Historical and Philosophical

foundation of community
organizing
WESTERN ORIGIN

History in the United States

1880-1900
 People sought to meet the pressures of rapid
immigration and industrialization by organizing
immigrant neighborhoods in urban centers.

 Since the emphasis of the reformers was mostly on

building community through settlement houses
and other services mechanisms.
1900-1940

 During this period, much of community

organizing methodology was generated in
Schools of Social Work, with a particular
methodology focuses grounded in the
Philosophy of John Dewey, which focused on
EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION AND OTHER
SOCIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS.
 This period most organizations had a national
orientation because the economic problems
the nation faced did not seem possible to
change at the neighborhood level.
1940-1960

 Saul Alinsky, based in Chicago, is credited

with originating the term COMMUNITY
ORGANIZER during this time period.
1940
 With the support of Roman Catholic Bishop
Bernard James Sheil and Chicago Sun Times
Publisher Marshall Field, Alinsky founded the
industrial areas foundation. The mandate of
the national community organizing network
was to partner with religious congregations
and civic organization to build “broad-based
organizations”that could train up local
leadership and promote trust across
community devides.
1960

 Beginning with students for a democratic

society and tried their hand at community
organizing.

 Community Organizing appeared to trap the

radical activist in a politic of adjustment.
History of CO in the Philippines
HISTORY OF CO IN THE
PHILIPPINES
Pre-colonial- Colonial Era

 Community Organizing practices in the

Philippines is said to have started during the
Pre-colonial erra in the form of “Damayan”
and “Bayanihan” which served as the venue
for the filipino to express mutual and among
their clan. This helped foster cooperation and
community among them.
 Organized social welfare in the Philippines
marked its beginning with establishment of
the associated charities in 1914 during the
american colonial period

 Community Practiced focused on organizing

volunteer group to help private relief
agencies, Public and child welfare institution
in the delivery of their program and services.
 After world war II, the Government assumed
firm responsibility for social welfare in
response to the damage left by Japanese
Occupation and the Social unrest in Central
Luzon.
 Programs included relief goods, self help
projects, farmers relocation and resettlement
,disaster relief was among the dominant
approach used to address the problems.

 Community Organizing was employed to

make adjustments between meeting
resources needs.
1950-1960 Reconstruction Period

 Among the significant turning point in social

work practice. During this period was the
establishment of a single national agency for
social welfare; the Social Welfare
Administration(SWA).

 SWA- as lead agency took over the

responsibility of responding to the welfare needs
of the people, especially among victims of war
This strengthened the resource provision
approach that is often referred to as “dole-
outs” in the delivery of programs and
services.
 During this time, the government directed its
thrust on rehabilitating and reconstructing
communities destroyed by war.

 More concretely development efforts focused

on physical improvements of communities
and infrastructure building like the
construction of schools, roads and bridges.
 Historically, this marked the birth of
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT in the
Philippines
1960-1970 Developmental Decade

 During this period, organizing work focused

on generating maximum community
participation and enhancing their coping
capacities to meet their needs and problems.

 Development agencies, on the other hand,

continued relief rehabilitation operations,
dole-outs, home- based, and institutional
services.
 However, the poverty situation continued to
worsen at the later period.

 Moreover, development agencies, specifically

NGOs took organizing work as a venue to express
their grievance to the Government.

 Sectoral and mass based organizations were

formed to advocate certai n changes in economic
policies.
1970-1980 Participatory Development

 The period marked the institutionalization of CO

as an effective strategy in development work.
 This time, deemed as a critical was the people’s
participation especially in making decision
affecting their life
 The call for the period was participatory
development which emphasized peoples critical
and active participation in identifying their
problems and defining the kind of development
they hoped to achieve.
1980-1990

 The battle cry in this period is people power.

This likewise marked the peak of NGO work
in the Philippines.
 It was at this point the socio econimic work
was given emphasis in CO strategies.
 Organizing work expanded from community
wide to nationwide level allowing full
participation of the poor majority with
peoples empowerment.
1990 onwards

 Sustanable development and gender

development

 Adopted as a program strategy by other

development institution, organizing efforts
focused on the proper utilization and
conversation of resources to achieve the
goals of sustainable development paradigm.
 Simultanous with this, is the continouing
effort to address social problems brought
about by the worsening poverty-stricken
conditions with the people. Hence, the
community practice centered on addressing
sectoral and welfare issues like drug
addiction, prostitution, child abuse and
domistic violence.
The 1990s likewise marked the advent of
women’s movement in the Philippines.
Community Organization Philosophy:
Values, Goals and Principles
Content:

 Basic Values in Community organization

 Goals of Community Organizing

BASIC VALUES IN CO

Human Rights

 Are universally held principles and anchored

mainly on the belief in man’s worth and
dignity. It includes the right to live and
survival to self determination and
development as person and as people
BASIC VALUES IN CO

Social Justice

Means equal access to opportunity for

satisfying mans basic needs toward
upholding human worth and dignity.

It requires equitable distribution of resources

and power through people’s fullest
participation in their own development
BASIC VALUES IN CO

 Social Responsibility

 Is premised on the belief that a man as a social

being must not be limited to his own concerns but
should reach out to others and move jointly with
them in meeting common needs and problems.
Likewise, society has the responsibility to ensure
an optimum environment for the fullest
development of members.
Goals of CO

 People’s empowerment

Empowerment means the long term

strategic process of transferring economic
and social power from one center to another
and/or the creation of new centers of socio-
economic power in competition with
traditional center.
Goals of CO

 Building Relatively Permanent Structures

and Peoples Organization

 Community Organization aims to establish and

sustain relatively permanent organizational
structures which best served the needs and
aspirations of the people.
Goals of CO

 Building Alliances

▪ People’s Organizing also seek to secure short term

and long term improvements in the quality of life of
the people
Goals of CO

 Improved Quality of life/standards of living

 Community organizing also seek to secure short

term and long term improvements in the quality
of life of the people.
Goals of CO

 Population Democracy

Corollary to the other goal, popular

democracy means popular empowerment or
the development of people’s organizations
that shall serve to facilitate sustained
people’s participation in decision making the
governance.