1|NSTP2022-2023

Objectives:

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

Explain the concepts and principles underpinning community and community immersion;

Realize the importance of understanding the dynamics of a community and community

immersion as a way to realize the objectives of NSTP;

Practice the standard operating procedures and establish protocols governing community

immersion.

Point out the relevance of NSTP through community immersion projects; and

Appreciate the value of doing an immersion program in the adopted barangays and other

institutions.

Nature of Community Work

People involved in community immersion must be knowledgeable on the basics of

community, its meaning, concepts underpinning principles, and nature of problems and issues

arising therefrom. This will enable the trainees to have a good grasp of the local situation

thereby preparing them to appropriately respond to the multifarious concerns in the

community and property carry out immersion projects and activities that are so conceived to

bring about long- term amelioration, and not just over-night solutions of the social menaces

and ills.

As part of the learning experiences of NSTP, community immersion is a requirement

2|NSTP2022-2023
prescribed to all students who are taking up the program. It is expected from the course to

have extensive projects and programs for the barangay since NSTP 2 serves now as their

practicum. This is the application of all skills, knowledge, and values.

Truly, the real situation that we are facing right now is the most fulfilling experience for

those who have taken the NSTP course because this is the time, they will understand the

significance of the subject matter and the importance of their involvement in community

extensions which contributes to the welfare of our nation.

However, the usual immersion of students is not possible at the moment because of the

pandemic (Covid19) continuing to proliferate and endangering us but the approach to be used

will be to integrate the immersion in the students’ localities or community.

Community usually refers to a larger than a small village that shares

common values. The word "community" is derived from the Old

French communité which is derived from the

Latin communitas (cum, "with/together" +munus, "gift"), a broad term

for fellowship or organized society. Some examples of community

service are to help in church, tutoring, hospitals, etc.

“A community is a collective of people with similar interests and goals whether living in the
same geographical locality or not”;

A community is a group of human beings. It is not possible to form a community

without a group of men and women.

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People are usually members of geographic as well as interest communities. The notion of
geography and interest can be seen in the definitions of the word community:

For our purpose, we define a community as: a number of people who share a distinct location,
belief, interest, activity, or other characteristics that identify their commodity and
differentiates them from those not sharing it. This common c distinction is sufficiently
evident that members of the community can recognize it, even
though they may not currently have this recognition.
Effectively acting on their recognition may lead members to
more complete personal and mutual development.

WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF COMMUNITY?

The important elements of Community are:

Demographics
Characteristics of population;
Tells about the movement of the population

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in the community that you will serve.

History
Allows you to identify certain patterns of change and people’s way of adapting these
changes that can be useful in plotting your activities.
Events of the past that contributed to the development of the community.

Understanding the economy, culture, and community structures.

An economy consists of the economic systems of a country or other area; the labor,
capital, and land resources; and the manufacturing, production, trade, distribution, and
consumption of goods and services of that area;
Income level of the people.
Culture (Latin: cultura, lit. "Cultivation") ways of living of the people.
Structures physical, political, and social structures.

Housing - Most of the houses are concrete and have minimal

numbers of wood and semi-concrete houses. The houses are well
constructed for the people to enjoy their living.

Education - It has a primary school which is mainly located at their

Barangay hall. Day Care centers can be found in the community. The
daycare center lets the community children enter the first level of
education with the decision of their parents to learn the basic knowledge,
which is very important in their growth and development. The
community also has elementary
and high school levels which cater to students from
different Barangays that are near to them.
Some of the community people are finished their college
and attained a degree and become professionals.

Safety and Protection - When it comes to the security of

the community people, the barangay had organized officers
that maintain orderliness and peacefulness. The community

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calls them Brgy Tanods, the officers are composed of Chief Tanod having the highest rank
and followed by the members.

The Brgy Tanods are the officer who secures the community during night and day.
Health - very essential. It is invaluable. It is one of the determinants of a healthy community.
Rural Health Unit that caters health services and facilities to the community. Also, each sitios
has its BHW to make sure the health of the community.

Common illnesses of the community are colds, cough, and fever. Although RHU is present in
the community most of the residents are still using OTC drugs and some of them are visiting
herbolario to treat and manage their illnesses.
Economics (Entrepreneurship) - Fishing is the most source of income for the people. There
are also professionals in the community. And some were farmers, foreign-aided, OFW’s,
employees, public utility drivers, and construction workers.

Sports and Recreation - facilities like basketball courts are present wherein community
people especially teenagers use to unwind and relax after a tiring day from their school works
and activities. There is also a playground near the barangay hall and daycare center which
may use for fun activities by the daycare center pupil and some kids
Barangay Fiesta is also one of their forms of recreation wherein people were being
entertained and also their cooperation and unity are being developed.

Approaches in Community Work

What is Community Development? 

The community development approach is a way of working with communities and

people to set agendas and organize. Community development is a long–term value based

process which aims to address imbalances in power and bring about change founded on social

justice, equality and inclusion.

Community development has a set of core values/social principles covering:

Equality and anti-discrimination

Social justice and human rights

Collective action

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 Collective empowerment

Working & learning together

The process enables people to organize and work together to:

identify their own needs and aspirations

take action to exert influence on the decisions which affect their lives

improve the quality and sustainability of their own lives, the communities in which

they live, and societies of which they are a part.

It does this by:

supporting and developing community strengths;

supporting forms of action that help people to recognize and develop their ability and

potential;

organize themselves to respond to problems and needs which they share;

supports the establishment of strong communities that control;

uses assets to promote social justice and help improve the quality of community life;

enables community and public agencies to work together to improve the quality of services;

and

decision making.

The community development approach seeks to address the following agendas:

Empowerment.

 It is a way of strengthening civil society by prioritizing the actions of communities,

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and their perspectives in the development of health, social, economic and environmental

policy.

It seeks the empowerment of local communities, taken to mean

geographical communities

communities of interest or identity

communities organizing around specific themes or policy initiatives

Capacity. It strengthens the capacity of people as active citizens through their community

groups, organizations and networks; and the capacity of institutions and agencies (public,

private and non-governmental) to work in dialogue with citizens to shape and determine

change in their communities.

Voice.  It plays a crucial role in supporting active democratic life by promoting the

autonomous voice of disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.

What is the role of community development?

The role of a community development is to work with communities to identify issues

and goals, as they see them, and to facilitate the development of collective resolutions or

strategies.

To achieve this, practitioners require the ability to network and excellent

communication and group facilitation skills.

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Develop networks

Research relevant services

Participate in formal network groups

Develop relationships with local council and community groups

Undertake consultations

Identify stakeholders

Plan consultation strategies

Facilitate public meetings

Conduct focus groups, surveys

Collate results

Plan and facilitate group activities

Facilitate group work

Promote effective communication

Manage conflict

Support community leadership

Develop support mechanisms

Develop leadership skills

Steps in Community Development work

The general community development process can be described in the following 10 basic

steps. However it is important to recognizes that community development is an organic

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process, so that while the "steps" are presented in a logical order, in reality they may not

follow sequentially and some steps may either be skipped or carried out simultaneously with

other steps.

10 Steps to Community Development

1. Learn about the community. Whether you want to be an active member of the

community, an effective service provider or a community leader, you will have to be

familiar with its issues, resources, needs, power structure and decision-making

processes. Your initial orientation could include reading your local newspaper

regularly, attending community events, reading reports and familiarizing with

available services as well as community projects and activities. Close observation of

the community as you interact with it will also provide significant insights into the

strengths and weaknesses of the community.

2. Listen to community members. You won't be able to learn everything you need to know

by reading and observation. You will need to talk to others about their interests and

perceptions to put it into context. You can contact community members through formal

channels, such as joining a local organization, or informally by chatting with people that visit

the library or that you encounter in other situations, such as shopping at local stores or

attending school activities. By listening to the community you may identify an area in which

there seems to be a common interest in making a change.

Health organization staff need to maintain regular contact with the community to collect

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enough information to make sound recommendations and decisions on health services and

priorities and to identify important community issues.

3. Bring people together to develop a shared vision. Once you have identified that there are

some common interests among community members and you have identified a few

individuals who seem willing to work on a community development initiative, the next step is

to hold a community gathering. In some circumstances it may be appropriate to invite

representatives of specific organizations or sector to attend, but more often it would be a

public event for a neighbourhood or, for other types of communities, for all the identified

members. The purpose of this gathering would be to develop a shared "community vision";

i.e., through imagining their ideal community and discussing their ideas together they will

determine arrive at a common vision and some broad strategic directions that all are

committed to working towards. You may also use this gathering to ask for support for the

initiative, elicit community input or invite members to join a steering committee or help in

other ways.

4. Assess community assets and resources, needs and issues. To be able to work

effectively in a community development context, you will need to gather some information

about your community. It is extremely helpful to undertake a comprehensive community

assessment which will collect both qualitative and quantitative data on a wide range of

community features. Unfortunately, often time and budget restraints will necessitate choosing

between methods and limiting the assessment to particular areas of interest. Deciding what

and how much information to collect may be aided by a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses,

Opportunities and Threats) analysis of the community, which may point to particular areas

11 | N S T P 2 0 2 2 - 2 0 2 3
being higher priorities for action.

5. Help community members to recognize and articulate areas of concern and their

causes. In any community development process, it is the community that is in the driver's

seat. Community members will define the issues and the process for resolving them, which

might be quite different than what would be proposed by an external "expert". However, it is

the community members that are most familiar with the situation and, in many cases, have

knowledge and wisdom that an external "expert" lacks. By providing tools, resources,

meeting space and facilitation, community developers empower the community to start to

take ownership of the issues and the development of solutions.

6. Establish a 'vehicle for change. In most circumstances it will be necessary to create a

"vehicle for change" for an organizational change, which in most cases will start as a steering

committee. Depending on the circumstances, this nature of the group could range from a few

unaffiliated individuals or a coalition of organizations and institutions. In time, the steering

committee may evolve into or be adopted by a community organization. There is a wide

range of activities that the steering committee will need to undertake to ensure that it will be

able to plan, organize, implement and evaluate the initiative effectively, including developing

a charter or terms of reference, establishing governance policies, obtaining sufficient

resources to carry out the work and identifying potential partners who can contribute to its

success.

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7. Develop an action plan. Assuming that the community as a whole has set the strategic

directions for the initiative, the steering committee will now develop the action plan.

Depending on the size of the group and the complexity of the initiative, there may be other

steps between setting the strategic directions and the action plan. You may want to create a

comprehensive strategic plan containing long, mid and short-term objectives, and mid-level

plans for communications, resource development or human resources. In addition, if there are

a number of activities or events to plan, you will need a separate action plan for each one.

The point you need to arrive at is a well thought out plan that is easily comprehended by

community members, clearly links activities with objectives and indicates responsibilities,

time frames and resources required.

8. Implement action plan. This is the heart of the initiative, in which financial and human

resources, including volunteers and community members, are mobilized to take action. This

may take many different forms. Perhaps the community has decided to establish a coalition

against homelessness and is working to ensure all organizations that come into contact with

homeless persons are able to provide referrals to appropriate sources of assistance. The

actions might consist of:

working with community workers to identify needs and appropriate services;

developing informational brochures;

eliciting support from targeted organizations;

distributing the brochures to the organizations; and

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 meeting with organizational representatives to provide further information.

In addition to implementing the various action steps, it is important to ensure that the factors

that are required for the success of any community initiative are in place, such as:

shared vision and purpose

concrete, attainable goals and objectives

sufficient funds, staff, materials and time

skilled, participatory leadership

clear roles and policy guidelines

mutual respect

open communications, including both formal and informal methods

recognition that there are "process" people and there are "action" people;

ensure that there is a variety of ways of participating in or contributing to the initiative

time and resources management;

don't take on more than you can handle at one time;

set priorities conflict management; don't let problems slide - address them in an open,

honest and timely manner

good record-keeping; e.g. financial reports, meeting minutes, successes

celebration of successes

fun; don't forget to celebrate your successes - even small ones!

9. Evaluate results of actions Traditionally, community development workers have relied

more on their own experience, anecdotal evidence from others to guide their practice rather

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than formal evaluation procedures. Often it is difficult to find reasonable and appropriate

measures in terms of the cost and time involved, especially when the desired outcomes, as is

often the case with prevention and capacity-building initiatives, may not be seen for several

years. However, there are many reasons why it is important to evaluate your work. Most

importantly, you may need to demonstrate that you have not caused any harm to others

through your actions. Other reasons to evaluate may be to demonstrate the effectiveness of

the initiative so that it will be continued, to satisfy funder requirements and to provide

information that will be useful to others or to subsequent initiatives. Evaluation plans may be

formal or informal and tailored to the needs and resources of the group. IN community

development, a participatory evaluation method is usually conducted in addition to or

sometimes in place of more traditional method. Participatory evaluation involves program

participants and/or community members in the evaluation design, data collection, and the

analysis and interpretation of results.

10. Reflect and regroup: Allow time for the group to catch its breath before embarking on

the next initiative. Thank everyone that contributed and make sure there is good follow up

communication with media, partner and funders. Celebrate your successes and reflect on any

disappointments that might have occurred. Discuss how well the organizational processes and

structures worked and identify areas that need some attention before the next rush of activity

occurs. Also, it is important to provide a space for participants to reflect on their personal

development as a result of being part of the group. When the group is ready to tackle a new

initiative, they might want to revisit the community assessment information and the strategic

directions and decide whether either of those steps need to be repeated.

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Community Development and Mental Health

People want to live in resilient and healthy communities. Well-being and positive mental

health starts here. Further mental health services need to consider how they harness the assets

and strengths of communities in developing approaches that empower people in their

recovery journeys.

People want to live in healthy communities. These are communities in which they:

feel able to be who they are

have positive prospects for their future

experience respect and equal and fair treatment

Focus: To achieve this, people want to be in a community that:

creates wealth and gives everyone access to its benefits;

cares for all its members, when they need it, throughout their life span;

provides an environment that is safe and attractive;

enables people to express and celebrate their creativity and diverse cultures; and

enables everyone to participate in decisions that affect their lives.

Methods: To support them to contribute to the creation of such a community, community

development promotes:

opportunity for people to learn and develop their own skills;

reaches out to and involves those who may be excluded or disadvantaged;

helps communities to create organisations that can tackle their needs and represent

their interests; and

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 works to promote engagement and dialogue between communities and agencies that

affect their lives;

Community Development Project

Renewable Energy Development

With assistance from the World Bank, two renewable energy development projects in the

Philippines are in place: Access to Sustainable Energy Project, which will help bring solar
power to communities in the Philippines that are not connected to the main grids, and
Philippines Renewable Energy Project, which will increase electricity access for poor
families, expand the electricity network and help the Philippines invest in renewable energy.

Mara K. Warwick, World Bank Country Director for the Philippines, explains that the two
projects will improve the country’s energy sector, as well as strengthen economic growth
within the country. In addition, the projects will help decrease emissions of greenhouse gases.

Social Welfare Development and Reform Project

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This is a funding project to continue support of the Pantawid Pamilya, the Philippines’
conditional cash transfer (CCT) program. It ensures that health and education services are
used effectively for poor children.
Currently assisting more than four million poor families and 11 million children, Pantawid
Pamilya’s objective is to provide aid to poor and struggling households. Doing so helps
protect them from crises such as economic issues and natural disasters, and it reduces poverty
numbers.

Dinky Soliman, the then Social Welfare Secretary in the Philippines, explained that after
only a few years of this development project operating, the program “has reduced the total
poverty and food poverty among CCT beneficiaries by up to 6.7 percentage points.”

Flood Funding in Metro Manila

The Philippine government, with the help of the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank, is creating a funding project for the metro Manila area, which is the urban
area that surrounds the Philippines’ capital city, Manila.
Because of typhoon season, ranging from June to October, flooding is a major problem
within the metro Manila area. In 2009, Tropical Storm Ondoy (Ketsana) caused damage
equaling 2.7 percent of the entire economy. When flooding like this takes place, it is easy for
people to fall back into poverty because of the strain it puts on their economic situation.
The development project for metro Manila is said to take around 25 years to
implement completely, but it will provide the following:

 Flood reduction from rivers running through the metropolis area by building a dam in

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 the Marikina River. This will reduce river flow that enters Manila during typhoon
season and other severe rainfall incidents.
 Elimination of long-term flooding in Laguna de Bay. Doing this will ensure the safety
of people living close to shore by reducing water levels.
 Modernization of pumping stations and flood forecasting. Waste such as plastic
wrappers, bottles and cans can get into pumping stations and clog the waterways,
resulting in extensive operation and maintenance upkeep. This project is estimated to
resolve the problem by creating 20 new pumping stations and modernizing 36 that are
already existing, which will improve urban drainage and flood management in local
communities.

Philippine Rural Development Project

This project is estimated to take around six

years. The goal is to improve farming and

fishery efficiency and to increase rural

incomes in North Luzon, South Luzon,

Visayas and Mindanao. This project also

aims to increase farmers’ and fishermen’s access to markets.

This project will benefit an estimated two million farmers and fishermen. Additionally, it has

the possibility to enhance the country’s growth, resulting in more job opportunities for

Filipinos.

Cebu Bus Rapid Transit Project

With incomes slowly rising, more vehicles are being

purchased in Cebu City, a metropolitan area in the

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Philippines. The increase of vehicles in this already tourist-ridden region is creating safety

hazards, including traffic blockage, excessi ve traffic accidents and air pollution.

The new Cebu Bus Rapid Transit Project (BRT) will not only increase the travel safety and

mobility of Cebu civilians, but it will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 192,000 tons

by 2025.

The BRT is expected to carry around 330,000 passengers each day. It has its own separate

bus-only lane, allowing it to carry larger numbers of travelers faster and more safely. It is also

cheaper to construct and maintain because of the assistance of local labor and tools available.

With the help of the World Bank and other generous organizations, these development

projects in the Philippines are aiding the country in order to make it a safer and more stable

place for Filipino residents.

Community Practice and Community Building

COMMUNITY BUILDING

According to media scholar, Henry Jenkins, characteristics of a participatory culture include

the following:

 relatively low barriers to engagement

 strong support for sharing with others

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  informal mentorship
 participants believe their contributions matter
 not every participant must contribute every time, but all must feel they are free
to contribute when they are ready and that what they contribute will be
appropriately valued.
Jenkins goes on to say, “Software can’t make a non-participatory culture into one.”  Software
can be used to facilitate the participatory nature of a community, but tools alone won’t do the
job. Community is about people and their connections to one another. Creating social
connections that support and nurture participation requires intentional actions to build and
nurture relationships.

The activities of a community of practice are dependent on an environment of mutual respect

and trust, which encourages a willingness to:

share ideas
 expose one’s knowledge gaps
 ask difficult questions, and
 listen carefully.
For online communities of practices especially, relationships are fostered by frequent
synchronous and asynchronous interaction. Creating ‘a sense of presence’ of other
community members is essential for keeping individuals actively engaged with the
community.

After the initial rush to put learning events online in the last decade, it’s been clearly
established that the more effective practice is blended learning. Blended learning is a
purposeful combination of face-to-face and virtual learning events.

USE FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS

Participants in recent communities of practice have reported over and over again that the
most valuable activity of the community was the face-to-face meetings at the beginning of the
project. These one or two-day sessions create an opportunity for participants to meet each

21 | N S T P 2 0 2 2 - 2 0 2 3
other, clarify the purpose of the community, and begin to develop working relationships with
one another.

Goals for an initial face-to-face session typically include:

 Helping participants find areas of common interest as educators

 Reviewing goals and rationales, and creating opportunities for individuals and
teams to set goals of their own
 Creating common understandings of terms, concepts and processes that will be

explored throughout the year

 Creating time for participants to explore technologies that will be used

throughout the project.

What is a Community Needs

Assessment?

The needs assessment is a process used

to determine the needs of individuals or

a group of individuals to design a

program that will respond effectively to

the needs and bring about desired

changes in behavior.

Needs assessment is both a process and a method. As a process, it can build leadership,

group unity, and a sense of local involvement in the community. Some needs assessment

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techniques, such as surveys and focus groups, provide participants a chance to express their

opinions on community issues. As a method, a needs assessment is a tool that helps a

community plan and implement strategies.

A community needs assessment identifies the strengths and resources available in the

community to meet the needs of children, youth, and families. The assessment focuses on the

capabilities of the community, including its citizens, agencies, and organizations. Conducting a

needs assessment will help your community to evaluate where it is, compared with what it

wants to be. It provides a framework for developing and identifying services and solutions and

building communities that support and nurture children and families.

The needs of a community are those things a community requires to meet its goals

and sustain itself. T hese are routine, ongoing challenges the community must address:

1. Physical Needs - The most basic needs. This set of needs includes those that

help care for our bodies as well as those that deal with the things we make or

build.

2. Social and Emotional Needs - Forming

and maintaining relationships is an

integral function of the community. A

feeling of well-being and confidence in

23 | N S T P 2 0 2 2 - 2 0 2 3
 the future is necessary if a community is to achieve its potential.

3. Political Needs - Community life requires a continuous series of decisions on matters that
affect its members. This process involves forming policies that manage resources and
relationships. Each community faces a set of political needs, and it will develop a
governance or decision, making structure if it intends to respond to those needs.

Governance structures usually have spelled out procedures for gathering information,
making decisions, developing rules or laws, describing those rules or laws, and enforcing
them. These procedures
describe who is allowed to participate in the process and how (Fellin).

4. Economic Needs - The community's economic system provides a way for its members to
develop the means to acquire things that are important to them. Usually, this means money.

5. Educational and Communication Needs - A community needs to know more about itself
and the world in which it operates. The community has to have information and methods
for developing, transmitting, and receiving that information.

When these needs are not adequately met and discomfort to the member's results, community
problems exist. As such they are needs that have not been properly addressed. If things stay the
same, the problems and discomforts will persist. The only way to get rid of the problems or
reduce them is for people to do things differently.

Importance of Need Assessment Survey

1. Gather information about citizen attitudes and options
regarding precisely defined issues, problems, or opportunities;
2. Determine how citizens rank issues, problems, and
opportunities in order of importance and urgency.
3. Give citizens a voice in determining policies, goals, and
priorities;
4. Determine citizen support for initiatives;
5. Evaluate current programs and policies; and
6. End speculation about “what people are thinking of” or
“what people want.”

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Information to be Included in Assessing Community Needs
1. Historical Development – this
refers to data on how the
community became what it is
today and provides insights into
the kind of resources to collect
and weed.
2. Geographical and
Transportation Information –
this includes information on the
community’s patterns and
population contributions.
3. Political and Legal Functions
– this includes strategies for
community uses for selecting
players in the political sphere.
4. Demographical Data –
this includes data on age
characteristics, size, race, and
transience of population.
5. Economic Data – this refers to the economic base, social, cultural,
educational,recreational,and organizations. This includes values and social patterns.

I. Geographic Profile (Data source may come from barangay or city/municipal

hall)
A. Physical
I. Location/Boundaries (North, East, West, South)
II. Terrain
III. Facilities (like clinic/hospital schools, recreation hall, etc.)
IV. Climate
V. Basic Food
B. Cultural
I. History of Place and People
II. Languages being used
III. Peace and Order situation (usual community conflict and/or
crime rate)
IV. Clothing (most applicable to rural setting)
II. Social (Data comes from survey)
A. Total Population
B. Total Number of Household
C. Population distribution by Gender (and Age)
D. Population distribution by Educational Attainment
E. Health and common illness

25 | N S T P 2 0 2 2 - 2 0 2 3
 F. Recreation
III. Economic
A. Wage Earners in the Family
B. Employment
C. House Hold monthly income

IV. Life Skills

A. Abilities
B. Interests
V. Spiritual Aspect
VI. A. Number of people with active membership in the church
VII. Social-Political Aspect
A. Known social programs or projects and other related community
efforts (whether existing or planned efforts)
B. Expression of satisfactory/dissatisfactory towards current social
programs
C. Perceived community problems
D. Recognized community leaders
E. Other Agencies, GOs, or NGOs that are in the area or that serve the
community.

Sample of Community Needs Assessment Framework/Design for Urban and Rural Setting

Methods in Collecting Data for Community Needs Assessment

1. Focused Group
Discussion (FGD) with
Key informants, The key
informants of the
community are people
who socially responsible
positions such as
educators, public
officials, clergy, and
business representatives
or those who are active in
community events. These
are the people who can
provide good information
that will guide and give
you a better
understanding of
historical issues needed

26 | N S T P 2 0 2 2 - 2 0 2 3
 by the community.

2. Community Forum/Assembly.
This involves holding group events that may include the entire community.
It gives visibility to the leaders and raises the status of the community but it
requires lots of planning and publicity. This meeting can be a venue where
people can express their needs and be immediately validated by the rest of
the attendees. Particularly action research effectively uses these methods.

3. Public records. Public records like the national census will provide data
for social and demographic indicators of the community. Data included are
age, gender, educational level, locality, etc. that tend to contribute to library
use.

4. Survey. Surveys and questionnaires involve asking individuals in the

community about their everyday needs. This can be implemented through
the following:
a. Mailing questionnaires to randomly selected members of the
community;
b. Performing telephone survey;
c. Handling out surveys while people are in an assembly; and
d. Posting questionnaires on your public access computer catalog,
An example of this is the Minimum Basic Needs (MBN) Form of the
DSWD.

Steps Involved in Conducting A Community Needs

Assessment

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 Step 1. Identify the goals of the needs assessment. The goal should be made

clear. The following are examples of possible goals:

a. Identification of new possible community service program;

b. Identification of additional support community service program; and

c. Evaluation of the current or existing community service program.

Step 2. Form and establish a needs assessment committee or team to solicit

citizen and community involvement and develop a plan of action. The

committee or team will initially be composed of the administrators, advisers, and

students. Once the school team is complete, involve representatives from the

community/institution for discussion of the various consideration and factors that

will affect the needs assessment.

Step 3. Determine the community to be assessed and list important issues to be

addressed. Identify the target beneficiary or grantee of the extension service. This

may be any of the following:

a. Your institutions adopted barangay.

b. Barangay community where your institution is located.

c. The Barangay community-recommended possible extension services.

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 d. Any marginalized groups.

e. e. Any other institutions, like charitable organizations, non-government

organizations, churches, recreational clubs, and faith-based organizations.

Step 4. Identify the population to be surveyed and select a random sample of

persons to survey. From the identified target community, identify the respondents

for the needs assessment. It is important to get a complete picture from many

sources and viewpoints. Don’t take some manager’s word for what is needed.

Step 5. Determine the information that is needed. Information may be existing,

which must be collected, or it may be information gathered using a survey.

Decisions about what data will be collected, the methodology involved in the

collection, analysis, and staff are all factors that can increase the length of time

necessary to complete the assessment.

Step 6. Conduct a review of past and current programs and activities. Once

existing information has been reviewed, the community can determine where gaps

exist and can decide which primary data collection methods are most appropriate

and feasible.

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 Step 7. Select community needs assessment tool/s. There are several basic

techniques. Ideally, a community needs assessment should include a combination

of tools. The following are some community needs assessment tools;

a. Survey. Use a formal survey or questionnaire to collect information

from a wide range of community members. The surveys can be

administered in many ways, including mail, telephone, using trained

research assistants, and intercept.

b. Interviews. Collect information from community members who are in a

position to know community needs; these are key informants.

c. A Focus group is a guided discussion among a small number of

individuals from the target audience and related populations, designed

to elicit opinions and perceptions about a particular idea or issue.

h. Consultation with key positions, and/or with specific knowledge.

i. Tests and Direct observation

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 Step 8. Identify existing community resources. Every community has resources

that will be useful and must be tapped to make the community project a success.

The resources are:

a. Human resources. These are the people with skills in public health,

social marketing, program planning, community organizing, program

management, financial management, and working with youth;

b. Financial resources. These are financial assets available.

c. Equipment and Material. This includes all equipment, materials, and

supplies that will be available to support the activities; and

d. Community Organizations/Groups. All agencies, organizations,

firms, and institutions within the community can be considered assets to

the community in some way.

Step 9. Develop and pretest a questionnaire. The team should review what

questions should be asked to come up with an effective assessment. Some things

do not require questioning but mere observation because some community

representatives may not provide information as honest as they can be.

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 Step 10. Gather and collect key information from and about the target audience/s.

Step 11. Synthesize and analyze all assembled data. This is perhaps the most

important step of the process because data are just pieces of information until they

are placed in context, synthesized, and interpreted. The results of the needs

assessment process will depend on who is involved in the conduct of the analysis.

Step 12. Implement the assessment using the selected tool/s and analyze the data

and results.

Step13. Prepare a report detailing the results and use the report to determine

appropriate community interventions or programs. After prioritizing and

focusing on critical organizational needs, identify specific problem areas and

opportunities in the community.

Step 14. Report the results.

d. Public forum. Bring a wide range of community members together at

public meetings to gather information via group discussions.

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 e. Youth forums. Involving youth in the needs assessment process gives

the process credibility because the people who are affected by the

problem are directly involved in the process of developing solutions.

f. Secondary data analysis. Review and analyze data that have already

been collected regarding community issues and needs.

g. Asset mapping. Gather information about existing community assets

and resources.

h. Step 15. Identify possible solutions and growth opportunities.

Community Assistance in Assessing Needs

1. Help identify community groups and citizens to be involved in the working committee.

2. Facilitate group discussion to identify important issues and set priorities.

3. Help select the sample to be surveyed and design a system to identify respondents.

4. Provides tested questions from which the working committees choose questions that

address the issues and concerns.

5. Help design a process to distribute and collect survey questionnaires, code, enter, and

analyze the resulting data.

6. Provide summary reports of data.

7. Suggest programs to report the results and strategies to solicit community involvement.

8. Work with citizens to identify courses of action based on the information.

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 Name: Course & Section:
Facilitator: Date:
Direction: Interview your barangay officials in your respective barangay using the form. Please
observe health protocols during the said interview.

1. Name of Community /Institution Being Assessed:

2. Venue or Description of the Location:

3. Name of Community Leaders and Representative:

4. Description of the Community and Basic Community Statistics:

I. Community Leaders and Members’ Opinion

1. What activities are usually/currently conducted?
Social Educational
Spiritual Recreational
Livelihood All of the above
Others, Please specify

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2. How frequent are the activities being conducted?
Weekly Semi- monthly
Monthly Semi- annually
Annually
Others, please specify:

3. Who conduct the activities?

Barangay Council Non-Government Organizations
Combination Community/ Civic Groups
Youth/ Students
Others, Please specify:

4. Who are the active participants of the community being conducted?

Parents Mothers
Fathers Youth
Students Out of school youth
Kids
Others, please specify:

5. Who benefits from the activities?

Barangay Constituents
NGO’s
Others, please specify:

6. What are the facilities available in the community?

Library Plaza
Sports center Social hall
Day care center Health Center
Others, please specify:

7. Condition of roads:
cemented gravel and sand
asphalted muddy
Dusty

8. What activities are perceived to be mostly needed by the community?

Livelihood activities Job fair
Spiritual activities Feeding program
Social mobilization

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 Others, please specify:

9. Issues, problems and opportunities present in the community

Family problem Lack of support to
activities
Drug Addiction Education
Vices Garbage
Health Peace and order
___________________Sanitation Others, please specify:

10. Issues/concern that the community leaders/members think should be

prioritized
Cleanliness
Peace and order
Others, please specify:

11. Barangay needs:

12. Make an analysis or a narrative report based on the findings above together with your
documentation during the conduct of the said activities.

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