NSTP Community Outreach Program: A Prelude to Community Extension

Introduction to the Concept and Principle of

Community Extension Program

Intended Learning Outcomes

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

1. Explain the concept of community; and Mapp out the assets and needs of the
community: PO1
2. Identify the purpose of a community needs assessment; and PO1
3. Outline the process in conducting a community needs assessment. PO3
4. Analyze the relationship between monitoring and evaluation; and PO3
5. illustrate the importance of monitoring and evaluation in determining the
sustainability of a project. PO4
 Preparations:

Take a walk around the community to map out current assets and needs and to
brainstorm possibilities for service-learning projects.
Objectives:

To examine community assets and needs

Materials Time
• Poster paper
• Markers and crayons
• Pencils and paper for taking notes

Procedures:

Groupings (At least 5 members in a group)

While taking a walking tour of the community, ask your group mates to identify key
community institutions, businesses, people, places of worship, and other places of
significance. Have your group bring paper and pencils to record their observations
about what they see, what they learn, what they like, and what they don’t like.
Instruct your members to form small groups and draw a map of your community on a
one-half size of manila paper. Suggest that they start with their homes and with
public places like schools, places of worship, libraries, parks, and other locations
where residents gather. They should also include notable natural features, prominent
species of animals, and common species of plants.

Ask questions regarding their choices and emphases: What places are over- or
under-represented, and what might this say about the kids’ feelings toward and
perceptions of their community?

After the class complete their maps, discuss community assets, and needs.
Community assets are the positive features the community has to offer: Parks, police
stations, and hospitals are assets, as are active citizens in the community and the
different cultures of residents. Broadly speaking, community needs are what the
community lacks and the problems it faces: Environmental examples can include
litter, lack of shade, limited green space, soil erosion, water pollution, unsanitary
management of solid waste, mosquito breeding sites, and unkempt buildings.

Ask the group what additional assets or needs they did not observe on their walk but
would still add. List their thoughts. From their community maps and community
assets-and-needs list, identify common themes among the group’s observations.
Take time to discuss these themes in depth. Priority areas should be considered as
possibilities for service-learning projects.

This lesson is an activity from the Environmental Activities for Youth Clubs and Camps, a resource developed
by the Peace Corps Office of Overseas Programming and Training (OPATS). It was contributed by Peace
Corps/Mexico.
 Presentations:

Preparations Community Mapping

Pre-entry to the community

This is not a prescribed formula or process to do community organizing. Every community has its own
unique situation and context, and this should determine the community organizing process for that
particular community.

• Selection of the Barangay using the prepared selection guidelines.

• Obtain and analyze relevant information of the barangay like the ff:
✓
Barangay Officials
✓
Committees and
Chairpersons
✓
Barangay workers
and volunteers:
BHWs, Tanods, etc.
✓
Socio-Demographic
Data
✓
Cultural Data
✓
Economic Data
✓
Social Map
✓
Health Data
✓
Resource Map
✓
Hazard Map
✓
Barangay Vision and
Mission Statements
✓
Barangay Development Plan and Budget
✓
Other Barangay Plans
✓
Community organizations in the Barangay
✓
NGOs working in the Barangay
• Develop a strategy and a program of activities, with timeframes and
persons involved.
• Define the roles and functions of persons involved.
• Ensure that your planned activities are supported with approved budget
and school policies.
• Get to know about the attitudes of the Barangay Officials.
• Prepare by doing a role play prior to entry.
• Send an official communication to the Barangay Officials (Barangay Captain and
the Councilors)
• Do a courtesy call to the Barangay Officials:
✓
Explain the plan: the aim, strategy, program, resources to be used,
people to be involved, timeframe and expected outcomes
✓
Describe what CTU expects from the Barangay Officials
✓
Explain the value of collaboration, partnership, participatory
process, results orientation and sustainability
 ✓
Note the points of agreement, concern, disagreement, unanswered
questions, and suggestions and synthesize at the end of the meeting
✓
Agree on the next steps.

COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Knowing the Community

Community is simply defined as

people with common interests living
together in the same place.

This term is derived from the

old French word comunite and the
Latin term communitas which are
broad terminologies for fellowship,
commonness, unstructured society, or
organized society.

The most common and simplest definition of community is that it is an

aggregation of families and individuals and who have settled in a compact and
contiguous geographical area and share significant elements of common life as
shown in their manners, customs, traditions, and modes of speech. For Manalili
(2009), a community refers to an organization of people who are able to undertake
projects based on its members’ experience, resiliency, motivation, and willingness to
learn. In archeology, community is understood in two ways. First, it is a place where
people actually reside in, an idea quite similar to the concept of ancient settlement.
Second, it is a group of individuals who lived near and interact with each other. An
active community is an organization of people who strategize, conceptualize,
implement, and evaluate a program (Bunagan et. al., 2009). The definition of a
community may vary, but certain commonalities are noticeable when explaining and
describing the concepts (Norman, 1998)
In Genesis 1:27 of the Old Testament, the word community encompasses all
God’s creation in the universe including man and woman, whom He created in His own
image. He allowed them to have dominion over all living things and other natural
creations. In addition, God placed the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden so it
could be guarded and cultivated. Man and woman are not created to live in isolation
from one another. The first framework established in understanding the essence of a
community concentrates on the relationship of the Lord with His creation.
Sociological Concept of a Community

Sociologically speaking, the family is the smallest unit of the society. It is

composed of the immediate and non-immediate members, while a community is
composed of different families who live in the same place and share the same
interests. The activities of the families that are also conducted by a community
include sharing common resources, working for the common good, and building
harmonious relationships.

These central qualities of a family are also the basic building blocks of any community. It
is believed that stronger families help develop stronger communities. An individual person can
form a family, a family can form a community, and a community can form a nation.

Aesthetic and Moral Values of a Community

The aesthetic and moral values of a community consist of the guiding and
sometimes paradoxical ideas that its member hold, e.g., how they know what is good
from bad, beautiful from ugly, and right from wrong. The justifications for the set
values of communities are necessary in explaining their actions.
As a community develops, its values change. A change in values may result
from innovations in technology or the social hierarchy. Examples of values include
solidarity, commitment, mutuality, and trust.
It was Greek philosopher Aristotle who first postulated the concept of community
as a group established by people with shared values. That initial definition has been
refined and expanded throughout the years. It has been recognized, for example, the
people can belong to different types of communities: (1) communities of place, in which
people are linked in the geographical sense; (2) communities of memory, in which
people who may technically be strangers share a morally significant history; and (3)
communities of face-to-face personal interaction, in which people are governed by
sentiments of trust, cooperation, and altruism (Boyles, 1997).
How, then, can a community be understood at the beginning of the
st
21 century? What will its future be in the time to come?

Community Needs Assessment

A community needs assessment is a process in which the problems,

issues, and concerns of the community are identified by using several tools. Needs
assessment, social analysis, or community diagnosis is a concrete basis for the
formulation of the programs. It reflects the sentiments, needs, aspirations, and
recommendations of the community. It becomes significant when conducted as the
students get integrated with the people. Assessing the needs of the community is a
prelude to effective program implementation. It hopes to solve the problems, issues,
and concerns of the people in the locality.

In determining the areas of improvement in a community, the following steps

should be taken:
 1. Gather information about the community’s attitudes and opinions in order of
importance.
2. Determine how citizens rank local issues, problems, and opportunities.
3. Give the citizens voice in determining policies, goals, and priorities.
4. Evaluate current programs and policies.
5. Speculate on what the people are thinking and what they may really want.

Steps in Conducting a Community Needs Assessment

The steps in conducting a needs assessment as follows:

1. Establish a working committee to solicit community involvement and
develop plan of action.
2. List important aspects or areas that need to be analyzed.
3. Identify the population to be surveyed.
4. Determine the information needed.
5. Select a random sample of people to survey.
6. Develop and pre-test a questionnaire.
7. Collate the information gathered.
8. Analyze the data.
9. Go back to the community to validate the results or findings.
10. Finalize the report.

Data Gathering Methods for Community Needs Assessment

1. Focus group discussion (FGD) by key informants.

The key informants of the community are the people who hold socially
rele4vant positions such as educators, public officials, clergymen, business
representatives, or volunteers.

2. Community Forum/assembly

This involves holding group events which include the entire community.
Such events give visibility to the leaders and raise the status of the
community; however, they require extensive planning and publicity.
Participatory action research uses this method effectively.

3. Public records

Public records like the national census provide social and demographic
data of the community. The data include the profile of the population
such as age, gender, educational level, among others.
 4. Survey

Surveys and questionnaires involve asking individuals in the community about

their everyday needs. These can be implemented through the following:
a. Mailing questionnaires to randomly selected members of the community
b. Doing telephone surveys
c. Handing out survey during assemblies
d. Posting questionnaires on the internet

Needs Assessment Survey

A needs assessment survey is conducted to identify community needs

which are necessary for subsequent actions. This survey contains a set questions to
be answered by people in the community through personal or telephone interview,
online or face-to-face surveys, or email or written correspondences. The following
data are gathered in a need’s assessment survey:

1. Historical data
2. Geographical data
3. Political and legal data
4. Demographic data (e.g., age, size, race, growth patterns, and population
distribution)
5. Economic data (e.g., the nature of the economic base in relation to the social,
cultural, educational, moral, and cultural superstructure)

Roles of the Community in a Needs Assessment

The roles of the community in a need’s assessment are as follows:

1. Help identify interest groups and citizens who can be a part of working
committees.
2. Facilitate a group discussion to determine the important issues and priorities.
3. Select the sample to be surveyed and design a system to identify respondents.
4. Provide a pool of questions from which the working committees draw upon
addressing issues and concerns.
5. Design a way of distributing and collecting survey questionnaires and
encoding and analyzing the resulting data.
6. Provide summary reports of data.
7. Suggest programs whereby results can be reported and strategies on
community involvement solicited.
8. Work with citizens to come up with well-informed course of action.
 Project proposal, Documentation, Monitoring and Evaluation

“This section discusses the meaning,

outcome, impact, and methodology of
program monitoring and participatory
evaluation, as well as the concept of
accountability, equality, and equity of the top
management.”

To monitor is to keep track of the implementation of the project. Monitoring

involves the study of the progress of an undertaking in relation to the agreed upon
schedule, resources, and performance indicators. Moreover, it identifies “lagging
areas” that require intervention Monitoring has also been defined as the
management function guiding the project towards its intended direction and checking
the performance of workers using pre-determined plans and targets to ensure timely
completion.

Furthermore, monitoring is the implementation of effective internal controls

which are generally built into the daily operational activities. Along with other
procedures, monitoring can be in any of the following forms:

1. Assessment of one’s daily operational activities

2. Utilization of internal audit personnel or other similar personnel who are
performing a wide range of functions
3. Correspondence with third parties
4. Implementation of additional safeguards

Monitoring is a type of process performed while a project is being

implemented. IT aims develop the project design in real time. The information
gathered during monitoring is used to make important changes in the project. As an
internal activity, it provides constant feedback on the progress of the project, i.e., the
problem it is facing, and the efficiency with which it is being implemented.

Evaluation is the study of project outcome and the factors that led to such an
outcome (e.g., changes in income, housing quality, benefits distribution, cost
effectiveness, etc.) with the aim of improving the design of future projects.
 Evaluation is, therefore, used in selection. Evaluation studies assess the
extent to which a certain project can produce certain results (e.g., increase in
income, better housing quality, etc.) and distribute benefits among different groups. It
also includes a review of overall cost-effectiveness.

Monitoring and evaluation are neither expensive nor complicated. They do not
require specialists or technicians. The complexity of these studies can be adapted to
fit the needs of the program.

The purposes of monitoring and evaluation are to:

1. Assess project results to find out if the objectives and desired changes are being
met;
2. Improve project management and process planning to better adapt to contextual
and risk factors such as new social and political relations that may affect the
research process;
3. Promote learning by identifying lessons of general applicability such as how
different approaches to participation affect outcomes, impact, and reach; what
works and what does not; and what contextual factors enable or constrain
participatory research;
4. Understand – through direct participation in monitoring and evaluation – the
different stakeholders’ perspectives to allow the various people involve in a
research to better appreciate each other views and values and come up with
ways to resolve competing or conflicting opinions and interests; and
5. Ensure accountability to assess whether the project is effectively, appropriately,
and efficiently executed and accounted for to the key agencies supporting the
project (including, but not exclusively, the donors).

Monitoring Outcomes

Monitoring outputs is not new; it has been the standard practice for a long
time. However, it is imperative to ask: In what way it is beneficial to the target group?
What has been the outcome, result, and impact of a project? These questions have
often been neglected since they are difficult to answer. But confronting them is highly
important since the question of whether or not a project has been beneficial will
answer the question of whether or not the purpose of the project has been fulfilled.

Monitoring Accountability

It has been proven that the continuous monitoring and recording of

information regarding the outcome and impact of a project are crucial in project
steering since they fine-tune activities, thereby maximizing results.
 Providers are expected to have their projects constantly monitored and
evaluated by outside experts and the project implementers. Constant monitoring and
evaluation provide a more immediate feedback and facilitate learning. Having an
external evaluator is considered to be desirable and very helpful; in bringing out
insights coming from and independent and objective perspective.

Evaluation, according to Hall (2012), is the process of systematically

assessing the design, implementation and effect of certain programs, policies, and
projects. In the past, the evaluation process employed research methods used in the
social sciences to determine the impact of new public programs.
The evaluation of completed activities is also called ex-post evaluation, post-
hoc evaluation, or summative evaluation.

Participatory Evaluation

Participatory evaluation involves the active participation of the stakeholders in

assessing the implementation and impact of a project. The people concerned take
the time to present their own analyses. The following are some techniques that can
be used in participatory evaluation:

1. Forming a focus group

Focus groups are groups of people who ask open-ended questions.
The members are allowed to say anything and be heard. The facilitator
will summarize the ideas presented in an overall evaluation.

2. Spearheading participatory action research

Participatory action research involves asking inputs from both the
researchers and the participants in determining issues and concerns.

3. Drawing metaphors
This method is useful for participants who are shy, timid, or reluctant to
voice out their comments or suggestions. In this strategy, the
participants answer evaluative questions by drawing metaphors or
word descriptions.

4. Constructing tables
In this method, the participants construct a table or framework that
includes the following areas: objectives/goals, activities, timeframes,
strategies, and outputs of the project. They are then asked to interpret
their project table as an evaluation matrix.
 Guided Practice:

Name: _______________________________________________ Score: _______

Course, year, and section: ________________________________ Date: ________
Name of Facilitator: ___________________________________________________

Instructions: Draw a spot map of your barangay and label it with significant
informations.
 Performance:

Name: ______________________________________________ Score: _________

Course, year, and section: _______________________________ Date: _________
Facilitator: __________________________________________________________

A. Instructions: Write your reflection on the space provided.

1. The aesthetic and moral values of a community consist of the guiding and
sometimes paradoxical ideas that its members hold, e.g., how they know what
is good from bad, beautiful from ugly, and right from wrong, as well as the
justifications necessary in explaining their actions. What other aesthetic
values can you think of?
______________________________________________________________
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2. Why is family considered the smallest unit of society?

______________________________________________________________
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B. Instructions: Write the letter that corresponds to the correct answer on the
space provide.

_______1. It is a group of the people who share the same interests and live in the
same district or locality.
a. City-state
b. Community
c. Culture
d. Society

_______2. What is NOT designed to live in isolation?

a. Angel
b. Community
c. Creation
d. Man

_______3. What is the basic building block of any community?

a. City-state
b. Family
c. Nation
d. Society

_______4. What is a process in which the problems, issues, and concerns of the
community are identified through the use of assessment tools?
a. Community documentation
b. Community assessment
c. Community immersion
d. Community monitoring

_______5. Which of the following statements is not part of the steps in determining
the areas for improvement in a community?
a. City-state
b. Family
c. Nation
d. Society

_______6. What is the area of focus in identifying the needs of the community in
general?
a. Geographical data
b. Religious practices
c. Social and economic aspect
d. Laws
_______7. Who are the people that can give credible and relevant information about
the community?
a. Key informants
b. Community forums
c. Public records
d. Surveys

_______8. What is the community needs assessment instrument which makes use?
of questionnaires?
a. Surveys
b. Public records
c. Forum
d. Assembly

_______9. What is documented information that, id updated and validated, can

provide social and demographic data of a community?
a. Books
b. Guide questions
c. Public records
d. Survey

_______10. What type of data provides the surveyed population’s age, size, race,
growth patterns, and distribution?
a. Economic data
b. Political data
c. Geographical data
d. Demographic data

B. Instructions: Write T if the statement is correct and F if it is not.

_______ 1. The evaluation of operational activities will help determine the success or
failure of a project.
_______ 2. Internal audit personnel or other similar personnel are utilized to perform
a wide range of functions throughout the various departments of a
service organization.
_______ 3. Automated system checks and balances include batch processing,
reconciliations, quality assurance checks, and system error checks.
_______ 4. A unique way to engage stakeholders in participatory evaluation is by
asking them to draw.
_______ 5. Monitoring, along with evaluation, is a process conducted at the end of all
operational activities,
_______ 6. Project results help evaluators find out if and how objectives are being
met.
_______ 7. The purpose of monitoring and evaluation is to improve project
management and process planning to better adapt to contextual and
risks factors such as new social and political relations that may affect the
research process.
_______ 8. Promoting learning entails identifying lessons of general applicability such
as how different approaches to participation affect outcomes, impact,
and reach; what works and what does not; and what contextual factors
enable or constrain participatory research.
_______ 9. Participatory evaluation promotes the stakeholders’ ownership of a project,
creating better, more in-depth and accurate knowledge of the
performance and impact of the project.
_______ 10. Monitoring and evaluation ensure accountability; they assess whether a
project is effectively, appropriately, and efficiently executed.

References:

Books
• Herminigildo S. Villasot et at, 2019, Service-learning and Immersion towards
Community Building: NSTP-CWTS 2 Worktext for College Students 2 nd
Edition, C & E Publishing Inc. South Triangle Quezon City, Philippines.
• Sergio J. Lee and Serge Albert C. Tiu-Lee, 2019, National Service Training
Program Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS-1), (LTS-1) A Source Book
4th Edition, C & E Publishing Inc. South Triangle Quezon City, Philippines.
• Arnulfo B. Ramos and Apolinar Henry Fernandez, 2012, Fundamentals of
Sociology and Anthropology, SMKC Print Shoppe, Davao City Philippines.

Online Resources

• Environmental Activities for Youth Clubs and Camps, a resource developed

by the Peace Corps Office of Overseas Programming and Training
(OPATS). It was contributed by Peace Corps/Mexico.
• Participatory Methods in Community-based Coastal Resource Management -
Volume 1 - Introductory Papers