are done so that the people can period periodica ically lly discuss discuss and act timely timely enough enough on whatever problems they may encounter in the project’s implementation and management. In short, short, monit monitori oring ng the projec projectt is intende intended d to improv improvee on the projec project’s t’s implem implementa entati tion on and management and make it more systematic and meaningful. We also want the people to evaluate the project. We want them to have a critical self-awareness about their strengths and weaknesses. In the course of their evaluation, we want to reinforce their confidence on their own capabilities. (Source: A. Manaliili, Participatory Project Development and Management, Manila: KapatiranKaunlaran, Inc., 1990) Topic Discussion
Project Conceptualization
1. Establ Establish ishmen mentt of Project Project Objectiv Objectives es – Projec Projectt object objective ive must be clarif clarified ied and agreed agreed upon before further action can be taken by any of the two contracting parties. 2. Projec Projectt Pricin Pricing g – Basica Basicall lly, y, two factor factorss are involve involved d in project project pricing pricing namely, namely, TIME TIME and COST. 3. Prep Prepar arin ing g the the Proj Projec ectt Prop Propos osal al - The The proj projec ectt prop propos osal al is a docum documen entt wher wherei ein n the the majo major r elements and details of a project, as well as the areas of agreement between two contracting parties, are to be included. Important sections included in a project proposal are: a. Ration Rationale ale – gives the backgr backgroun ound d and the surround surrounding ing events events which which have led to the conceptualization of the project. b. Project Objectives – determine what the project is supposed to achieve. c. Methodo Methodolog logy y – outlin outlines es briefly briefly the major major steps steps to be taken in achievi achieving ng the project project objectives. d. Proj Projec ectt Pric Pricee and and Sour Source ce of Fund Fund – give give the communi community ty a gene genera rall pict pictur uree of how much the project will cost and the manner of funding. e. Importance Importance of the the Project Project to the the community, community, to to the local local community community or to to the welfare welfare of the nation in general. 4. Inventory Inventory of Available Available Resource Resourcess - It is imperat imperative ive that before before any planning planning can can proceed, the the inventory inventory of resources resources (both manpower manpower and equipment) which the mother organizati organization on can release release for the project be taken. This provides provides planners planners with a basis for making decisions decisions regarding the acquisition of additional resources. 5. Identificat Identification ion of Project Project Constraint Constraintss - Constraint Constraintss create invisi invisible ble barriers barriers to attaini attaining ng project objectives. Plans could miscarry if such constraints constraints are not considered in the initial stages of project management. Therefore, service attempts should be made in identifying such elements.
