LESSON 1

NSTP COMMUNITY IMMERSION AS FOUNDATION OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Objectives:

At the end of the unit, the students should be able to:

1. understand the relevance of NSTP through community immersion projects;

2. appreciate the value of conducting an immersion program in the adopted barangay and institutions;
3. actively involve in all the community based projects to address the problems besetting the adopted barangays;
and
4. take pride in making significant contributions towards nation building.

New Context in Philippine Society Today

After May 2010 elections Philippine society becomes driven by a new ideology better understood by its political
line: "Kung Walang Corrupt, Walang Mahirap". Through NSTP a more convincing political framework emerged: youth's
involvement as an ingredient of development. The popular adage: "Ako ang Simula" challenged students to invest and
take a stand for their future. It has connected them to become more challenging than ever. In partnership with the adults
the youth are now willing to assist them in continuing the legacy that has changed communities.

The National Service Training Program is conceptualized primarily to develop students' responsive attitude
towards the community. Along the guise of citizenship training students are expected to understand better issues and
problems confronting the community. Literally, students have to feel that they are capable in addressing these issues and
problems. Hence, exposing them would help them a lot to fully realize their roles and find ways and means in nation
building.

Community immersion serves in essence as the practicum-based element where lessons learned and acquired in
NSTP-CWTS 1 will be used and implemented in their adopted barangays, communities and social institutions. Aside from
being with the place they are also mandated to bring about changes in the lives of the constituents. The law also requires
student to discover on his own true and factual situations where they could use real meaning of volunteerism and self-
empowerment. Students are given vast opportunities to be actively involved in all the community projects. Thus, by
empowering the whole community, everybody is motivated to work and make significant contributions towards our
country's progress.

Function of the Philippine Constitution in the Implementation of NSTP

The 1987 Philippine Constitution has ushered in a new direction in the education and training of students. They
are looked up to as huge pool of human resources who can be channeled as development catalyst. These particular
objectives can be seen in Article II, Section 13 which states that: "The State recognizes the vital role of youth in nation
building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social wellbeing. It shall inculcate
in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs".

The manifest function that is the significant role the youth sector has to play in building the nation is
constitutionally recognized. It is therefore worth mentioning that this duty and obligation must be translated in worthy
endeavor, projects and activities wherein the ultimate beneficiary would be the community.

The goal of the NSTP community immersion is to help people in the community find the methods to organize self-
help programs and furnish them applicable techniques for cooperative action to improve local environment. As an
approach it has its end of linking the community and the students in a community development process: improving youth
understanding of the community and how NSTP project will works through several practical activities; conducting a needs
assessment survey of residents; and implementing a project to address an issue identified through the needs assessment.
 Students are provided with opportunities to develop skills and to contribute in meaningful ways. The needs
assessment process, in particular, is a win-win project for everyone. Students can use information from surveys and youth
can assume responsibility and make significant contributions in a number of ways. Through this project, we hope to help
youth begin the transition from student to adult member of the community and to help them become more active
contributors in solving community problems.

Community service projects also can increase local leaders' appreciation of youth's contributions to community
affairs. We believe that the perception among the adult community can be changed from the one viewing youth as a
problem to viewing youth as a resource. Changing this perception is important if leaders are going to be able to take
advantage of the opportunity to harness the energy and enthusiasm of young people to build more sustained community
action. We will need their help if we hope to solve the so many problems facing our communities.

Another benefit of such projects is that schools may benefit from increased public support. Building the
community-school partnership through involvement in community service programs can enhance a school's image.

Youth in Basic Issues of Community Development

The penultimate end of community service learning programs is to create an environment of learning-by-doing
and to begin the process of helping youth assume roles of social responsibility. Community service learning includes a
broad array of activities: mentoring the adults and the pre-schoolers, peer tutoring for other students, health teaching,
assisting the disadvantaged groups/individuals, developing a community day care program for children, landscaping a
parcel of public property, raising funds for a cause, organizing recycling programs in schools and communities, and so
much more.

Well-designed community service programs are reported to increase teamwork among teachers and students.
This approach to learning corresponds more closely than traditional student projects to the collaborative methods
recommended by a number of community action models. School-based service has changed attitudes, values, and
relationships and made education come alive. Partnerships have also been developed with the business sector, civic and
social organizations, and other governmental agencies as projects were undertaken.

Most community service programs enhance students' self-concept and self-image. Service provides youth with
opportunities to feel needed by others and to fill important roles in their community. But many programs neglect to teach
skills that help students become effective actors in local policy-making or other aspects of community action. As observed
by some social scientists, community service refers mainly to a variety of individual voluntary efforts with local service
organization and does not usually include groups’ decision-making, collaborative action, conflict resolution, and other
elements of collective action.

To better cultivate the ability to contribute effectively within a democratic society, community service projects
need to be developed in a way that allows students to experience empowerment through meaningful and significant roles.
This is not easily accomplished because, not only does the content or curriculum in the educational program change, but
the relationships among students, mentors/facilitators, and discipline to being active, decision-making participants.

Community development involves a process of increasing the capacity of local citizens to solve local problems.
Increasing the capacity of local actors has usually enhance human capital (the skills and knowledge needed by actors to
be effective contributors to local solutions), but build community social capital (the network of relationships that gives
access to the financial and human resources needed for action only inadvertently). Thus, community social capital can be
viewed as a resource to be drawn on when needed for other community projects.

Through many people involved in community affairs bewail their inability to get more residents involved, very few
see the youth of their community as an untapped resource, one ready to be asked to help work toward solving local
problems. Though community leadership has long been recognized as a developmental process, few communities build a
foundation for their young people to develop into involved citizens and leaders. Effective leadership requires that people
understand the economic, political and social processes of their community and the larger society.

Throughout the nation, many community-based organizations and initiatives are reaping the benefits of youth
involvement in their work especially now that students in the technical-vocational schools, colleges and universities
undergoing NSTP are tapped for outreach activities: deeper engagement with the communities they serve, reenergized
staff and volunteers, and unique insights that give their work greater impact. Indeed, schools, especially those in rural
areas, have an important role to play in community and leadership movement.

As the students develop their sense of responsibility towards themselves and the community, they are now ready
to realize their mission to help and teach the barangay constituents to become sustainable and resourceful, thus
alleviating their poor economic conditions.

Since it is a known fact that the most affected people in times of disasters and calamities are the poor people, the
government as well as the non- government organization are trying to work together to help these poor families.

Here in the Philippines, there are lots of poor families; hence most of the focus of the national development
programs is for poverty reduction. Poverty is now measured in terms of human poverty indicators such as lack of access
to resources necessary to sustain basic human capabilities.

Risk reduction strategies for the poor should work towards reducing economic vulnerability and at the same time
capitalize on or nurture the inherent social and cultural capabilities of the poor communities and these are the focus of
concern of the NSTP immersion programs.