CESC G1

• The Classifications of Community

  • Rural-Urban
  • Local-Global
  • Physical space-Virtual social Space
• Rural areas


  Separate away from the influence of large cities and towns, known as the countryside, farmland, or agricultural land
• Urban areas


  Cities and towns
• Local-global community


  Spatialized networks of social relations, where global and local are not spatial structures but different representations of space competing against each other in a process to determine the society of that society
• Guy (2009): 'Global and local communities are the two opposite sides of distinction, used in communication as a code to produce information about people and culture'
• The challenge is to be cognizant of social realities and regard local culture in the advent of globalization
• Guy (2009): 'Think globally, act locally presses people to consider the situation of the entire planet and to take action locally, in their own communities and cities'
• Physical space


  Unlimited three-dimensional expanses in which material objects are located
• Virtual social space


  Nonphysical spaces created by the development of technology
• With the development of online communication, the concept of community went beyond geographical limitations, and now we have virtual communities where people gather virtually online and share common interests irrespective of physical location
• The Different Types of Community

  • Geographic Community or Neighborhood
  • Community of Identity
  • Community of Interest or Solidarity
  • Intentional Community
• Geographic Community or Neighborhood

  Focuses on the physical boundaries that make it distinct or separate, such as a river or a street, with a diverse population with individuals or groups occupying different physical spaces and each with special attributes such as religion, economic status, etc.
• Community of Identity


  Has common identifiable characteristics or attributes like culture, language, music, religion, customs, and others
• Community of Interest or Solidarity

  Incorporates social movements such as women's rights, environment, peace, and human rights, and individuals may be connected to their community of interest at the local and international levels, formal or informal or both
• Intentional Community


  Refers to individuals that come together voluntarily and support each other, members may share the same interest and identity or geographical location
• Awareness and appreciation of the different types of communities help researchers and agents of social change to focus and deepen their analysis of a particular community, and guide them in identifying which particular community matches their research interest or political advocacy
• Community action


  A manifestation of a collective grasp and ownership of a situation that generally has an effect on a community of people who are experiencing the same situation, and they tend to connect with each other and pursue a common goal and action
• Important ingredients of community action

  • Common context
  • Common experience
  • Common understanding of an issue
  • Common analysis
  • An acceptable standard
  • An action that is acceptable to the community
• Phases of community organization process in community action or development

  1. Issue identification, analysis, and dissemination

  2. Mobilization of community

  3. Organization

  4. Education
• Issue identification, analysis, and dissemination

  Key step toward the development of community action, where relevant community information is collected, consolidated, analyzed, defined, processed, and disseminated, and "real needs are determined and differentiated from "felt needs"
• Mobilization of Community


  Step of gathering people to meet regularly, discuss community problems, plan as a community, formulate implementing mechanisms, identify community leaders and organizational structure, and develop systems
• Organization


  The "bolt-in" phase where all the resources, material or nonmaterial, process or product, soft or hard technology, and physical and spiritual are mapped out and consolidated, and "what is lacking" and "what is available" are determined, strengths and weaknesses are identified, options are laid down, and plans are implemented in a systematic and organized manner
• Education


  The skills development or human resource enhancement phase, where members are provided with necessary skills, knowledge, and orientation, a prerequisite for the commencement of duties and responsibilities as members and officers of the community organization
• The process of reaching the level of a community that pursues an advocacy together is not an easy task, as the differences in perspectives, experiences, and values contribute in making the situation complex
• What community change agents must be aware of

  • Know the community issue-its history and roots, how it developed, what facilitated its growth, where it is now
  • Analyze the issue from different perspectives, identify the issue and look at it through different lenses, map out and analyze the different perspectives
  • Identify and get to know the relevant community structures and systems, what structures and systems may facilitate or hinder the success of an action
  • Identify and get to know the players, who are involved in the issue, who are the interest groups
  • Identify community power actors, who are the influential people, what are their interests in the issue
  • Trace connections, map out linkages of the stakeholders, to provide a picture of the strengths and weaknesses of the people who are involved and what resources they have
• It is also important to have a grasp of people's apprehensions and fears, and undertake a process of converting these anxieties into an animo or spirit that would motivate and stir people's action, not to agitate people but to lead them to appreciate the value and the expected outcome of the collective action
• The Forms of Community Action


  • Community Engagement
  • Solidarity
  • Citizenship
• Community Engagement


  The partnership between two parties, such as academic institutions and local communities for mutual benefits, and it is characterized by reciprocal relations, where education can meet its multiple responsibilities of creating a culture of learning, directing research, and teaching to sustainable development, and strengthening links with social partners
• Community engagement is now considered a salient part of educational institutions, to align the perspectives of the academe with the nature of community work and the students' learning methodology as they fulfill the school's mission and contribute to social transformation
• Citizenship


  Membership of a citizen in a political society, implying a duty of allegiance on the part of the member and a duty of protection on the part of the state, where a citizen enjoys full civil and political rights and is accorded protection inside and outside the territory of the state
• Rights of a citizen

  • Right to life
  • Right to worship
  • Rights pertaining to moral or cultural values
  • Economic rights
  • Political rights
• Responsibilities of a responsible citizen

  • Pledge allegiance to the state
  • Defend the state
  • Contribute to its development and welfare
  • Uphold its constitution and obey laws
  • Cooperate with duly constituted authorities
  • Exercise rights responsibly
  • Engage in gainful work
  • Register and vote
• Solidarity


  About regarding our fellow human beings justly and respecting who they are as persons, as a person is a relational being in connection with other people, with the society, and with the environment, and has to relate responsibly and act in solidarity with others and the whole humanity
• There is an indication of social injustice and inequality, poverty, social disintegration and environmental degradation, where the voiceless and those with less income suffer the most, calling for acts of solidarity, particularly for the affected sectors of the society-the poor farmers, fisherfolk, informal settlers, indigenous people, laborers, and the physically challenged