Community Engagement Solidarity and Citizenship

1. Module 3:
FUNCTIONS OF
COMMUNITY

2. VOCABULARY LIST
• Aspects of Community
- these include the structure existing in your community
which includes natural environment to the institutions
made by man
• Community
- group of people in a particular area who are
interacting to one another.

3. • Community Power
- the capacity of the community to exercise control over
activities and seek ways to employ available resources
• Influencer
- the person with the most influence, who can lead
others to achieve a goal or accomplish a certain
task

4. • Leader
- the person who has the responsibility of controlling or
taking charge of a particular group
• Leadership
-the process and qualities of command and
decisiveness with regard to the necessary actions
that ensure the welfare of the community

5. • Social change
- the changes that occur in the social order of a
society. These are related to nature, social
institutions, social behavior or social relations,
cultural, religious, economics, scientific or
technological forces.

6. TOPIC 1: Understanding Community
through its Dynamics
• In the Philippines, the government provides several levels of
leadership, from the president and vice-president, including
other government officials at the national and in the local
levels such as mayors, congressmen, and governors. They
are appointed based on qualifications, attitude and most
often, through the votes of the residents. It is otherwise
known as Formal Power Structure because they are
individuals from whose authority is based on formal rules
appointed by the government.

7. • There are also people who are appointed because of their
ability to lead, direct or achieve without an official leadership
title. They are known as Informal Power Structure. They are
popular to others as influencers who can lead others with the
most influence. Informal power comes, not from an official
position, but from the respect and appreciation one has earned
from the members of a group. This respect and appreciation
allow the individual to influence his or her peers in a way that
others within the group cannot. Examples are managers,
supervisors, philanthropists, businessmen, producers and even
employees who lead their group as likable and charismatic
leaders.

8. • Legal authoritative decision-makers, on the other hand, are
individuals or bodies whose authority is based on formal rules
and institutions. They are appointed because of their
intelligence, reputations, decision-making, dictation from laws
and policies and connections. Examples are the appointments
made by the president of the country through his/her Powers of
Appointment as stated in the constitution or with the consent of
the Commission on Appointments like the heads of the executive
departments,members and its leaders from any national
government-related institutions, ambassadors, other public
ministers and consuls, etc

9. Power dynamics are part of individual dimensions of
community which could be:
1. Interrelationship- community leaders are with direct
relation with you through familial relations, affinities or
feeling of kinship, and social network, and
2. Organization- they could be part of an
institution or an association, that has a particular
purpose in our community.

11. Understanding the Community through
its Structures
• Awareness of the essential aspects of the
community is necessary in aiding the residents
to reflect on ways to be positively involved in its
improvement. The poet John Donne famously
said, “No man is an island,” referring to
humanity’s interconnectedness and the belief
that humans are always social beings.

12. The following are the aspects of community
and the factors to explore
1. Local Politics
• Structure of government
• Decision-making power and control
• Major issues currently in debate

13. 2. Demographics
• • Population size (total number of people)
• • Population density (ratio of people to the space they inhabit)
• • Heterogeneity (the extent to which community members have diverse
characteristics)
• • Ethnic groups • Names given to various parts of the community •
Areas known for having their own characteristics (ex: industrial area,
blue collar families)
• • Isolation from or closeness to other communities
• • History of the area * Changes and development of the area

14. 3. Geography and environmental
influence
• the community’s physical environment the
community’s location and proximity to
highways, bodies of water or mountains *
existence of recreational areas concerns
regarding environment hazards such as
pollution, power shortages, among others

15. 4. Beliefs and Attitudes
• cultural values, traditions and beliefs of various segments of the
population
• spiritual and political values of the residents
• available social agencies and the help they can extend
• perceptions of residents as part of the community.

16. 5. Local economy and businesses
• • businesses, factories and other sources of
employment that characterize the community
• • nature of business (owned by local residents
or government)

17. 6. Income distribution
• • public assistance benefits available to residents
• • median income level of residents
• • income levels and corresponding percentage of population.

18. 7. Housing
• • housing conditions
• • population density
• • types of housing
• • ownership and status of houses (rental, real estate, etc)

19. 8. Educational facilities and programs
• • education system
• • extent of community support
• • existence of public and private schools
• • adherence to intended curriculum of the Department of Education
• attention to special population (e.g., children with special needs) and to
cultural differences.
• • extent to which education brings out the best in the children (participation in
competitions, profile of graduates, training students holistically)
• • adequate preparation for adults to enter the labor force

20. 9. Health and Welfare Systems
• • adequate numbers of health professionals and specialists • social
service programs
• • respect of service providers to the needs and values of minority
populations
• • availability of fire and police protection
• • safety of the environment
• • the residents’ view on public safety and justice system.

21. 10. Sources of information and public
opinion
• • presence of TV and radio stations and newspapers which provide the
people information and perspectives on current events
• • community organizations’ capacity to update residents on important
information
• • the capacity of the sources of information to enhance the residents’
skills to promote positive change
• • the presence of community leaders who speak for various
marginalized subgroups.

22. A. Below are statements with jumbled words based on
the previous discussion. Try to remember each concept
by looking into the jumbled words.
1. __________________ MMUNICOTY ROEWP -capacity
of the community to exercise control over activities and
seek ways to employ available resources to establish a
stronger and successful community.
2. ___________________ CONMIMUTY CUSTRURET -
this encompasses the various aspects in the community
which includes demographics, geography and
environmental influences, beliefs and attitudes and the
likes.

23. 3. ___________________ ABCOLLARNIOTO -one of
the essential characteristics of leaders to be developed
is that they build bridges and develop networks among
community leaders in the different fields.
4. ___________________ MARFOL ROWEP
EURCTURST - they are appointed based on
qualifications, attitude and most often, through the
votes of the residents
5. ____________________ GANITIONROAZ - they
could be part of an institution or an association that has
a particular purpose in our community

24. B. Read and analyze the statements below. Write the word
TRUE if statements are correct and FALSE if it is incorrect.
___________ 6. Teachers, soldiers, and other
government employees are examples of Formal
Power Structure.
___________ 7. Legal authoritative decision-
makers leads their group as likable and
charismatic leaders. They are also known as
influencers.

25. ___________ 8. One factor to explore in income
distribution is the public assistance benefits
available to residents.
___________ 9. Community Power will be
achieved only if community leaders collaborate
with each other.
___________ 10. Effective communication is the
most essential characteristic of a community
leader.

26. • Task A
• 1. Community Power
• 2. Community Structure
• 3. Collaboration
• 4. Formal Power Structures
• 5. Organization Task
• B 6. False 7. False 8. True 9. False 10. False

27. Add a Slide Title - 1