• Republic Act (R.A.) 9163 – also known as National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act of 2001 • Republic Act 9163 is an act establishing the National Service Training Program (NSTP) for tertiary level students, amending for the purpose Republic Act 7077 and Presidential Decree 1708 and for other purposes. • R.A. 9163 – enacted on January 23, 2002- date of approval and signature of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. • What is the guiding principle in establishing the NSTP?
Section 2 of R.A. 9163 affirmed that it is the prime duty of the government to serve and protect its citizens. In turn, it shall be the responsibility of the citizens to defend the security of the state and in fulfillment thereof, the government may require each citizen to render personal, military or civil service.
• What are the goals of the State from among the youth in nation building?
In recognizing the vital role of the youth in nation building, the state shall promote their civic-consciousness and develop their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and advance their involvement in public and civic affairs.
• What should the state do to pursue the afore cited goals?
The youth shall be motivated, trained, organized and mobilized in military training, literacy, civic welfare and other similar endeavors in the service of the nation.
• What is the National Service Training Program (NSTP) all about?
It is a program aimed at enhancing civic consciousness and defense preparedness in the youth by developing the ethic of service and patriotism while undergoing training in any of its three (3) program components.
• What are the three (3) program components of NSTP?
1. Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) – is a program institutionalized under section 38 and 39 of RA 7077 designed to provide military training to tertiary-level students in order to motivate, train, organize and mobilize them for defense preparedness.
2. Literacy Training Service (LTS) – is a program designed to train students to become teachers of literacy and numeric skills to school children, out-of school youth and other segments of society in need of their services.
3. Civic Welfare Training Services (CWTS) – refer to the programs or activities contributory to the general 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 morals of the citizenry.
• Are there any institutions not covered by the NSTP?
Philippine Military Academy (PMA), Philippine Merchant Marine Academy ( PMMA), National Defense College of the Philippines ( NDCP), Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) and other schools similar stature, in view of the character of their institutions, shall not be covered by the NSTP.
National Service Training Program: Introduction. . .
Source: Social Action Office, DLS-College of St. Benilde. NSTP Civic Welfare Training Service Handout
Module 1: Values Clarification
I. Description
This module aims to relate the personal values of the students to the ideas and principles that he/she needs to understand in order to have a clear picture of the rationale and the significance of the CWS program.
II. Rationale
The Civic Welfare Service program, as an outreach activity of the DLS-College of St. Benilde, aims to respond to the mission-vision of the institution which hopes to bring about socially responsible students. The program hopes to contribute to the general welfare and betterment of the life for the members of the community or enhancement of its facilities, especially those devoted to improving community organization, education, health, spirituality, sports/recreation and the morale of the citizenry.
III. Benildean Core Values
Value is something freely chosen from alternatives and is acted upon. Value is that which one acts to gain or keep as a quality or principle that is intrinsically valuable or desirable.
Values Clarification is a process by which a person can discover values or principles through one’s behavior, feelings, ideas and important choices one has made.
It is during the early adult stage that an individual can really clarify what decision in his/her life had a major influence on one’s personality. Thus, this process can help one understand his/her character and the choices that a person will make in the future.
A person is continually developing his/her values: values can never be static but must be continually re-chosen as a person matures. As a person grows, he/she is continually choosing values and fashioning his/her hierarchy of values.
Looking at the problems being faced by every Filipino at this point, one can surmise that oppression, violence, greed, exploitation, environmental degradation and corruption are by-products of a decrepit and twisted value system. As Filipinos, we should realize that if we want to see a better Philippines, we should break this culture of corruption and oppression. For any positive social, economic and political change to begin, every Filipino should take the time to evaluate his/her personal value system and practice the right values that promotes justice, truth, honesty and fairness. Now is not time to blame those who came before us, but now is certainly the time to let the tides of positive change transform this nation and uphold what most of us consider as undoubtedly true, good, lasting and supports life.
Our Trade tools:
Benildean Core Values -“Creative Christian Builders”
1. deeply rooted in faith – ever conscious of God’s presence steeped in Christian values, ethics and morals;
2. appreciative of individual uniqueness – that of one’s own and that of one’s neighbor;
3. socially responsible – aware of one’s actions and committed to the recognition and development of one’s own and the other person’s responsibilities and duties;
4. professionally competent - effective in thought and expression, decisive and independent-minded;
5. Filipino in ideals – is able to exhibit a strong sense of nationhood; pro-life, pro-people, pro-Philippines; Nationalistic in ideas and perspective
6. creative and innovative leader
IV. St. La Salle’s Philosophy
In the words of St. La Salle, the poor have the right to education and a better life: “You are under the obligation to instruct the poor. You should therefore have a great tenderness towards them and supply their spiritual wants to the best of your ability, looking upon these children as members of Jesus Christ and as His much loved ones. The faith which animates you should lead you to respect Jesus Christ in their person and should make you prefer them to the rich ones of earth since they are the living images of Jesus Christ our Divine Master.”
Source: Social Action Office, DLS-College of St. Benilde. NSTP Civic Welfare Training Service Handout
Module 2: Lasallian Spirituality: “Seeing with the eyes of faith”
I. Description
There are many charisms of Lasallian formation. In this module we shall discover more about an important Lasallian charism in the context of leadership. Each has his/her own role to play in leading everyone to the right path. Thus, it is vital to draw a common ground regarding the concept of leadership with the use of tenets influenced by the Lasallian concepts of “Faith and Zeal.”
II. Input
John Baptist de La Salle
- Born - April 30, 1651 in Rheims, northern France, it was the golden age of King Louis XIV. Rheims is a city which is famous for its wines, cloths, and cathedral. - Enjoyed watching the parades in honor of St. Remi. - His father- a judge - Ordained priest – April 9, 1678 - Died- April 7, 1719 - Beatified- February 19, 1888 - Canonized – May 24, 1900 - Proclaimed Patron of Christian Teachers May 15, 1950 Source: (I, John Baptist de La Salle and http://www.lasalle.org/English/Heritage/History/hehijbdls2.html
Main Tenets in Lasallian Spirituality
1. Seeing with the eyes of faith – trusting in the Divine Providence. To see that the totality of creation with Christ at its center, is ordered to God and destined through God’s love for the happiness and salvation of humankind. 2. Doing all things in the eyes of God – it is to look upon God as the prime mover and motive force of our actions, and to act only by the guidance of His divine spirit. 3. Attribute everything to God – Accepting the result of one’s action with humility and joy. An attitude of profound trust in God’s saving power and compassionate fidelity to human beings in the midst of trials and difficulties.
Practical lessons we can learn from St. La Salle’s leadership style
1. Believing in what others can do (Confidence) 2. Developing human potential (Competence) 3. Humility in accepting greater tasks (Christian) 4. Dedication to serve (Commitment) 5. Resolving conflicts through peaceful means (Christian) 6. Honest in his dealings (Competence) 7. To analyze things objectively (Competence) 8. Listening what others have to say (Compassion) 9. Taking time to evaluate the task at hand (Competence) 10. Treat everyone with justice and fairness (Compassion)
The expression LASALLIAN SPIRITUALITY refers principally to the vision and way of life generated by St. John Baptist de La Salle and the early Brothers as they struggled to discern God’s will within the context of their society’s needs. (ANIMO LASALLE 2011)
Elements of a Spirituality
John Baptist de La Salle’s God is a personal God, a God who graciously invites us to an ever-deepening love relationship in order to bring about our salvation. This God does not force anyone to act, but invites us to move from “one commitment to another”
While St. La Salle taught that prayer and daily reflection on the Scriptures are important paths to a deeper union with God, Lasallian spirituality is founded on the conviction that it is in the encounter between teacher and student, in and outside of the classroom, that Jesus comes alive in our hearts… To Teach competently and devotedly helps us grow in our relationship with our students and with God, just as praying helps us deepen our relationship with God and with our students.
• FAITH
attentiveness and openness to the will of God at all times; seeing God alive in every person, in every event, and in every situation; and recognizing that these are God’s ways of calling us in our day-to-day experiences;
• ZEAL
An active commitment to serve the human and spiritual needs of the young, especially the poor, as a natural expression of our faith; giving the best that one is capable of for the sake of the children and enabling them to become the best that they can be for the sake of God and the work of God’s reign
• SOLIDARITY WITH THE POOR
a Gospel-based, preferential concern for the poor and the marginalized; a spirit of compassion that brings with it an active commitment to ease the plight of all those who are deprived of opportunities to live fully human lives
John Baptist de La Salle’s God is a personal God, a God who graciously invites us to an ever-deepening love relationship in order to bring about our salvation. This God does not force anyone to act, but invites us to move from “one commitment to another”
De La Salle identified the spirit of faith and zeal as the spirit characteristic of members of the Insitute. In the Founder’s thinking, faith and zeal cannot be dissociated: “Faith in God is expressed in the active “zeal” for the salvation of everyone, especially the poor. Faith without work will be a disembodied faith.
This spirit is so important that without it one can be considered a dead member of the society.
FAITH and ZEAL are as inseparable as THEORY and PRAXIS for Lasallian spirituality to thrive in a COMMUNITY
Lasallian Context
1. Faith – a Lasallian has a mindset of God. - Sees with the eyes of faith - Does all things in view of God - Attributes all things to God 2. Zeal: Faith in action – Lasallian’s give their best in whatever they do - singularity of purpose - self-donation - imaginative/inventive
Lasallian Spirituality
Faith in Action Lead Initiate Change
Christian, Confident, Committed, Competent, and Compassionate
Module 2: Lasallian Spirituality: “Seeing with the eyes of faith” . . .
Source: Social Action Office, DLS-College of St. Benilde. NSTP Civic Welfare Training Service Handout
Module 3: Preferential Option for the Poor (A Lasallian Tradition)
I. Description
This module seeks to put into context the social teachings of the Church within the framework of Lasallian education/ministry. The Church understands that Christ identifies with the poor and the underprivileged. Now the Church, looks at this truth with a new sense of urgency. In reading the “signs of times” Christians see God’s face in the faces of suffering and wounded people. As a result, fidelity to Christ requires identification with an “option” for the poor. The module aims to review the actual situation of poverty and oppression in the Philippines, and providing an opportunity to evaluate the direction and concerns of the institution and align them with the true charism of Lasallian institutions.
II. Input
A. Historical Perspective
For a long period of time, the church tried to ignore the plea of those who were oppressed and were suffering from injustices in society. The church simply ignored poverty for her mission does not include the concerns of the temporal world. Her mission is to save souls and that which concerns the afterlife. The church chose to turn her back from the poor, the destitute and the powerless. But a dramatic change happened in 1891 when Pope Leo XIII wrote his famous encyclical entitled Rerum Novarum, an encyclical (Papal teaching) that discusses the labor problems and examines the situations of poor people and workers at the turn of the 20th century,
Following the social thought of Rerum Novarum, and other social encyclicals that ensued, modern day Christians have realized that they play a significant role in society. The social doctrines of the Church are the applications of the evangelical message of the Gospel on social realities, manifesting to all men God’s plan. The social teachings of the Church came about due to the desire of Popes to solve the problems of the poor. Through the encyclicals, the church presents her dual mission, one directed towards spiritual salvation and the other towards social liberation.
B. Significant Points in Church’s Social Teaching
• Dignity of the Human person
Belief in the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all Catholic social teaching. Human life is sacred, and the dignity of the human person is the starting point for a moral vision for society. This principle is grounded in the idea that the person is made in the image of God. The person is the clearest reflection of God among us.
• Common Good and Community
The human person is both sacred and social. We realize our dignity and rights in relation to others, within a community. Human beings grow and achieve fulfillment in a community. Human dignity can only be realized and protected in the context of relationships with the wider society.
• Option for the Poor
The moral test of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable members. The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation. We are called to look at the decision making process on public policy which directly affect the poor. The “option for the poor” is not adversarial slogan that pits one group or class against another. Rather it states that the deprivation and powerlessness of the poor further erodes the capacity of the whole community into achieving its full potential.
C. Lasallian Perspective
St. John Baptist de la Salle believed that God’s saving grace embraces all people, in effect no one should be excluded from the benefits of Christian education. In praxis, this points to a preferential option for the oppressed, the exploited, and the marginalized, those whom St. John Baptist De La Salle (SJBDLS) understood as those who needed God compassion and love the most. “Today, we stand by this commitment by making service to the poor an effective priority in all our educational projects. The plight of the youth at risk is the spur that drives us to greater zeal and creativity in our educational apostolate. Following the Founder, service to the poor must enable persons to take hold of their lives and work towards their liberation.” (Animo La Salle 2011. Philippine Lasallian Family: 2000 p. 20) By the poor we mean all those classes of people who are the victims of injustice in whatever form-the exploited, the marginalized, the oppressed. The poor are not poor because they want to be poor. They are poor because they are made poor and they are poor because they are kept poor. In the first category are the marginalized and exploited poor, all those who are forced to live outside the economic system or are excluded from participation in it. These include abandoned children, unemployed, migrant workers, tenant farmers, immigrants. A second category includes the victims of discriminatory laws and customs –aboriginal people, women. There is the danger all too prevalent among us of giving up all hope of changing the situation. It is true that individually and alone, there is not much one person can do in any area of life; but the truth is that we are never intended to live alone. Solidarity is the reality of human existence and its first hope for survival. We are tightly bound together across this small village home which no one of us owns, all of us receive co-equally, each calls home, and all must share. (http://www.stauros.org/notebooks/v11n3a01) Education is about liberation. Real and perceived care liberates. Learning’s must be at the service of liberation; that is about building character, teaching young people to care and equipping them with skills needed to embody that care effectively in a violent and divided world. “The founder also believed that service to the poor, which must be directly and promptly extended, is the essence of Christianity. By doing so, we help the poor liberate themselves from sin and enable them to achieve their full potentials as human beings. Sauvage and Campos elaborated on this central teaching of SJBDLS:”… it is in the poor person himself, in his wretchedness, in his marks of suffering, that we must perceive the face of Jesus Christ. In order to be united with Christ in him we must first encounter the poor man himself and accept him as he is. However, at the same time that this poverty constitutes a revelation of Christ, it also embodies a hope: the poor man is called to become the child of God which he is perhaps not even conscious of being. And the Brother is sent to him in order to help him achieve gradually the sonship that is his by assisting him to free himself from the grip of sin and from the enslavements which prevent his growing in accordance with the nature of his divine vocation.” (St. JBDLS and Education Today, edited by Dr. Emerita S. Quito, 1992)
D. Poverty . . .
• One of five households live below the food poverty threshold. • 15 out 100 infants are born underweight. • 5 million families live in abject poverty. • 60% of Filipino children drop out of school upon reaching the second grade due to poor brain development. • Infant mortality is at 57 per 1,000 live births. • 33% of Filipino children below six are underweight. • Some 2.82 million youth aged 15 to 24 are out of school. • Some 12 million do not have access to safe drinking water. • 18 million do not have sanitary toilets. • Around 30 million are threatened with cholera [Source: Bringing Glad Tidings to the Poor, (Frank Padilla 2000)]
Source: Social Action Office, DLS-College of St. Benilde. NSTP Civic Welfare Training Service Handout
Module 4: An Authentic Human Person
“Authentic Christian Humanism”
I. Description
Every person has his/her own preconceived notion when asked. “What does it mean to be human?” Differences in opinion are even wider depending on the maturity of the individual. Ideas, needs, desires and wants differ from one person to another, depending on his/her experience, which is often affected by the values being held by the person. However, in working with the community, it is vital for everyone to have a common understanding of the important concepts or principles related to the question of what does it really mean to be called human. In this module we shall try to discover various facets about humanity and try to form a synthesis through a framework that can be acceptable to all. The module would aim to present a concept of the Human person that would use as a springboard five basic relationships that a person ordinarily relates with in order to have a sense of completeness.
II. Input
According to “Authentic Christian Humanism” a person is looked at first and foremost as someone that ought to be respected. Humanistic philosophy focuses on the actualization of human potentials, enhancement of human experiences as they would contribute to personal happiness, social justice, democracy and a peaceful world. A person primarily has 5 essential relations:
A. In relation to HIMSELF
1. Man has intellect and freewill
Everyone is endowed with natural capacities and abilities. Primary among them is the ability to reason and to decide freely. The person has the ability to grasp, recognize, and appreciate truth and goodness, and the ability to choose among options: to work for or disregard truth and goodness. And because of intellect and freewill, everyone has the unalienable right to freedom of expression, to information, to education, to assembly, to worship and to collective action. Therefore, the person has the right to seek truth and act in freedom. With freedom comes responsibility – the duty to respect the rights of fellow humans, and to be accountable for his/her actions. While one enjoys freedom, one does not have the right to hamper or curtail the freedom of others. Rather, one should promote the welfare of everyone as he/she knows for his/her own happiness.
2. Man has dignity
Man is bestowed with dignity. It is not something which can be given or taken away at will. It cannot be destroyed even if the recognition is being denied. The person by virtue of his/her dignity is an end and should not be treated as a means or a tool. This dignity demands absolute respect; therefore it does not allow the manipulation or use of persons.
3. Man is created in the image and likeness of God
This underlines the freedom and dignity of the human person. In each person, there is a “God-likeness” for a biblical truth describes man’s life coming from the breath of God. (Gen. 2:7) The person, therefore, is a co-creator, co-worker and co-savior of God. Creation and salvation is an on-going process; and we are all a part of it. We are all called to engage ourselves in the stewardship of God’s creation. In the process, we affirm that the self is not alienated from the creation process, for it is being created continuously.
4. Man is Unique
No two persons are ever the same. Even twins would have major differences in personalities. We are genuinely created so that even with past and future generations, no one can duplicate whatever actions we have in this world. Because of this uniqueness, we can never put any person in a box and have it labeled or stereotyped. This uniqueness should always be kept in mind and should be respected. The emphasis of collectivity should not be made at the expense of the uniqueness and the dignity of each person.
B. In relation to fellow HUMANS
1. Man is a social being
God did not create the person as a solitary being, but wishes him/her to be a “social being.” Every individual is oriented towards other people and needs her company. No one came to this world alone; our being here is made possible through others. The person fulfills the self with and through others. Through and with help of others, a person’s limitations are filled up and his/her potentials are enriched. Thus, it is imperative that people cooperate with each other in order to improve the quality of their lives in society.
2. Man is of equal value to other persons
Admittedly, natural inequality exists among people, but God has gifted all men with equal dignity. We are all equal in basis rights and basic needs on a person-to-person and on a nation-to-nation level. This equality is not synonymous to uniformity, but equality in the midst of uniqueness. Thus all persons are to be treated as equals; regardless of status, culture, education, economics and gender.
C. In relation to SOCIETY
One cannot deny that we owe a lot of what we have in life through the everyday activities of people within the social structure. We benefit largely from the system that allows us to buy and sell our goods, produce and services, to enjoy the luxuries of life, to learn new lessons, to earn a living, to travel on paved streets, to communicate with friends from afar, to move about in a peaceful environment.
1. Man is an intervenor
Persons create social structures to respond to similar needs and for the welfare of all. The person affects structures and structures affect the person. Failure to analyze and criticize existing structures means agreeing with or sanctioning them. Since, people put up the structures – the people have the capacity to maintain, stabilize and strengthen just structures. On the other hand, people also have the capacity to change and create anew, if the structures were unjust. But this can only be achieved through person’s active participation in the process of change.
Module 4: An Authentic Human Person:“Authentic Christian Humanism” . . .
D. In relation to the MATERIAL WORLD
The person needs the resources of the material world for his/her personal and social fulfillment. This is the manifestation of the bodily dimension of the person. The things of this world are for all people to use, not adored, nor amassed. We are caretakers of this world – not owners of it. Ownership is only a secondary right to use. All the earth’s resources must benefit all, now and for the succeeding generations. As caretakers, we are responsible for the preservation and development of the earth. When the earth is abused, life itself is put in danger. No one has the right to destroy the earth. No one has the right to manufacture anything that could destroy it.
E. In relation to GOD
The person needs to relate to a greater being. The materiality and temporality is transcended because of the touch of the divine in each person. The person has but one final goal: GOD. He/she is called to know, love and serve God, and to constantly choose that which would lead him/her to God. The person constantly and continually tends and goes back to God. This dependency is not opposed to human freedom; for human freedom takes its meaning and consistency in the person’s relationship with God. It is in doing God’s will that the person truly fulfills his/her freedom.
Module 4: An Authentic Human Person:“Authentic Christian Humanism” . .
Source: Social Action Office, DLS-College of St. Benilde. NSTP Civic Welfare Training Service Handout
Module 6: Social Analysis and Good Governance
Social Analysis
I. Introduction
The Philippines is currently experiencing a downturn in its economy. The rapid increase in the prices of oil has created a relative impact in the prices of basic commodities. As the currency continue to fluctuate, the Filipino people’s cost of living remarkably increased with the decrease of the peso’s purchasing power. Globalization has come to invade every nation, prepared or not, in which the world is integrated as one market. Amidst the economic crisis, the pillars of the government have been continuously questioned in the basis of its integrity. The executive branch has been notably linked to big time anomalies. The legislative has been divided in dealing with the national concerns and seemed to be protecting self-interest and party affiliations. Our courts of justice have not been that convincing in carrying out trials effectively given the backlog in unresolved cases. The issue of the separation of the government and the church has again entered into the picture. While the government has been proposing bills on same sex marriage and divorce, the church has been resistant concerning the morality of the issues.
II. Input
The concept of a person presented us the different relationships that everybody has in his personal life. In relation to self, we believe that every person has a dignity that requires unconditional respect whatever is his/her status in the society, regardless of race and religion. Thus, we are of equal value with others. In relation to a larger society, we intervene with what is happening, we create structures that will hasten our lives. In relation to the material world, we were given the right to explore the resources and the right to ownership according to our labor, but we are above these material things. In relation with the Supreme Being, we are all children of God as we were all created in His own image and likeness. Through this analysis, we could pose a question whether what happens now increases or decreases the dignity of a Filipino individual. Social Analysis is not really a sufficient tool of understanding the complex problem of a society. Rather, it is a process of putting things into perspectives so that in the long run, in a person’s experiential learning, one could relate each issue to another.
• Analysis - is an interpretation of an observation. - It’s a process of breaking up a whole system into parts to find their nature.
• Social Analysis
- can be defined an effort to obtain a more complex picture of a social situation by exploring its historical and structural relationships. - a tool to help us a grasp the reality - is a systematic study of economic, social, political, cultural, and religious situation of any given milieu ( location/environment).
• Approaches in Social Analysis
1. Historical – analyzing past events - is a study of the changes of a social system through time.
2. Conjunctural Analysis – is an attempt to examine a society’s situation using an important moment in its recent history as a reference point for discussion.
3. Class –understanding and looking into the different social structures or classifications; ex. rich-average-poor
4. Gender – examining the status of men and women in society
5. Environment – understanding the condition of our resources/ surroundings
• General Recommendation
1. Growth
The Philippine economy has to grow in order for it to develop. Without growth, there is nothing to be distributed among the people. Without increasing the productive capability of the country, our economy will stagnate. Thus, growth is a necessary (but not sufficient) condition for genuine development.
2. Efficiency
The economy must be able to utilize resources with very minimal waste. We must be able to tap all our creative potentials such that we are able to use the most appropriate technologies in our industries. Fair competition enhances the efficiency of firms in the market. Monopolies and cartels are the most inefficient forms of industrial organizations.
3. Sustainability
We have limited resources and their proper use must be guided by the principles of sustainable development. This has great consequences with regard to the exploitation of our natural resources and the protection of our environment. Genuine development must be sustainable, it must improve the quality of life of the people without destroying the environment’s natural productive capacity.
4. Equity
Growth, efficiency and sustainability are useless without the equity component. Without equity, any form of human resource development is meaningless. Without equity, the domestic market will not expand markedly. Without equity, there will never be economic and political stability.
Module 6: Social Analysis. . .
Source: Social Action Office, DLS-College of St. Benilde. NSTP Civic Welfare Training Service Handout
Good Citizenship for Good Governance
I. Introduction
A country’s success as lies heavily dependent on the efficiency of its leaders, but the efficiency of the leaders depends just as much on their followers’ disposition to be governed. The government’s policies, no matter how spotless and impeccable these may be, are useless without the cooperation of its citizens. Cooperation of citizens does not only entail submission. More than that, cooperation warrants the citizens’ active participation in the conceptualization, formulation, and execution of methods that are supposed to alleviate the nation’s current status.
However, being good citizens does not end with abiding with the government’s laws and policies. It also entails being vigilant and critical, and, most of all, becoming good examples to the next generation. Once a stable foundation of values has been set, there will be a greater chance of having a population that will meet the ultimate need of a nation striving for success – a sustainable approach of getting to where we want to go.
II. Input
1. The value of UNITY
• Unity is about sharing a common vision and working towards the same dream of social justice, prosperity, and happiness. • A sense of unity will lead our people to feel each other’s needs and deepest sentiments and will lead them to share in the fruits of each other’s progress. • In the fight against poverty, graft and corruption, injustice, decadent values, and violence, unity is the key through which we can triumph over all these. There is indeed strength in numbers. If we are together to really work sincerely towards making ourselves good citizens, how can such evil elements thrive in our society? But this fight is won by the collective effort and resolve of our people. We should not allow one of our members to fail or falter because we view the failure or success of one of our countrymen as that of our own. • Solidarity in the service of humanity as opposed to crab mentality.
2. The value of EQUALITY
• All men are created equal, gifted with reason and freewill • Every person should be given equal opportunity to develop himself, be a better person, and pursue happiness in his lifetime. • No man is over and above the law. Justice should be blind when it meets out justice. • The value of equality should move every citizen to look after and take care for the less fortunate and the oppressed. • As we come from the same Maker, we share in the same destiny to live happily, in dignity, in peace and harmony. • Respect for equality means respect for others in the same light that we want them to respect us.
3. The value of RESPECT FOR LAW AND GOVERNMENT
• Implication of the following social issues: 1. basic obedience of traffic rules and regulations, 2. water and electricity pilferages in household, 3. tax evasion, 4. vote buying and other acts of electoral fraud. • The law is not meant to curtail freedom; it is meant to ensure that every citizen acts responsibly while exercising freedom. • The law provides equality; it protects the weak and makes sure that those who are strong do not abuse their strength in expense of those who are not. • The nature of laws is to provide sanctions for the irresponsible practice of freedom. • The law does not warrant slavery but order. • We should not fear the law; we should love the benefit it has on us and on our loved ones. • Our own respect for the law and government should stem from the ultimate law of the heart: that of mutual respect, charity and love for others. Respect from the law means respect for each other.
III. Synthesis
How the young generation acts and thinks today shows us a clear picture of how the nation will move in the future. What the young people learn now will be what they will live when they grow up. Being a citizen starts from the moment we were born. Our duties as citizens multiply as we grow older; consequently, our benefits as citizens progress in the same way provided that we have lived up to our end of the bargain. The government cannot do it alone. No act will ever be small enough not to affect us in the future so let us make each move count.
Reference:
Modules on Good Citizenship Values. The Institution Building Team. EDSA People Power Commission. 2004
Module 6: Social Analysis and Good Governance. . .
Source: Social Action Office, DLS-College of St. Benilde. NSTP Civic Welfare Training Service Handout
Module 7: Process of Change and Active Non-Violence
Process of Change
I. Introduction
The society exhibits varied human conditions. It provides us with a laboratory of experiences, values and resources that ascertain our kind of life. Such state of life is accepted, rejected or modified. Thus, the men and women have the capacity to either change or keep their prevailing state of life. The students as a sector are gifted with opportunities, values and resources, which can be utilized to change the present condition. Should it aspire for a better society, the student sector is capable of initiating positive change. For decades, several means have been tried to effect social reforms. People tried to explain the dynamics of change. They continue to search for formula in making a better society. Here, the module offers four approaches to change. These approaches are based on experiences and on the relative analysis of social conditions.
(Note: These approaches are explained and expounded in the next page- APPROACHES TO SOCIAL CHANGE)
III. Synthesis
Christian love of neighbor and justice cannot be separated. Love implies absolute demand for justice; recognition of the dignity and rights of one’s neighbors. Justice attains its fullness of love. We are a social creation that developed through our relations with others. Thus, advancement of ourselves is linked with the advancement of society. Our past high and low moments in life affect our present and future choices. We need to be conscious of the way we make decisions in life for they would certainly affect others.
Source: Social Action Office, DLS-College of St. Benilde. NSTP Civic Welfare Training Service Handout
Active Non-Violence
Active Non-Violence
• Violence as defined is a force that is injurious to the quality of human life in its various manifestations. It diminishes, violates and destroys human life. One can distinguish personal, structural and psychological violence. • A societal framework founded on violence could never lead to a sustainable life. • Nonviolent social empowerment is about people regaining their own power to creativity shape their lives to influence the course of events around them against oppression and exclusion, for democratic participation, peace and human rights. • Nonviolent power is not about domination: it is the power to be and to do.
Three different responses to Violence
Many governments resort to repression and violence to stay in power. When this happens, the people may choose among three different reactions.
1. Passivity 2. Counter violence 3. ANV ( Alay-Dangal )
Among the three, Alay-Dangal breaks the spiral of violence.
Definition of Alay-Dangal
A system of personal, social and international change aimed at liberating the oppressed and the oppressor through persuasion, moral pressure, and manifold forms of non-violent resistance. It refuses use of counter violence and builds upon the conviction that the willingness to accept oneself the consequences of non-violent action is both liberating and effective and mobilizes local, national and international solidarity.
Bases of Alay-Dangal
a. Humanistic Basis
• Absolute respect for the dignity of the individual. • Unconditional regard for life. The right to life is the most basic of all rights, because all other lose meaning without life. Therefore, to destroy life of another, which is not ours anyway, is to destroy that other totally. • Has a conscience that enables him to distinguish right from wrong.
b. Christian Basis
• The person is created according to the image and likeness of God. He/She is also called to live a life of grace and to build His Kingdom through Christ. (Gen. 1:26-31, Eph. 1:3-10) • Christ is the Truth, the Way, and the Life. • Church Teachings 1. Gaudium Et Spes (Pastoral constitution of the Church in the Modern World): supports non-violence and conscientious objections. 2. Populorium Progressio (The Development of People): With situations of injustice, recourse to violence is a grave temptation. Present situation must be fought against and overcome. Caution against revolutions; greater misery may result. 3. Evangelii Nuntiandi (Evangelization in Modern World): The Church cannot accept violence.
c. Political Basis
Political power is the capacity to control the behavior of others, directly or indirectly
1. Nature of Power
a. Monolith Theory of Power Power as self-perpetrating, durable, not quickly controlled or destroyed. It comes solely from the government. People depend on the goodwill, decisions and support of their government. Thus, they have no choice but to stay.
b. Pluralist Theory of Power Power as fragile. The government depends upon the goodwill, decisions and support of the people. If the people withhold their support from the government, it loses power.
2. Source of Power
• Authority – the right to command and direct, to be heard or obeyed by others; voluntarily accepted by the people, and therefore existing without the imposition of sanctions. • Human Resources – number of people/groups that obey and assist the ruler. • Skills and Knowledge – the talents and abilities of those who obey and how these talents and abilities respond to the ruler’s needs. • Psychological/Ideological Factors – attitudes towards submission/obedience • Material Resources – the degree to which the ruler controls property, natural resources, financial resources, the economic system, etc. • Sanctions – the type and extent of sanctions at his disposal, both for use against his own subjects and in conflicts with other rulers.
Principles of Alay-Dangal
a. The aim must be objectively just. b. It should be a means consistent with its end. Persons should not be used as mere means to an end. c. It emphasizes process or gradual transformation; henceforth, it calls for a coherent perseverant and continuing commitment until the end is obtained. Therefore, there is a need for a strategy of action. d. It evolves creative ways of resolving conflict e. It is collective, for its power and effectivity lie in unity
Some Guidelines
a. Alay-Dangal is a way of life that demands a continuing commitment. b. It shares from the person and grows towards united action. c. It adheres to democratic processes. d. It never condones killing, harming, and using people. e. It underscores united action. f. It is relentless in its struggle to work for the rightful end.
Source: Social Action Office, DLS-College of St. Benilde. NSTP Civic Welfare Training Service Handout
Module 8: Sustainable Development
I. Introduction:
Socio-economic and political growth is always a dream of any society. But this growth sometimes comes across of compromising our environment. That’s why the concept of sustainable development emerged.
A commitment to meet the needs of present and future generations has various implications. “Meeting the needs of the present” means satisfying:
1) Economic needs—including access to an adequate livelihood or productive assets; also economic security when unemployed, ill, disabled or otherwise unable to secure a livelihood.
2) Social, cultural, and health needs—including a shelter which is healthy, safe, affordable, and secure, within a neighborhood with provision for piped water, drainage, transport, health care, education, child development, and protection from environmental hazards. Services must meet the specific needs of children and of adults responsible for children (mostly women). Achieving this implies a more equitable distribution of income between nations and, in most cases, within nations.
3) Political needs—including freedom to participate in national and local politics and in decisions regarding the management and development of one’s home and neighbourhood, within a broader framework that ensures respect for civil and political rights and the implementation of environmental legislation.
Meeting such needs “without undermining the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” means:
1) Minimizing use or waste of non-renewable resources—including minimizing the consumption of fossil fuels and substituting with renewable sources where feasible. Also, minimizing the waste of scarce mineral resources (by reducing use, reusing, recycling, and reclaiming).
2) Sustainable use of renewable resources—including using freshwater, soils, and forests in ways that ensure a natural rate of recharge.
3) Keeping within the absorptive capacity of local and global sinks for wastes—including the capacity of rivers to break down biodegradable wastes as well as the capacity of global environmental systems, such as climate, to absorb greenhouse gases.
Philippine Agenda 21 is the sustainable development program of the country and it was conceptualized during the time of President Fidel Ramos.
The image of society that guides Philippine Agenda 21 characterizes a significant number of modern societies today, some of which recognize that the key actors in any critical and principled partnership or conflict regarding sustainable development are the government, business, and civil society (Figure 2). To humanize development, there must be an interplay of market forces, state intervention, and civil society participation.
Business is the key actor in the realm of the economy where the central social concern and process is the mutually beneficial production and distribution of goods and services to meet the physical needs of human beings. Government is the key actor in the realm of polity where the central social concern and process is participatory, democratic governance and rule making to secure the human rights of all citizens including justice and equity. Civil society is the key actor in realm of culture where the central social concern and process is the development of the social and spiritual capacities of human beings in order, among others, to advance the frontiers of knowledge, to achieve clarity and coherence of values and to advocate the public interest. The three key actors in sustainable development can simply be viewed as the most organized and significant representatives of the prevailing social processes in each of the three essential dimensions of society.
The Philippine Agenda 21 approach adheres to the following principles of sustainable development:
1. Primacy of Developing Full Human Potential. People are at the core of development initiatives.
2. Holistic Science and Appropriate Technology. The search for solutions to the complex milieu of development problems has to be undertaken with the perspective that situates specific problems in the larger social and ecological context. This approach facilitates the development and use of appropriate technology.
3. Cultural, Moral and Spiritual Sensitivity. Nurturing the inherent strengths of local and indigenous knowledge, practices and beliefs while respecting the cultural diversity, moral norms and spiritual essence of Filipino society.
4. Self-determination. Respecting the right and relying on the inherent capacity of the country and its peoples to decide on the course of their own development.
5. National Sovereignty. Self-determination at the national level where the norms of society and the specifics of the local ecology inform national governance. Includes human and environmental security as well as achieving and ensuring security and self-reliance in basic staple foods. Recognizing the crucial role of farmers and fisherfolk in providing for the nutritional needs of the nation.
6. Gender sensitivity. Recognizing the important and complementary roles and the empowerment of both men and women in development.
7. Peace, Order And National Unity. Securing the right of all to a peaceful and secure existence.
8. Social Justice, Inter-, Intra-Generational and Spatial Equity. Ensuring social cohesion and harmony through equitable distribution of resources and providing the various sectors of society with equal access to development opportunities and benefits today and in the future.
9. Participatory democracy. Ensuring the participation and empowerment of all sectors of society in development decision-making and processes and to operationalize intersectoral and multisectoral consensus.
10. Institutional viability. Recognizing that sustainable development is a shared, collective and indivisible responsibility which calls for institutional structures that are built around the spirit of solidarity, convergence and partnership between and among different stakeholders.
11. Viable, sound and broad-based economic development. Development founded on a stable economy where the benefits of economic progress are equitably shared across ages, communities, gender, social classes, ethnicities, geographical units and across generations.
12. Sustainable population. Achieving a sustainable population level, structure and distribution while taking cognizance of the limited carrying capacity of nature and the interweaving forces of population, culture, resources, environment and development.
13. Ecological soundness. Recognizing nature as our common heritage and thus respecting the limited carrying capacity and integrity of nature in the development process to ensure the right of present and future generations to this heritage.
14. Biogeographical Equity and Community-Based Resource Management. Recognizing that since communities residing within or most proximate to an ecosystem of a bio-geographic region will be the ones to most directly and immediately feel the positive and negative impacts on that ecosystem, they should be given prior claim to the development decisions affecting that ecosystem including management of the resources. To ensure biogeographic equity, other affected communities should be involved in such decisions.
15. Global Cooperation. Building upon and contributing to the diverse capacities of individual nations.
( Source: http://www.cadi.ph/pa21_principles_of_unity.htm)
III. Conclusion:
Sustainable Development (SD) is a significant topic nowadays. It is important and necessary to incorporate the principles of SD into the realm of socio-economic and political arena because the benefits of which if taken properly will help solve the enormous problems not only of our country but the whole world. SD is not only concerned in addressing the issues of the environment but it encompasses and touches also the dynamics of political, social and economic life of a community or nation. Here we can see a holistic methodology in the form of a trinitarian approach. This means that the key actors are not only coming from the government but also the process of socio-economic and political development must be shared by the business and civil society respectively. In this regard, problems in the different areas whether political, economic or social in nature can be solved by helping one another and this approach creates an impact because the work is shared by everyone. Cooperation and unity is a vital component in sustainable development especially in Philippine Agenda 21. Moreover, the idea of Sustainable Development and the different programs and principles under the Agenda 21 is not an instant solution to our problems rather they are processes that guides our action whether we are in our community, in the market or in the government. Lastly, the success of the programs and aspirations of SD will really depend on how UNITED we are in our actions towards our common goal – sustained development.
References:
Center for Alternative Development Initiatives (2005). PA 21 principles of unity. Retrieved May 24, 2005, from http://www.cadi.ph/pa21_principles_of_unity.htm
Encarta (2005). Sustainable development. Retrieved May 24, 2005, from http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_781534285/Sustainable_Development. html
Government of Canda (n.d.). What is sustainable development? Retrieved May 24, 2005, from http://www.sdinfo.gc.ca/what_is_sd/index_e.cfm
Source: Social Action Office, DLS-College of St. Benilde. NSTP Civic Welfare Training Service Handout
Module 9: The Role of Students in Social Transformation
I. Introduction
For years, the student sector has proven to have significantly influenced the course of our history. During the martial rule, the students showed its force. And up to these days, the student sector’s contribution during the victorious event of EDSA could not be ignored. They comprise a large part of the population and thus, play a vital role in society. They possess certain strengths that are necessary in the process of change. They are privileged that they can considerably generate influence on other sectors; however, they can no longer identify themselves with the oppressed. Thus, this module will help redefine the role of students in the process of change within the context of their faith and experience of God’s presence.
II. Input
What can students do in the process of change?
Catalyst or support change Characteristics: • Articulate – can understand and articulate problems without making decisions for themselves or preempting their primary role in society. • Concerned – can raise the people’s concern inside the campus and get support • Knowledgeable – can go to people and facilitate their education and formation
Primary Agent of Change Characteristics: • Full of energy • Aggressive – can apply pressure for change • Critical – can advocate relevant issues • Decisive – can participate in decision-making and implementation of policies in the educational system
Social Development Worker Characteristics: • Competent • Responsible • Generous
~ Students should view education as a “call to service and not just a passport to privilege”, in accordance with the social cost and the teaching of the scripture (“When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him.” – Luke 12:48)
~ Students must be equipped with the knowledge, skills and orientation they need to be socially responsible.
Build a Counter Culture Characteristics:
• Effective- can influence other students and raise their consciousness • can be CONSISTENT in witnessing to the values they espouse • ADVOCATE – can advocate the gospel values of social justice, simplicity, truth and peace ~ This role must be reflected in school and within the communities
Profile of the Studentry
A. Strengths
• They are at the stage when individuals are psychologically disposed to rebel and to question so many things about themselves and the world around them. • More open to new ideas, unlike old people who have already formed deep rooted biases. • Have acquired some measure of skill and comprehension, conceptualization and communication through schooling. They possess the ability to think and articulate their thoughts and actual experiences. • Naturally organized, have more time to spare for other non-academic involvement • Have relatively easier access to resources – finances, facilities, resource persons, expertise, etc. • Willing to take risks and to give unconditional commitment for a cause, even to one which may oppose their family’s immediate interests because generally, they have no firmly-entrenched economic or class interests yet.
B. Weaknesses
• Have strong emotional dependencies on significant others which could hinder them from exploring other forms of personal involvement. • Tend to over-emphasized intellectual training to the point of sacrificing experience. They become dogmatic and rigid –articulate but inconsistent because they have not internalized many of the things they have learned. • Generally, students give seasonal commitment and usually their involvement is isolated from the mainstream of society. • Can misuse resources that are readily available at their disposal – splurge on senseless things.
Channels of Socio-Political Involvement
Students’ socio-political involvement must take place both within the school and in the larger society. To confine efforts at change to the school is to risk aimlessness and isolation from the rest of society; to neglect the issues of school and education while tackling issues of the larger society is to risk a poorly internalized vision of social change. The three channels of students socio-political involvement are presented here:
A. Community Work
Student community work consists of direct assistance to community or sectoral people’s organizations acting on local issues. The most common type of student involvement in community is parallel – i.e. done by extra-curricular socially oriented student groups on the students’ own time. Other types are intervening, or done during long school breaks ( e.g. summer work camps in rural villages or Summer of Service Program); interwoven or integrated into the curriculum or a specific course and subsequent or done after graduation from college (e.g. Lasallian Volunteer Formation Program). The work may be general or directed towards the development of general skills in social change work- for instance, tutorials, catechism, literacy training or the building of basic Christian communities. Or it may be related to the students own academic program – for instance, paralegal work for law students, community-based health programs for medical students, participatory research for social science students. Student community work, particularly in base-group building, contributes to the whole effort to build a people’s movement for social transformation. For the students themselves, this involvement provides a venue for developing a more concrete analysis of the social situation, rooted in actual experience. Close contact with the poor translates an abstract social responsibility into a deep personal commitment to flesh-and-blood people. The work can also serve as training for the development of skills useful anywhere, but most especially in professional social change work after graduation. Significantly, community work is also an important factor in the students’ personal growth, nurturing their confidence in themselves and a sense of meaningful direction and contribution to society. This increased student morale and the rich learning resources provided by any poor community also benefit the school. Student community work probably provides the best model yet for a genuinely liberating education.
B. Issue Advocacy
Issue advocacy is a natural extension of community work, enabling students to share their learning and propagate their convictions among other students and in the larger society. It is also the most direct way of pressuring for change in the school and the educational system when decision making structures do not allow for substantial participation. Issue advocacy contributes to the movement for national transformation by publicizing community, sectoral and national issues, propagating the people’s perspective, building solidarity with sympathetic sectors of the general public, and compelling the authorities concerned to take public sentiment into serious consideration. For the students it allows a development of skills in empirical study, organization and the advocacy of convictions. Advocacy that deals with education issues strengthens student base group formation and enables the students to develop confidence in their own collective power, besides opening the way for the transformation of formal education.
C. Direct Political Action
Direction political action refers to the harnessing of organizational power for participation in decision and policy-making, whether on the national, community or school level. It may be seen as the next logical step to issue advocacy. Direct political action begins with the strengthening of student base groups, usually those formed through issue advocacy and community involvement. At a certain level of political consciousness and organizational discipline, these groups can become the mass base for movement loosely united by common issues and proposed concrete programs, philosophies and actions. A more structured organization is the student party, which acts directly to affect campus politics with the primary responsibility of protecting students’ rights and welfare. Or the formation of alliances with students’ group from other schools – which can be considered a higher level of direct political action and which can become fully integrated into the national movement got social change through coalitions with other sectoral alliances on national concerns. (Social Development Index).
III. Synthesis
Our experiences in life affect our present and future choices. We need to be conscious of our process in making significant decisions for they point to us the consequent direction in our life.
Concepts and Principles of Volunteering
I. Introduction
Volunteering takes many forms and meanings in different settings. It is strongly influenced by the history, politics, religion and culture of a region. What may be seen as volunteering in one country may be dismissed as low-paid or labor intensive work in another. And yet, despite the wide variety of understandings, it is possible to identify some core characteristics of what constitutes a voluntary activity.
II. Input
A. Volunteerism in the Philippine Context
Volunteerism in the Philippine context is a crucial tradition called “bayanihan” or helping one another. “Bayanihan” is a Tagalog word rooted in the word “bayani” or hero, hence, the word means a heroic act of service or sacrifice. Other schools of thought believe that it probably came from the word “bayan” which literally means town but metaphorically refers to a community of persons. “Bayanihan” could refer to a community undertaking in this sense.
Bayanihan is a summary of other Filipino social and moral virtues which include-
• Pakikisama – to be concerned, to be supportive • Pakikipagkapwa – harmony with others • Pakikiramay – sympathize, condole, share suffering • Pakikitungo – act humbly, concede, deal with someone properly • Hiya- painful feeling of having done something wrong; embarrassment; shame’ humiliation • Dangal - social honor • Utang na loob – debt of gratitude • Paggalang – respect ( The Volunteer: Centennial Edition. Quezon City:PNVSCA, 1998)
B. Volunteerism in the Lasallian Context
Saint John Baptist De La Salle, founder of the congregation called Brothers of the Christian Schools, was born rich but lived poor. Like an ordinary man, he lent his ears and heart to the people, the underprivileged mainly, as he prayed for God’s will Teaching the poor became De La Salle’s Life work. At first, mostly in association with Adrian Nyel, a layman who had come to Rheims, France to establish a charity school for boys. De La Salle opened other schools for the poor. Amid objections from relatives and friends, De La Salle formed a community of teachers to serve the poor and gave away his worldly possessions to live like the poor. A practical innovator, De La Salle studied and found effective ways to educate the poor. He gave up individual tutoring and formed groups of pupils to be taught simultaneously, and undertook individual monitoring of student progress. He also conducted classes in the native language of the pupils in France- French instead of traditional Latin. For De La Salle, improving quality education for the poor also meant fighting crime, sin and destruction spawned by poverty, ignorance and oppression. In accomplishing his mission, De La Salle always firmly believed that God was with him. ( DLS-CSB Studetn Handbook, SY 98-99: iv-v)
C. Characteristics of Volunteering:
1. The activity should not be undertaken primarily for financial reward, although the reimbursement of expenses and some token payment may be allowed. 2. The activity should be undertaken voluntarily, according to an individual’s own free will. 3. Volunteering is based on personal motivation and choices freely taken. 4. Volunteering is a way of furthering active citizenship and community involvement. 5. Volunteering takes the form of individual or group activities generally carried out within the framework of an organization. 6. Volunteering enhances human potential and quality of daily life, building up human solidarity. 7. Volunteering provides answers for the great challenges of our time, striving for a better and a more peaceful world. 8. Volunteering contributes to the vitality of economic life even creating jobs and new professions. 9. The activity should be of benefit to someone other than the volunteer, or to society at large, although it is recognized that volunteering brings significant benefits to the volunteer as well.
D. Four Different Types of Volunteer Activity
• Mutual aid or self-help • Philanthropy or service to others • Participation or civic engagement • Advocacy or campaigning
( Expert Working Group Meeting on Volunteering and Social Development, New York, November 1999)
E. Two Main Types of Volunteering
a. Unmanaged volunteering – the spontaneous and sporadic helping that takes place between friends and neighbors – for example, child care, running errands and loaning equipment – or in response to natural or man-made disasters. It is the dominant form of volunteering in many cultures. b. Managed volunteering – takes place through organizations in the non-profit, public and private sectors and tends to be more organized and regular.
F. Key Concepts and Principles of Volunteering
Volunteerism
• is a non-free based personal service directed towards social change and empowerment • is value-driven, centering on commitment to social change, service for public interest and to people in need, a means to humanize technology and a bridge to connect people, sectors ad countries. • is rooted in the country’s culture • Volunteers are key actors in volunteer organization and their nurturance is a crucial factor in sustaining volunteer work and volunteer organizations
(Source: Training Manual On Volunteer Management. Philippine Association for Volunteer Effort.)
G. Some Motivations for Volunteering ( Why do people Volunteer?)
1. To enrich and give new meaning to life 2. To demonstrate love for others 3. To work for social change 4. To develop leadership skills 5. To improve your community 6. To experience new challenges
H. The Benefits of Volunteering
• Volunteering makes an important economic contribution to society • Volunteering is a key means by which individuals articulate their engagement as citizens, and by building trust and reciprocity among citizens volunteering contributes to a more cohesive, stable society. • Volunteering helps to integrate into society people who are excluded or marginalized • Volunteering plays a role in promoting full employment
Module 9: The Role of Students in Social Transformation
Source: Social Action Office, DLS-College of St. Benilde. NSTP Civic Welfare Training Service Handout
Module 10: Community Development and Management
I. Community Development Framework
II. Development of People Centered Strategy for Empowerment:
Community or People Empowerment is a process and an outcome. It is a continuing process of building leadership capabilities among the people, uplifting their self esteem and developing self reliance within the community. Through this, they are able to control the community resources, utilize them for their own benefit, and make decisions on matters affecting their lives.
Features of an Empowered Community: • Increased community control over resources, decisions and processes; • Existence of viable community institutions and organizations; • Increased political participation; • Capacity to plan, take initiatives and shoulder maintenance responsibilities; • Increased self-reliance and positive self-concept; and, • Pool of capable and committed community leaders.
III. Integral Development:
The value of integral development is that it is concerned with improving the different dimensions of community life – social, political, economic, environmental, cultural and spiritual. Its focus is to enhance the potential of the people for action so that they can direct their own development. Achieving integral development implies improvement in the quality of life and standard of living. This means that the different dimensions of community life have the following characteristics:
1. Social:
• Access to basic services (health nutrition, water and sanitation, basic clothing, housing, education, and psychological requirements)
2. Political:
• People’s participation in community organizations; • People-initiated development projects based on individual and community needs; • Presence of viable community based organizations; and, • Pool of strong capable and committed community leaders.
3. Economic:
• Access and control of capital resources for production (e.g. cash, farmland, irrigation, farm inputs, roads); • Increased productivity and equitable distribution of benefits; • Responsive and appropriate economic systems; and, • Enough jobs/employment opportunities.
4. Environmental:
• Interdependence between human beings and nature; • Environment-friendly technology; and, • Community plan for ecological protection and preservation.
5. Cultural:
• Indigenous culture is utilized for community development; and, • Culture-based community-development processes.
6. Spiritual:
• Mission to love or do something worthwhile for others, especially among the poorest of the poor; • Discernment as a way of life; and, • Values-centered developmental processes.
IV. Community Development and Management Process:
A. Community Organizing – a problem solving process where the community is empowered with knowledge and skills to identify and prioritize its needs and problems, harness its resources to deal with these problems and take action collectively.
1. Community Organizer – is an outsider or a member of a community who facilitates together with the community 2. Attributes of a Community Organizer: • Superiority vs Respect • Desire to learn from them/honest curiosity • Listen and Learn • Recognition and acceptance of community members as colleagues • Openness and flexibility to accommodate community member’s agenda • Conscious of non-verbal cues, seating arrangements, and practices open communication • Able to respect and show interest for what they show and say 3. Roles of a Community Organizer: a. Information Carrier b. Friendly Listener c. Motivator d. Process Facilitator e. Agency Linker f. Ability Builder of People g. Teacher of Skills h. Work Helper i. Program Administrator j. Group Worker k. Peacekeeper l. Promoter m. Local Leader n. Counselor o. Protector p. Institution Builder
B. Situational Analysis: a collective process of examining the prevailing social, political, economic, environmental, cultural conditions and spiritual condition of a given community. It is a preparatory step to the actual planning process.
1. Roles of Community Leaders in Situational Analysis: a. Guide the community members in determining how they can improve in the prevailing situation to achieve community goals; b. Enable the community to collectively understand and define their own needs and problems ; and, c. Facilitate the process of identifying change strategies and resources, and making decisions on how to implement the identified solutions. 2. Situational Analysis Team (SAT) The SAT is an expression of community based leadership and empowerment. Its formation aims to broaden the leadership structure and participation of community members in the situational analysis process.
a. Considerations in the SAT Composition: • Gender-based representation (equal number of men and women); • Sector based representation (priority sectors e.g. farmers, fisher folks, youth, etc.); and, • Area-based representation (barangay, sitio or purok levels)
b. Functions of the SAT: • Facilitate the different steps in Situational Analysis; • Coordinate related activities; • Draw out the participation of each community member; • Supervise the day-to-day implementation of the Situational Analysis process; • Document the process.
c. After the Community Profile has been finalized and disseminated: • The SAT should take time to reflect on the Situational Process undertaken ( the over-all leader facilitates the reflection process).
C. Situational Analysis Process:
Step 1. Community Orientation Step 2. Data Gathering Step 3. Data Processing Step 4. Preparation of the Community Profile Step 5. Presentation, validation and approval of the Community Profile Step 6. Finalization of the community profile and dissemination.
D. Community Planning - a process where the people collectively define their priority problems, determine their development vision, set goals and objectives, identify resources which they can utilize, and develop a plan of action to achieve community goals.
1. Roles of Community Leaders in Planning: a. Enable the community members to address their needs and problems; b. Develop their planning skills; c. Involve community members in decision-making; d. Provide them with a process where they can plan their own development; and, e. Guide them in developing a plan of action geared towards achieving community goals
E. Community Planning and Implementation Team (CPIT): The CPT is also an expression of community based leadership and empowerment. Its formation aims to broaden the leadership structure and participation of community members in the planning process.
1. Considerations in the CPIT Composition: • Gender-based representation (equal number of men and women); • Sector based representation (priority sectors e.g. farmers, fisher folks, youth, etc.); and, • Area-based representation (barangay, sitio or purok levels)
2. Functions of the CPIT • Facilitate the implementation of the different steps of the planning process; • Prepare the Community Plan of Action and Budget (CPAB); • Submit the CPAB to the community for validation and approval; • Formulate indicators for monitoring and evaluation; and, • Lead the implementation of the CPAB.
3. After the Community Plan and Budget has been finalized and disseminated: The CPIT should take time to reflect on the planning process undertaken (the over-all leader facilitates the reflection process).
F. Community Planning Process:
Step 1. Formation of a Community Planning and Implementation Team Step 2. Community Visioning Step 3. Setting of Community Goals and Objectives Step 4. Identifying of Resources and Constraints Step 5. Preparation of Community Plan of Action and Budget Step 6. Presentation, Community validation and approval of the Community Action Plan and Budget Step 7. Finalization of the community profile and dissemination
G. Implementation – a process of carrying out the projects and activities in the Community Action Plan. Its main purpose is to test the feasibility of the planned projects and activities, and institute necessary changes or modifications if necessary.
H. Roles of Community Leaders during Implementation:
1. Oversee the direct implementation of projects and activities; 2. Conduct an information and advocacy campaign on the Community Plan; 3. Motivate the community members to contribute to the projects and activities (material, labor, cash, ideas, time, etc.); 4. Monitor the status of implementation ( come up with a checklist or data board on the status of projects and activities); 5. Make quick adjustments when problems arise in consultation with the community members; 6. Coordinate various activities, tasks and efforts of community members; 7. Mobilize community resources for the projects or activities; 8. Conduct regular consultation and feed backing with community members; 9. Clarify roles of each member in projects or activities; 10. Manage interpersonal relationships and conflict management; and, 11. Facilitate team-building activities (reflection processes, values formation, and skills enhancement) among the members of the CPIT and Community Members.
I. The Community Planning and Implementation Team (CPIT) should put the following into consideration:
1. During the implementation of projects and activities, it is important to: • Carry out projects and activities with the community members; • Encourage their activity; • Motivate them to perform tasks; • In times of conflict, mediate rather than aggravate; • Be an effective coach by helping community members accomplish targets, measure accomplishments, diagnose performance problems, and take remedial actions; • Provide the community members with regular feedback; • Organize and coordinate tasks, methods and efforts/contributions of each member; and, • Communicate with each other, and with the community members on both a one-on-one and a group basis.
2. As the CPIT oversee and direct the implementation process; • They should take time to reflect on their progress ( the over-all leader facilitates the reflection process)
J. Community Monitoring and Evaluation – is a process of looking into the status of the implementation of the plan to determine areas of weaknesses and strength. It is concerned with how objectives are being attained, and what necessary adjustments have to be done in the course of the plan implementation.
K. Definition of Terms:
1. Participatory Monitoring – Participatory monitoring is a process where the community members pause to check whether or not results of activities match with the set of objectives. It also involves systematic recording, integration and periodic analysis of information gathered throughout the implementation process by the community members themselves.
The specific purposes of participatory monitoring are: • To provide an overall picture of project/activity implementation; • To identify problem areas in project/activity implementation, and remedy the situation immediately; • To gather information which will be used for future evaluations.
2. Participatory Evaluation – a process where the community members take the lead in assessing in the impact of the projects and activities on the community. It is concerned with determining the accomplishments of goals and objectives.
The specific purposes of participatory evaluation are: • To enable the community to make good and appropriate decisions; • To develop the evaluation skills of the community members; • To have better understanding of the community situation; • To facilitate communication between the community members and the community leaders; • To gather and analyze information which can further improve the community situation; and, • To mobilize community participation in resolving community problems.
V. Roles of Community Leaders in Monitoring and Evaluation:
1. Guide the community in planning what is to be evaluated; 2. Provide them with a process on how to undertake the evaluation process; 3. Assist them in carrying out the evaluation; 4. Facilitate the process of analyzing the information; and, 5. Prepare the evaluation report and present the results to the community.
VI. Functions of Monitoring and Evaluation Team (MET);
1. The main functions of the MET are: • Facilitate the implementation of the different steps in the monitoring & evaluation (M&E) process • Finalize the scheme; • Lead the M & E activities; and, • Prepare the Evaluation Report to the community for validation and approval.
2. After the community validation exercise and information dissemination, the MET should: • Take time to reflect as a team on the process undertaken; • Not hesitate to voice out anxieties, apprehensions, and criticisms of your team members; • At the same time, don’t forget to appreciate your contributions, as well as those of your team members; • Reflect on the things you see, feel, understand as you participate on the evaluation process; and, • Share your innermost thoughts on how the M & E process can be further improved relative to community needs and capabilities.
VII. Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation Process:
Step 1. Formation of Monitoring and Evaluation Team Step 2. Formulation of the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Step 3. Actual Monitoring Analysis and Presentation of Results Step 4. Actual Evaluation and Data Analysis Step 5. Preparation of the Evaluation Report Step 6. Presentation, Community Validation of the Evaluation Report Step 7. Finalization of the Evaluation Report and Dissemination of Results
Source: Social Action Office, DLS-College of St. Benilde. NSTP Civic Welfare Training Service Handout
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Challenge:
It is not yet a game over situation. It is not a hopeless case. There are things that we can do as individuals to contribute to the betterment of the society. In answering the signs of the times, everybody plays a vital role in nation building, rebuilding and for social transformation.
Economic • low level of living • low level of productivity • poor marketing system • oppressive tenurial arrangements/ practices • unemployment/ underemployment • Misdistribution of income and wealth
Social • Personalized politics • Community disorganization • Poor health conditions • Low level of education • Culture of silence and poverty • Powerlessness of the majority Government politics
Physical
• Lack/limited support facilities for socio-economic development • Ecological imbalance •
Dilemma:
a. How much and when community organizer must lead? b. How much decision making and other factors of community life must the community organizer leave to the initiative of the people? c. How much must the Community Organizer involve him/herself in the planning and management of the community to avoid lack of direction? d. How much must the community organizer leave unstructured? e. Authoritarianism vs. Dialogical approach
Factors Affecting People’s Participation:
a. Tenure status b. Attendance in training services c. Membership in local based organizations d. Values orientation of respondents e. Leadership styles of local leaders.
What is sustainable development?
The World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission) defined sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." In other words, development is essential to satisfy human needs and improve the quality of human life. At the same time, development must be based on the efficient and environmentally responsible use of all of society's scarce resources - natural, human, and economic.
(Source: http://www.sdinfo.gc.ca/what_is_sd/index_e.cfm)
