SOCIAL MOBILIZATION

The Concept of Social Mobilization

Social mobilization is a method that empowers individuals to organize

for collective action by pooling resources and building solidarity to address
common problems and promote community advancement. It empowers
individuals to form democratically self-governing groups or community
organizations, allowing them to initiate and control their personal and
communal developments, rather than simply participating in government or
external initiatives.
- Quintana

Key Elements of Social Mobilization

From worldwide experience there are (4) basic elements of social
mobilization:

1.Organizational Development – a process in which community members,

especially the poor form their own groups or organizations based on common
development interest and needs that are best served organizing themselves as a
group.

2.Capital formation through community savings – enhances a community

organization’s potential for development. Savings generate assets, enabling self-
reliance and income generation.
3.Training for Human Resource Development. Community members can
enhance their potential by organizing themselves, upgrading skills, and
establishing connections with local government.

4.Socio-economic Development. Initiatives encourage community members to

organize themselves, providing support through grants, credit, marketing, and other
services.
- Cabaraban
• The following should be undertaken in social mobilization

Advocacy – element which is focused on various actors which could create the positive environment for
program or service delivery.

Information, Education and Communication (EIC) – is a set of accurate and consistent information on the
programs and services as a timely response by those in direct contact with the communities.

Communication Organizing – individual and community groups are able to get a sense of what they can do
among themselves to improve their situation.

Capacity Building – social mobilization can only be sustained if the network of the advocates and mobilizers
are continually expanded through
• Capacity – building (people)
• Institutional Development (organization)
Community Empowerment and Program Sustainability
• Empowerment is the process of people taking action to overcome the obstacles to progress where
this action involves getting more control over their situation.
• Community Empowerment enables individuals and the community to do their own thinking and
reflection to improve their situation.
• Sustainability comes only when individuals, groups, and communities gave ownership of the
problem and are able to act on their own.
Institutional Development
• Seeks to improve the ability of the institution to carry out its mandate, mission and vision and
achieve its goal and objectives.
• Key levels: system, processes, network financial capacity, physical infrastructure and management
of resources.
Networking and Alliances Building:
• Social Mobilization’s success depends on the identification of relevant individuals and groups
which can contribute to the achievement of the program’s goals.
*Partners are those with whom we work directly.
*Allies are those who have similar interest and programs with us, but with whom we may not work
directly.

Benefits of Social Mobilization

Poverty Alleviation - is a crucial tool in poverty alleviation, promoting equity and addressing issues of
gender, racial, and ethnic discrimination among communities and the poor.
Promoting Democratic Governance – experience shows that poverty and poor governance perpetuate
exclusion from decision-making processes, limited access to basic services, and dependency.
 - Magbanua
Environmental management involves promoting legal, regulatory, and institutional frameworks and policy dialogue to
better manage natural resources and combat degrading practices and organizations.

Conflict prevention involves people addressing common problems and improving socio-economic conditions in an
equitable, democratic, and transparent manner, thereby significantly reducing the possibility of conflict.
The series of mobilization and
management training interventions 1.Sensation and Clearance – sessions with local leaders and government
goes something like this (modified officials.
according to varying situation)
2.Awareness Raising – public meetings with members of target communities.
Sensation and
Clearance
3.Mobilizer Training – organizing the community workers
4.Unity Organizing – putting together different community units or leaders
Awareness Raising 5.Participatory Assessment – identifying priority problems (therefore priority
Official Completion
Ceremony goals as solutions).
Mobilizer Training 6.Management Training – The training of community leaders and mobilizers
Work Continues (e.g. how to prepare and write effective project designs.
Until Completion
Unity Organizing 7.Community Action Plan (CAP) – consistent with direct plans and community
priorities.
Implementation Participatory
begins
Mobilization
Assessment
8.Community Project Designs - created from and submitted by target
Cycle
communities as proposals.
Monitoring & Recording Management Training 9.Negotiation – proposals discussed until they meet everyone’s expectations
10.Monitoring and Recording – following up and preparing updated reports on
Negotiation Community Action development
Plan (CAP)
11.Implementation Begins – work on community projects by community
Community
Project Designs
members starts.
12.Work Continues Until Completion – implementation, monitoring, reporting,
payments
13.Official Completion Ceremony – invite more community project designs.
Community Management Processes:

I. Situation Analysis – it is a collective process of examining the prevailing social,

political, economic, environmental, cultural and spiritual conditions of a given
community. It is a prepatory step to the actual planning process.
Roles of Community Workers in Situation Analysis
1. Determine how they can improve the prevailing situation to achieve community goals.
2. Collectivity understand and define community needs and problems.
3. Identify change strategies and resources, and making decisions on how to implement the
identified solutions.

Steps in Facilitating Situation Analysis

1. Community Orientation
2. Data Gathering
3. Data processing
4. Preparation of community profile
5. Presentation, Validation and Approval of the Community Profile
6. Finalization of the Community Profile Dissemination

II. Community Planning – it is a process through which the people collectively define
their priority problems, determine their development vision, set goals and objectives,
identify resources which they can utilize, and develop a plan of action to achieve c
ommunity goals.
- Bagaan

Roles of Community Workers in Planning

1. Enable people to address their community needs and problems
2. Develop planning skills
3. Involve community member in decision-making
4. Provide the community members with a process where they can plan their own
development
5. Guide the community members in developing a plan of action geared towards achieving
community goals.

Steps in Facilitating Community Planning

1. Formation of Community Planning Team
2. Community Visioning
3. Setting of community goals and objectives
4. Identifying resources and constraints
5. Preparation of community plan of action and budget
6. Presentation, community validation and approval of the community plan of action and
budget
 III. Implementation – it is a process of carrying out the projects and activitites in the
community action plan. Its main purpose is to test the feasibility of the planned
projects and activities, and institute necessary change or modifications when
necessary.

Roles of Community Workers during Implementation

1. Oversee and direct the implementation of projects and activities
2. Conduct an information and advocacy campaign on the community plan
3. Motivate the community members to contribute to the projects and activities
4. Monitor the status of implementation (come up with a checklist or data board on the status of
projects/activities)
5. Make quick adjustment in consultation with the community members when problems arise.
6. Coordinate various activities, tasks and efforts of community member
7. Mobilize community resources for the projects or activities
8. Conduct regular consultation and feed-backing with community members
9. Clarify roles of each member on projects or activities
10.Manage interpersonal relationship and conflict management
11.Facilitate team-building activities (reflection process, values-formation)
 SOCIAL
MOBILIZATION