Instructional Module in

NSTP-CWTS 2

Civic Welfare and

Training Service 1
 Introduction

The Civic Welfare Training Service Program (CWTSP) is a program component of the
National Service Training Program (NSTP) under the Republic Act 9163 known as the National
Service Training Program Act of 2001 which refers to "programs of activities contributory to the
general welfare and betterment of life for the members of the community or the enhancement of
its facilities, especially those devoted to improving health, education, environment,
entrepreneurship, safety, recreation and moral of the citizenry (Section 3, d)."

The Civic Welfare Training Service Program II (CWTSP II) is a second semester course
which consists of projects and activities designed to encourage the students to contribute in the
improvement of the general welfare and the quality of life for the local community and its
various institutional components, more particularly in terms of "improving health, education,
environment, entrepreneurship, safety, recreation and moral of the citizenry (Section 3, d.)." It
includes lectures, community immersions/exposures and civic community project/s
implementation. The students are given the opportunity to do actual civic/community service
under the supervision of the teacher- facilitator. Through the different projects planned,
implemented and evaluated by the students themselves, they are expected to become
civic/community minded and socially responsible.

A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as norms,
religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given
geographical area (e.g. a country, village, town, or neighbourhood) or in virtual space through
communication platforms. Durable relations that extend beyond immediate genealogical ties also
define a sense of community, important to their identity, practice, and roles in social institutions
such as family, home, work, government, society, or humanity at large. Although communities are
usually small relative to personal social ties, "community" may also refer to large group affiliations
such as national communities, international communities, and virtual communities.
The English-language word "community" derives from the Old French comuneté which
comes from the Latin communitas "community", "public spirit" (from Latin communis,
"common").
Human communities may have intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, and risks in
common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness.

Systems Perspective
From a systems perspective, a community is similar to a living creature, comprising different
parts that represent specialized functions, activities, or interests, each operating within specific
boundaries to meet community needs. For example, schools focus on education, the
transportation sector focuses on moving people and products, economic entities focus on
enterprise and employment, faith organizations focus on the spiritual and physical well-being of
people, and health care agencies focus on the prevention and treatment of diseases and injuries
(Henry, 2011). For the community to function well, each part has to effectively carry out its role
in relation to the whole organism. A healthy community has well-connected, interdependent
sectors that share responsibility for recognizing and resolving problems and enhancing its well
being. Successfully addressing a community’s complex problems requires integration,
collaboration, and coordination of resources from all parts.

Virtual Perspective
Some communities map onto geographically defined areas, but today, individuals rely more and
more on computer-mediated communications to access information, meet people, and make
decisions that affect their lives (Kozinets, 2002). Examples of computer-mediated forms of
communication include email, instant or text messaging, e-chat rooms, and social networking
sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter (Flavian et al., 2005). Social groups or groups with
a common interest that interact in an organized fashion on the Internet are considered “virtual
communities” (Rheingold, 2000; Ridings et al., 2002). Without question, these virtual
communities are potential partners for community-engaged health promotion and research.

Individual Perspective
Individuals have their own sense of community membership that is beyond the
definitions of community applied by researchers and engagement leaders. Moreover, they may
have a sense of belonging to more than one community. In addition, their sense of membership
can change over time and may affect their participation in community activities (Minkler et al.,
2004).
The philosopher and psychologist William James shed light on this issue in his writings. James
thought it important to consider two perspectives on identity: the “I,” or how a person thinks
about himself or herself, and the “me,” or how others see and think about that person. Sometimes
these two views agree and result in a shared sense of an identity, but other times they do not.
People should not make assumptions about identity based on appearance, language, or cultural
origin; nor should they make assumptions about an individual’s perspective based on his or her
identity.

A COMMUNITY is a place where people: Work, Play and Live

Types of Community
Three types of communities are:

Urban - a large community with many people and large buildings, a city

Suburb - a medium-sized community near a large city, houses are close together,
you may see parks and malls

Rural - a community where houses are far apart, there are a smaller number of
people, and you may see farms and forests
 Rural Culture Urban Culture
• Formal belief system • Urban culture is described to be usually
• Animistic belief as large, with people engaged in varied
• Fiestas occupations

Types of community by the purpose that brings them together.

1. Interest. Communities of people who share the same interest or passion.

2. Action. Communities of people trying to bring about change.
3. Place. Communities of people brought together by geographic boundaries.
4. Practice. Communities of people in the same profession or undertake the same
activities.
5. Circumstance. Communities of people brought together by external
events/situations.

A Community can be Geographical and Functional

Geographical community is defined in the purview of group of persons living in the
same geographical location like a certain village, town, district, area or territory.

Functional community is defined as the aggregate of people though not necessarily

based on living in the same geographical location, is bounded by a common end such as fighting
for the same cause, having the same interests and goals.

Elements of a Community
The important elements are the following:

1. Demographics – includes population distribution and density

2. History – events of the past that contributed to the development of the community
3. Culture – ways of living of the people
4. Economy – income level and occupation of people
5. Structures – physical, political and social structures in the community

Rural-Urban Migration
Rural-urban migration is both a socioeconomic phenomenon and a spatial process
involving the movement of people from rural areas into cities, either permanently or
semipermanently.
At present, it occurs mainly in developing countries as they undergo rapid urbanization.
Job opportunities created by industrialization attract the surplus rural labor to the cities to seek
higher salaries through employment in the industrial sector.
Rural-urban migration is widely considered an inevitable component of the development process,
though it has a broad range of consequences and implications.
PUSH FACTORS
Push factor is something that can force or encourage people to move away from an area.
They are the bad conditions that drive people out of their homes.

Push factors may also include famine (as in Ethiopia in the 1980s), drought, flooding (as in
Bangladesh, were people are becoming climate change refugees and having to move to Dhaka),
lack of employment opportunities, population growth and over population, and civil war (as in
Darfur at the moment).
PULL FACTORS

• Pull factors may also include the ff.:

- chance of a better job
- better access to education and services
- higher standard of living

• Pull factor encourages people to move to an area. They are the good conditions that attract
people to come to live in that area.
• These factors have contributed to millions of people in LEDCs moving to cities in LEDCs,
creating mass URBANIZATION.

Why Migration happen in a community?

• Migration is often a rational and dynamic effort to seek new opportunities in life
• Movement is economically motivated due to lack of employment, livelihood and economic
opportunities in their locality.

• Education as a critical factor in migration decision (mismatch with educational attainment

and available economic activities in the area of origin pushes migrants to the cities)

• Perceived availability of better income and opportunities in the city (i.e. as illustrated in
media or conveyed by people who have been in the city)
• Migration decisions are facilitated by existing social support and network in the destination
area
• Individuals decide to move when they have relatives or friends in the area of
destination
• Successful migrants then invite and support their family or friends to the city
• Political factors
• Population transfer agreement between LGUs (e.g. relocation or human settlement
sites some institutional conditions)
• Some LGUs prefer influx of migrants to their cities to increase market and labor
force for their economic activities

Other expressed reasons for migration

• Some people moved because of marital arrangements

• Internally displaced due to environmental disasters (e.g. typhoon Yolanda) and armed
conflicts
 • Older migrants return to the rural area due to:
• Failure of achieving migration objectives and expectations
• High cost of living in the ci

Name:

Course and Section:

Activity 1. Collages are a tremendous way to enjoy your most-loved photos and present a bigger
picture of some memorable event. Put and describe the Photo Collage of your Community here.
Name:
Course and Section:
Activity 2. Using any art materials, make an ideal community. Be creative.