Process of Community Immersion

PHASE ONE: COMMUNITY SELECTION

Pre-Entry Stage / Pre- immersion
After your specific community has been identified, organizers are then expected to conduct a social
investigation (S.I) on the said area, conduct initial interviews with the community persons and to go around
performing a site/ ocular inspection. These activities shall be of great help to the organizers in acquiring
pertinent information on the background of the community they are to organize.
The following are the activities you may do during the pre-entry:
1. Site and location selection.
2. Establishing a set of criteria for the choice of the area or community to be organized. It is essential that
community members are receptive to the non-government organizations (NGOs) and the type of project you
are proposing. This is done through consultations with the leaders of the community.
3. Other considerations include the peace and order situation in the area, interest and willingness of the
local government to establish partnership with the project and accessibility of the project site.
4. This also involves gathering of secondary data about the community from the local government, selected
key informants or NGOs that have done organizing work in the area.
5. Organizers must be able to give ideas about the benefits and other involvement the community

Entry Stage / Entering the Community

The community has the right to know of the organizers‘ entry in their area. Because of such, a courtesy call
to the barangay officials and respected leaders form the said community is necessary. An orientation on the
assisting organizer‘s background and purpose must also be clearly relayed.
The community should be aware on the purpose of the groups’ entry. At this stage, there should be a
courtesy call for everyone you may get in touch during the implementation of the project. An orientation
should be done for proper flow and entering in the location. A good entry will mean good implementation.

PHASE TWO: INTEGRATION

“Integration rather than immersion.”
Immersion: “Complete involvement” Integration: “Acceptance into a
community”
When you perform the tasks of an organizer, you do not go to the community and just make yourself “felt”
by merely “showing-up”. No matter how frequent you go to the area but fail to exert any effort to integrate
with the community members, your visits will just go to waste.
Integrating with the locals is also one of the best strategies one organizer can practice in order to catch-up
with the current situation of the community. Joining a small “umpukan” of housewives, or some of the local
youths at their “tambayan”, can, one way or another help you gather pertinent information (identification of
problems and current issues) on the community.
Be observant. Attentively watch the community‘s “pamumuhay” or way of living. What do the youths
normally do? How do the community members spend their spare time? What is their common source of
income? What type of houses do they have? These are just some of the things you can initially observe
during your visit. TRUST BUILDING is important at this stage.

PHASE THREE: ANALYSIS/Community Assessment

The community organizers during this stage assist the community in identifying, analyzing and prioritizing
current community needs and issues. A compromise between the felt and objective needs must be met. Let
the locals decide on to which program they think is appropriate for them.

The SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis is a technique to analyze the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of a decision,
problem, place, etc. In community development and urban planning, SWOT is often used at community
meetings to structure conversations about quality of life in a neighbourhood or a controversial project.
A SWOT analysis can offer helpful perspectives at any stage of an effort. It can be use to:
Explore possibilities for new efforts or solutions to problems.
Make decisions about the best path for initiatives. Identifying the opportunities for success in context
of threats to success can clarify directions and choices.
Determine where change is possible. If at a juncture or turning point, an inventory of the strengths
and weaknesses can reveal priorities as well as possibilities.
Adjust and refine plans mid-course. A new opportunity might open wider avenues, while a new
threat could close a path that once existed.
STRENGTHS:
attributes of the community that are helpful to achieving their development
like human/material resources
What are the advantages/strengths of the community?
What are the untapped resources in the community that can be utilized?

WEAKNESSES:
attributes of the community that are harmful to achieving their development
like lack of trained manpower
What could be improved in the community?
What factors/forces should be avoided?

OPPORTUNITIES:
external conditions that are helpful to achieving their development
like support from LGUs, NGOs, GOs
What are the good opportunities facing community?
What opportunities were not taken advantage of?
THREATS:
external conditions which could do damage to the community's performance
like outside organization‘s implementation problem
What should the community be mindful of?
What has to be overcome to increase opportunities?
What external factors threaten community?

Community Profile
The community profile is a summary of the history and present conditions of a community. It provides a
detailed demographic, economic and cultural information of the community. It gives an overview or series
of snapshots of the area and is used as a basis for identifying its potentials.
The Community Profile includes:
1. Narrative text that describes community characteristics, such as population demographics, economic
and social history of the communities, the importance of various facilities.
1. Tables or graphics that summarize important data or conclusions, such as population demographics
or employment trends.
1. A visual map or maps that depict physical characteristics, such as neighborhood boundaries, land
uses, public facilities, and commercial centers.
Community Characteristics
The following are examples of the types of data to collect and incorporate into a community profile.
1. Population and Demographic Characteristics
Trends in population growth and Educational attainment
demographics Employment status
Ethnicity and race Special population subgroups, such as
Age and gender distributions disable persons
Income levels Indian tribal governments, as appropriate

2. Socio-Economic History/Characteristics
Community historical background and Economic base/livelihood
context Other economic characteristics
Population of indigenous groups
Community values and issues (e.g., security
and solitude)

3. Physical Characteristics
Community centers/activity centers Land-use plans and zoning
Infrastructure (e.g., roads, transit, and Special areas, historic districts, and
water and sewage systems) parklands
Public services and facilities (e.g., schools, Businesses
police, fire, libraries, and hospitals) Housing
 Planned and approved future Community focal points or informal
development meeting places (e.g., places of worship)

4. Health Status
common and endemic diseases sources of water, waste and disposal
disease causes and management dietary patterns
maternal and child-care practices

5. Access to Service
groups and agencies that are providing service, and the type and frequency of the service they
provide

6. Community Organizations
organizations in the barangay, their projects, activities, and organizational set-up

PHASE FOUR: COURSE OF ACTION/Project Planning

“People‘s participation is the essence of community organizing”

After the problems and issues of the community have been identified, a systematic course of action may
now be determined. The organizer, during this stage, plays the role of a facilitator- to which he ensures that
the community is able to communicate and express their concerns, and is able to encourage them to give
their own suggestions on how they could possibly resolve their problems. Finally, organizers must also
ensure of the community‘s participation and commitment on the produced plan.

PHASE FIVE: IMPLEMENTATION

Implementation
The plan that was initially formulated with the community is now put into action. Collective work from the
community members must be encouraged by the worker, after all, the project is for them, therefore, should
also be participated by the people themselves.

Evaluation
In some inevitable cases when problems during the implementation may arise, the community organizer,
again, as a facilitator, may assist the community in examining what happened, what went well, what has
been learned and what should happen next.
PHASE SIX: PHASE OUT/Termination of the Project

This is the phase when the community organizer already starts to withdraw from the community because
goals set by the community and the organizers at the start of the process have been achieved. At this stage,
it is assumed that the community has reached a certain level of capability with which they can sustain
existing operations, expand or initiate new projects. The community now takes full responsibility for
managing their resources.
After the goals of the community have been met, and its members are empowered, the community
organizer can now pull out from the community. Remember that prior to this, the worker must prepare the
community before phasing-out. This is basic courtesy to the people.
It is likely that the community organizer and the assisting agency will not fully phase out from the
community but simply modify their roles in the partnership.