Lesson 1: Defining Community

com·mu·ni·ty a group of people living in the same place or having a particular

characteristic in common.

A City Year, Communities are not built of friends, or of groups with similar styles and
Suzanne tastes, or even of people who like and understand each other. They are
Goldsmith built of people who feel they are part of something that is bigger than
themselves: a shared goal or enterprise, like righting a wrong, or
building a road, or raising children, or living honorably, or worshipping a
God. To build community requires only the ability to see value in others,
to look at them and see a potential partner in one’s enterprise.
Definitions of Community based on Different Perspectives
 
Social Science  Social Science views community as composed of people
Perspective interacting with one another, sensitive to each other’s
emotions as well as interests and subjective points of
view.
 Social Science is an umbrella term for various fields of
study which examine social relations and human society.
Basic Concepts from each field of the Social Sciences related to the idea of community:
 
Anthropology -This field examines the various aspects of humans, such as their biology,
behaviour, culture and social interaction.It may also study how people
adapt their ways of living to different environment.

Economics  This field studies the production, allocation and

consumptions of good and services.
 The ultimate goal of economics is to improve the lives of
people, such that their need are satisfied.

Political Science  This field encompasses the various ways and means of
allocating power, influence, and decision-making
 This includes types of government and managements
systems and how people in small bands or informal
groups make decision when they do not have a
recognized leader.

Psychology  This discipline studies the human mind, brain, and social
behaviour.This extends to interactions between people
and interpersonal relationships.

Sociology  This field studies society, social order, social

interactions, and culture.It introduces the concepts of
social capital and communitarianism.
 Social Capital  Defined as the networks of relationships among people
who live and work in a particular society for the effective
functioning of the community

Communitarianis  This explains the connection between the individual and

m community .
 
Institutional  Institutional Perspective views the concept of
Perspective community in three dimensions.

3 DIFFERENT  First,
DIMENSIONS It is an existing establishment or physical space where
members of the community go for a certain purpose.
 Second,
Is the institutional community as a social model. This is
defined by networks and institutions where community
groups are formed in certain areas.
 Third,
Is that the community is composed of the way people act,
interact with each other, react, and expect each other to
act and interact.

Civil Society Civil Society Perspective stresses the idea of forming a group, foundation or
Perspective organization in service to society.
 

 
This considered the affective model of community since a sense of belonging is achieved due to the
collaboration of shared interests and identities in serving the humanity.
Groups of people come together regardless of location, and organize plans to render support and
assistance to society.
Local and  This perspective highlights volunteerism. Members from different
Grassroots communities may involve themselves in various programs or
Perspective activities.
 For local a community means it is a group of people interacting
and sharing their common interest having the same environment
 but for grassroots a community it’s not just a network of
socialization but it is a relationship between people that bring each
and everyone together in a way that allow them to do things they
can’t or couldn’t done because of isolation.

Lesson 2:
Essential Aspect of a Community
Awareness of the essential aspects of a community is necessary in aiding the residents to reflect on way
to be positively involved in its improvement.
“No man is an island”.
-poet John Donne
 
 
ASPECTS OF COMMUNITY
 
ASPECTS FACTORS TO EXPLORE

Demographics  Population size (total # of persons living in the

community
 Density (ratio of people in the space they
inhabit)
 Heterogeneity (to extent to which community
members have divers characteristics)
 Ethnic groups in the community names given to
various parts of community
 Areas known for having their own
characteristics (ex: industrial area, blue collar
families)
 Isolation from or closeness to other
communities
 History of the area
 Changes and development in the area

Geography and  The community’s physical environment

Environmental  The community’s location and proximity to
Influences highways, bodies of water, or mountains
 Existence of recreational areas
 Concerns regarding environment hazards such
as pollution, power shortages, among others.
Beliefs and Attitudes  Cultural values, traditions and beliefs in various
segments of the population
 Spiritual and political values of the residents
 Available social agencies and help they can
extend
 Perceptions of residents as part of the
community

Local Politics  Structure of government

 Decision -making, power and control
 Major issues currently in debate

Local Economy and  Business, factories and othersources of

Businesses employment that characterize the community
 Nature of business (own by local residents or
government)
 Employment profile of residents
 Adequacy of public transportation

Income Distribution  Public assistance benefits available to residents

 Median income level of residents
 Income levels and corresponding percentage of
the population

Housing  Housing conditions

 Population density
 Types of housing
 Ownership status of houses (rental, real estate,
etc.)

Educational Facilities  Education system

and Programs  Extent of community support
 Existence of public or private schools
 Adherence to intended curriculum of the
Department of Education
 Attention to special population (e.g., children
with special needs) and to cultural differences
 Extent to which education brings out the best in
the children (participation in competitions,
profile of graduates, training students
holistically)
 Adequate preparation for adults to enter the
labor force.

Health and Welfare  Adequate number of health professionals and

System specialists
  Accesibility to area residents
 Social service program
 Respect of service providers to the needs and
values of minority of the population
 Availabilityof fire and police protection
 Safety of the environment
 The residents’ view on public safety and justice
system

Sources of Information  Presence of TV and radio station and

and Public Opinion newspapers which provide people information
and perspective on current events
 Community organzations capacity to update
residents on important information

Sources of Information  The capacity of the sources of information to

and Public Opinion enhance the residents’ skills to promote
positive social change
 The presence of community leaders who speak
for various marginalized subgroups.

Summary of Assessment  Overall assessment of community’s functioning

of Community Issues  Dealing with social problem (youth gangs,
poverty, abuse)
 Gaps in social, health care, and other
community and educational services.
 
COMMUNITY DYNAMICS AND PROCESSES
 
Community - is a group of people

Dynamics – self motivated person, active person, energetic, known as dynamic

for development of the community

Community Power  is the capacity of the community to exercise

control over activities and seek ways to employ
available resources to establish a stronger and
successful community.
 Brgy. Chairperson
 Constituents
 Elite Members / adults
 Financially Poor / young
How a community can 1. Civic involvement in identifying important issues
build power 2. Citizens’ voice in public prioritization and
decision-making
 3. Developing structures or systems for shared
power and decision-making
4. Shared leadership. Leadership development
planning

Leadership  is generally defined as the person who has the

There are components in improving leadership in a community, and these points would be very essential
to this nations’ community leaders:
Effective Communication
responsibility of controlling or taking charge of
particular group. This important figure will guide
the members to carry out plans in pursuit of
group’s objective
 An open line of communication is highly
recommended for leaders and their
constituents.
 There should be free access to important
information concerning social issues and
public matters.

Development of Social  Developing a resilient capital is among

Capital Building important contributors to successful
community leadership.

Community Engagement  It is important to encourage young leaders to

participate
 Train your younger generation of leaders so
that they are ready to take over when the
time comes.

Collaboration  It is necessary to collaborate across and

within communities.
 Leaders should learn to build “bridges” and
cooperate across communities.
 Develop networks among community leaders
within diverse fields
 
Relationship  the success of a community will be more
meaningful if its members have
harmonious relationships with each other

Social Change  refers to changes that occur in the social

order of society. This changes may be
related to nature, social institutions, social
behavior, or social relations and can be
 driven by cultural, religious, economics,
scientific, or technological forces
 

Lesson 3:
TYPOLOGIES
ty·pol·o·gy  a classification according to general type, especially in
archaeology, psychology, or the social sciences.
 
TYPES OF COMMUNITIES
FORMAL  Engage in joint activities and discussion, help each other, and
share information with other; they care about their standing
with each other
 Eco village
 Co housing
 Co-op
 Religious community
INFORMAL  Consists of a set of personal relations, social networks,
common interest and emotional sources of motivation
 Academic community
 Local community recreation
 RETIREMENT COMMUNITY
 
 
 
 
URBAN  Large in terms of land area and population, advance in science and
technology, with favorable physical environment and diverse
culture, and the people are engage in various occupation

RURAL  Usually produce their own food for subsistence An open swath of
land that has few homes or other buildings. Population density is
low
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LOCAL  Characterized by close social integration and physical
proximity.
This also defined as a group of people sharing the same
environment and conditions such as intent, belief, resources,
preferences and needs and risks

GLOBAL  International aggregate of nation-states. Characterized

by integration and interaction between individuals and
group away from each other in time or space or both

COMMUNITY  Are various groups or subdivisions of a larger community

SECTORS divided based on characteristics such as social, political,
economic, cultural, and religious beliefs.

PRIVATE SECTOR  Business that is not controlled by the government and

earn profit out of sales they make which allow the
employees to get raise in their income or extra benefit

PUBLIC SECTOR  Organizations that are controlled by the government.

They offer services to everyone and do not make a profit
out of it. This sector are funded by the government
 which provided by the taxes and fees of all citizens pay.

SOCIAL/VOLUNTARY  Focus on helping and benefiting the public without

SECTOR thinking about making any profit out of it.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
SOCIAL  Is defined as physical or virtual space which members of community
SPACES visit or it is where they stay.
Lesson 4:
Understanding Community Dynamics and Action

Community  the word community was derived from the latin word
“communis” which means “common” or “shared”
 
Communities may be formed in two ways:
GEOGRAPHICAL - members of community share the same geographic vicinity such as village,
province, or neighborhood.
 

NON- - communities are formed based on needs, ideas, interests, identity,

GEOGRAPHICAL practices, and roles in social institutions such as at home, at work, in
government, society, or the community at large.
 
 
Communities may also divided into two levels:
 
Micro - a group is formed based on personal social ties. This may include groups formed for
level pursuing common interests or goals, like forming a small organization to hold a fund-
raising activity such as concert.

Macro - large group affiliations are form such as national communities, international
level communities, and virtual communities. Companies and corporations may develop
programs that would include different members across the country
 
Communities plays diverse roles regardless of its type. Some 1. community consultation
of these roles includes: 2. joint planning
3. joint design
4. joint delivery
5. implementation of community-
led activities
Types of Community Activity

 
 What is  is any activity that aims to increase the understanding,
Community engagement, and empowerment of communities for the
action? intention of giving services to people.

The ff. are considered the primary objectives that can be achieved because of community action projects