COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH ( COPAR )

Community Organizing Participatory Action C. IMPLEMENTATION/ MONITORING &

Research (CO-PAR) EVALUATION PHASE / TUKLAS LAKAS
- It is a sociodevelopmental approach that aims to 1. Implementation of Development Action
transform/ apathetic and voiceless poor into dynamic, Plan
participatory and politically responsive community. 2. And or Project Proposal as Approved
3. Training and Seminars
- A collective, participatory, transformative process of 4. Formulation and Implementation of
building peoples organization by mobilizing and Monitoring and Evaluation Scheme
enhancing the capabilities and resources of the people 5. Reflection Sessions
for the resolution of their issues and concern towards
affecting change in their existing oppressive and III. ORGANIZATION BUILDING
exploitative conditions. STRENGTHENING PHASE/ TUKLAS -
BALANGKAS
- A process by which a community identifies its needs 1. Formation and Formalization of Peoples
and objectives, develop confidence to take action in Organization
respect to them by doing so, extend and develops 2. Sustenance of Peoples Organization
cooperative and collaborative attitudes and practices
in the community. IV. INSTITUTIONALIZATION PHASE
1. Expansion of Services
- A continuous and sustained process of educating the 2. Further Networking
people to understand and develop their critical 3. Sustaining Peoples Organization
awareness of their existing condition, working with
the people collectively and efficiently on their I. PRE ENTRY PHASE
immediate and long term problems, and mobilizing 1. SITE SELECTION
the people to develop their capability and readiness to - This is an activity that includes networking
respond and take action on their immediate needs and consultation with the local government
towards solving their long term problems.  officials and relevant agencies to identify priority
areas and determine available health data about
PHASES OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING- the selected area which could provide information
PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH for initial planning.
I. PRE - ENTRY PHASE
1. Site Selection  Activities:
2. Preliminary Social Investigation i. Searching of an appropriate community for the
3. Theoretical Preparation CO PAR.
ii. Sending letters to the Local Government Unit for
II. ENTRY PHASE the intentions of the College.
A. COMMUNITY DIAGNOSIS PHASE / TUKLAS iii. Availability of Health Data in the area through
DANGAL visits to Rural Health Units or Centers.
A.1 PRE - RESEARCH AREA iv. Ocular survey:
i. Courtesy Calls  accessibility of transportation
ii. Ocular Survey  Reception of people
iii. Integration  Safety of organizers
iv. Identification of key leaders  Community participation
v. Deepening Social Investigation v. Coordination Letters to schools, mayor, barangay
vi. Community Consultation and a recommendation for the immersion.
A.2. RESEARCH PHASE 2. PRELIMINARY SOCIAL INVESTIGATION
i. Training of the Local Research - This is a process of gathering issues such as
Committee true sentiments, attitudes and knowledge about the
ii. Community Consultation lives of the people in a specific community selected
iii. Reflection Sessions for immersion. This may include primary and
secondary data for initial community profiling and
B. COMMUNITY PLANNING PHASE/ TUKLAS formulation of initial plans of the community
TULONG organizers.
1. Core Group Formation
2. Training and Seminars  Purposes:
3. Community Development Action Plan  To become informed about the community
Formulation she is working with.
4. Planning Consultation  Identify potential issues which might
5. Finalization and Packaging of Project galvanize people to action. These issues must
Proposals affect a large number of people to be
6. Reflection Sessions organized. The people must feel strong about
 COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH ( COPAR )

these issues and should be urgent and 2) Ocular Survey

important so that the people will support - This is a process of actually looking into the
and settle it as soon as possible. selected site for immersion. It includes inspecting the
whole area by going into the community and actually
 Activities: viewing the area.
 Study existing data/ document/ reports on
the people/s problems and maps which  ACTIVITIES:
provide pertinent data as on soil type, land 1. Plan for a trip to the area/ community
ownership, use, water system and etc.  Courtesy call to the local officials
 Learn from the people themselves by  Coordinate with the local officials on the
observations, engaging in dialogue and safety of the community organizers
talking to key informants of the community. 2. Note salient points or areas of the community
that will serve as guide or support in the planning
3. THEORETICAL PREPARATION of activities.
- includes series of lectures, trainings and  A notice may be forwarded to the Health
planning of activities of selected faculty members and Care Units, Midwife or to the Barangay
students assigned to the selected community. health Worker for the arrival.

 Activities: 3) Integration
 Seminar Workshop of the Faculty members. - A basic continuing process by which the
 Trainers will facilitate the workshops. organizer becomes one with the poor by immersing
 Discussions will be focused on himself/ herself in the community.
 DOH Thrusts  Purposes:
 NHS - For the organizers:
 PHC  get to know the culture, economy,
 CO-PAR leaders, history, rhythms and lifestyle of
 CO the community.
 Conflict Management  Come to respect the people and see the
liberating aspects of their culture that
 Strategies: give them the strength to struggle.
 participation games  See how the social analysis one may
 role plays have made of the national situation is
 songs/ music manifested in the peoples [Link] or
the intuit Gods activity among the poor,
 Seminar Workshop for the students since the poor are the privileged site of
 Learning Contracts Gods work today.
 Host team Formulation  To be accepted as member of the
 Knowledge Skills and attitude on CO-PAR [Link] his or her values
 Orientation on the immersion process and own lifestyle.( ex. Become more
 Short and long term plans of the immersion understanding and tolerant of the poor,
 Orientation for the assignments and more dedicated and realistic, more
designations humble.

 Information to the barangay captain, community  ACTIVITIES:

folks and other community folks on the schedule  Live with the community for at least 3
of the immersion. months.
 Visit as many people as possible in the
II. ENTRY PHASE community.
A. COMMUNITY DIAGNOSIS PHASE / TUKLAS  Listen and/ or take part in small and
DANGAL informal group discussions.( Sitio Classes)
- This phase involves major organizing task  Share the peoples housing, food,
designed to awake/ raise consciousness among the entertainment and meetings. ( Socialization)
poor regarding their community situation and dignity  Learning the language/ dialect
as man. Given such consciousness, they will thus be
moved towards strategic planning and action. 4) Identification of Key leaders
- It is a systematic process of identifying
A.I. PRE - RESEARCH PHASE indigenous leaders in the community who can help
 ACTIVITIES facilitate the change process.
1) Courtesy Call to the mayor, sanguniang bayan,  Purposes:
barangay captain, barangay council, punong - For the organizers to:
purok, Barangay health, Workers and identified
Health Care Providers.
 COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH ( COPAR )

 identify the key persons, opinion leaders  Conduct the first assembly in the community to
and deviants or isolates in the be attended by the trained Barangay Health
community. Workers.
 get the indigenous leaders to express  Prepare the program for the assembly
their support for your CO-PAR program.  The community organizers will be present to
facilitate the assembly.
 ACTIVITIES:
 Discreetly consult each community resident. A.2. RESEARCH PHASE
 whom does she/he approach within the 1. Training of the Local research Committee
community about a problem?  Problem Solving process
 Whom does she/he trust to lead/ manage a  CO-PAR Process
community project?  data collection method and technical
 After asking a majority of the community development of tools
residents, draw a sociogram of the  planning for the actual data gathering
community based on their responses.  data gathering
 data validation
 Sociogram- it is one of the organizers tool for
understanding leadership pattern in the 2. Community consultation
community - A process of getting feedback from the
 Analyze the sociogram and identify the key people on the performance of the selected local
persons, opinion leaders and research committee during their training.
deviants/isolates.
3. Reflection Sessions
 Key persons - he/she is the star of the - This is a process of dealing with deeper,
sociogram ongoing concerns to look at the positive values
 Opinion person - person approached by community organizers are trying to build in the
the key person to support or behind the organization. It is a time to reflect on the reality of life
key persons ideas and opinions. compare to ideal.
 Deviants/isolates - can hardly be
approached and consulted even if they B. COMMUNITY PLANNING PHASE/ TUKLAS
volunteer. TULONG
1. CORE GROUP FORMATION
5) Deepening Social Investigation This involves development of a local planning
- It is an activity of the community organizers committee.
to gather more data about the community. These data
were not found in the existing data or local record file. 2. TRAINING AND SEMINARS
Training on the following:
 ACTIVITIES: a. Planning
 Comprehensive data gathering through b. objective settings
interviews, records review and participant c. community development action plan
observations. d. Development of right attitude
 Updates of the original plan can be done. i. respect for the opinion of others
ii. resourcefulness
6) Community Consultation iii. sharing and helping
- This is an activity of the community iv. importance of contribution
organizers that enable the community residents to: v. significance of beauty
- share their vision of a happy family and a vi. effective planning
developed community. vii. accomplishment of plans
- Identify the obstacles (problems) that they
encounter in trying to achieve their vision: 3. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ACTION
- Make a collective decision to do a research PLAN
on the entire or on a selected problem/s. - Formulation
- Select appropriate person from among them  After the training, the output of the
to compose their local research committee. committee is a community development
action plan.
 ACTIVITIES:
 Seminar Workshop for Barangay Health Workers 4. PLANNING CONSULTATION
 CO PAR Roles - The community development action plan made by
 PHC the core group is presented to the community folks.
 NHS Comments and clarification regarding the plan will be
discussed. Suggestions and comments will be
entertained. GOs and NGOs will be invited to validate
 COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH ( COPAR )

and give critic on the developed plan. The Community III. ORGANIZATION BUILDING
Organizers will serve as observers and documenters
during this consultation. STRENGTHENING PHASE/
TUKLAS BALANGKAS
5. FINALIZATION AND PACKAGING OF 1. Formation and Formalization of Peoples
PROJECT PROPOSAL Organization
- This is a process where the core group finalize the - This phase of CO-PAR entails the formation
plan based on the comments, suggestions and of more formal structures and the inclusion of more
recommendations of the GOs and NGOs. formal procedures of planning, implementing and
conduct of trainings for the organized leaders or
6. REFLECTION SESSIONS groups to develop their attitude, knowledge and skills
- A time for a sensitive and objective analysis of the in managing their own concerns/ programs.
performance and output of the core group and their
observers.  Organization
- This is the result of many successive and
C. IMPLEMENTATION/MONITORING & many similar actions of the people, set up with elected
EVALUATION PHASE/ TUKLAS LAKAS officers and supporting members.
1. This phase shall include the actual putting the plan
into work.  ACTIVITIES:
 Considerations: - Election and induction of officers of peoples
 The activities in the action plan should be organization
done by the key person involved. - Election and induction of the Barangay Health
 A full participation and cooperation must be Workers association.
observed by all concerned.
 The community folks must show interest and IV. INSTITUTIONALIZATION
full support to the action plan.
 Committees must be formed to oversee and PHASE
check the project. - This final phase include activities such as
 Conduct of series of meetings regularly is expansion of services, further networking and
necessary to monitor inadequacies and sustenance of peoples organization.
corrections. This time can be used to make
evaluation of the plan or project. 1. Expansion of Services
 Activities:
2. Trainings and Seminars - Visiting and rendering health care services
- This is necessary to enhance the knowledge to nearby communities.
and skills of both the community organizers and - Making oneself available as resource
Barangay Health Workers. speaker, lecturer, trainer, educator, clinician,
 Considerations: consultant and researcher.
1. It may serve as a means of conscientization of
the roles of the Barangay Health Workers in the 2. Further networking
community. - Through proper communication and follow
2. It may serve as avenues to relate with others, up of information, the networking can be expanded
share experience and learn from others. and achieved.
- This can be done through:
3. Reflection Sessions  socialization
- This is periodically done with the community folks  attendance to seminar workshop
and community organizers aim at inculcating positive  continuous linkages with different
values and attitudes to the core group and peoples agencies
organization.
3. Sustaining peoples organization
 Importance:  improving income generating projects
- To appreciate fraternal correctionsTo improve work  attend seminars and workshops
and relationsTo deepen grasp of work and  attend skills training
orientationTo discern personal strengths and  regular monitoring and evaluation of
weaknesses in the light of community services projects and program

- To give and receive feedback on the conduct on the

planning consultation and resource accessing
activitiesTo draw insights and learning from the core
group planning experiences.