COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SOLIDARITY AND CITIZENSHIP HANDOUTS

CONCEPTS and PERSPECTIVE of COMMUNITY 4. Maintaining and creating wealth – for

example helping people into employment
COMMUNITY DYNAMICS or developing community enterprises.
Also known as “Biological Succession”
Compare and contrast the definitions of community
It is a process of change and development in communities using various perspectives, e.g., social sciences,
of all living organisms - including plants, microorganisms, institutions, civil society, and local/grassroots level.
and small and large creatures of every sort.
COMMUNITY
Tendencies: Defined from the different perspective based on
 organism will appear in an environment when researches in various fields;
their requirements for establishment are met like ANTHROPOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY, and
(needs for survival are present ex. food or POLITICAL SCIENCE;
shelter). - linked on the notion of a neighborhood or village;
- interpersonal ties are considered to be locally-
 will disappear when the requirements are not bound.
present.
SOCIAL SCIENCE PERSPECTIVE
RULE OF SUCCESSION Social Science views COMMUNITY as:
A species will move into an environment when the 1. composed of people;
conditions are suitable & will move out of that environment 2. Interacting with one another;
when the conditions become unsuitable for its 3. Sensitive to each other’s emotions as well as
reproduction & survival. interests and subjective points of view.

SUCCESSION and STABILITY 1. COMMUNITY (Anthropology)

 In a low successional community, there are Examines the various aspects of humans: biology,
comparatively few species present; behavior, culture and social interactions.
 populations fluctuate widely and often very
rapidly; How people adapt their ways of living to different
 communities of organisms are usually very environments.
unstable and out of balance.
Ex. Determining ways to help their community solve
COMMUNITY ACTION health – related concerns.
 is any activity that increases the understanding,
engagement and empowerment of 2. COMMUNITY (Economics)
communities in the design and delivery of local Studies the production, allocation and consumption of
services. goods and services.
 includes a broad range of activities and is
sometimes described as “social action” or 3. COMMUNITY (Political Science)
“community engagement.” various ways and means of ALLOCATING Power,
Influence, and Decision-making.
IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING COMMUNITY
DYNAMICS Includes types of governments and management
For policy-makers and anybody else involved in the systems;
design and delivery of local services …
- it can be used to bring additional depth into the How people in small bands or informal groups make
understanding of your local areas (increase decisions when they do not have a recognized leader.
understanding of your community);
- matching service provision to the need of the 3. COMMUNITY (Psychology)
community. Studies the human mind, brain, and social behavior.
Study extends to interactions between people and
IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING COMMUNITY ACTION interpersonal relationships.
- “putting communities at the heart (CENTER) of
their own local services.” 4. COMMUNITY (Sociology)
- people engage in the provision of local services.  studies society, social order, social interactions,
- By INVOLVING the community, can help to and culture.
achieve:  introduces the concepts of SOCIAL CAPITAL
1. Building community and social and COMMUNITARIANISM.
capacity – helping the community to
share knowledge, skills and ideas. SOCIAL CAPITAL – the networks of relationships
2. Community resilience – helping the among people who live and work in a particular
community to support itself. society for the effective functioning of the
3. Prevention – a focus on early access to community.
services or support, engagement in
design, cross-sector collaboration and COMMUNITARIANISM – explains the connection
partnerships. between the individual and the community.

every person has a special role in one’s society;

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SOLIDARITY AND CITIZENSHIP HANDOUTS

part of human nature to relate with other people in interests and identities in serving the
various conditions or situations. humanity.

COMMUNITY BASED ON INSTITUTIONAL  Groups of people come together regardless of

PERSPECTIVE location, and organize plans to render
support and assistance to society.
Views community in 3 different dimensions:
Example of CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS
1st View. It is an existing establishment or physical space  ABS CBN Foundation
where members of the community go for a certain  Ayala Red Cross Foundation
purpose.  Boy and Girl Scouts of the Philippines
 Caritas Manila
Ex. Companies, hospitals, or educational institutions
HUMAN RIGHTS Movement is an example of SOCIAL
2nd View. It is a “social model.” MOVEMENTS.
Defined by networks and institutions where community
groups are formed in certain areas such as schools, The International Committee of the Red Cross
churches or companies, and members gather to meet consistently accepts donations for distribution to different
their needs. areas in the Philippines that need relief goods.

Examples. There are numerous communities of informal settlers in

 People join clubs and associations to hone their the urban areas, particularly Metro Manila. There are
skills; groups that seek to help alleviate poverty and empower
 Joint religious organizations to deepen their faith; the urban poor to improve their standard of living. One
 Participate in media activities to improve their well-known example is the Gawad Kalinga Community
communication skills; Foundation, which began a 10-year journey to end
poverty for five million families in 2014.
3rd View. Community is composed of the ways people
act, interact with each other, react, and expect each other Another famous organization that focuses on community
to act and interact. buildings is World Vision (Philippines). It has been in the
Philippines for 60 years to care for children and build
Examples. sustainable communities.
 Institutions such as marriage or friendship;
 Roles such as mother or police officer; LOCAL AND GRASSROOTS PERSPECTIVE
 Status or class;  Highlights VOLUNTEERISM.
 Other patterns of human behavior.  Members of the communities may involve
themselves in various programs or activities.
 The dimension presents how people act in  Community uses self-organization and
relation to each other. encourages the local citizens to contribute to the
community by taking responsibilities and actions.
 It includes their expectations, assumptions,  Leaders and other members identify the sources
judgements, predictions, responses and of concerns in a local setting and determine ways
reactions. to address these problems.
 Volunteers are mobilized in cooperation with
 It perceives patterns of relationships sometimes government decision-makers who will be
identified as ROLES and STATUS, and the accountable for their actions.
formation of groups and institutions that derive  Community formulates programs for others, and
from those patters. employs actions according to the needs of the
community.
Ex. A “father” is both a role and an institution.
Example.
CIVIL SOCIETY PERSPECTIVE Doctors and dentists in different communities come
 Stresses the idea of forming a group, foundation together to organize medical and dental missions,
or organization in the SERVICE to SOCIETY. especially for families affected by calamites. When
 View society as a COMMUNITY of CITIZENS Typhoon Haiyan hit the country in 2013, children and the
linked by COMMON INTEREST and elderly became weak and sick, and a medical mission
COLLECTIVE ACTIVITY. was implemented to improve their health condition.

Example.
 PEOPLE’S ORGANIZATIONS;
 CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS; and
 SOCIAL MOVEMENTS.

This is considered the effective model of community

because:
 There is a SENSE OF BELONGING – achieve
due to the COLLABORATION of shared

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