COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH (COPAR) COPAR defined:

Community Organizing Participatory Action Research is a social developmental approach that aims to transform the apathetic, the individualistic and voiceless poor into dynamic, participatory and politically responsive community It is developed to make health services accessible and available for depressed and underserved communities in the Philippines.

COPAR is participatory and mass-based because it is primarily directed towards and biased in favor of the poor, the powerless and the oppressed. COPAR is group centered and not leader oriented. Leaders are identified, emerged and are tested through action rather than appointed or selected by some external force or entity.

CRITICAL STEPS OF COPAR:

A. Integration Social Investigation Tentative Program Planning Ground working The Meeting Role Play Mobilization or Action Evaluation Reflection Organization

APPROACHES TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: A. Welfare Approach

The immediate and/or spontaneous response to ameliorate the manifestation of poverty, especially on the personal level. Assumes that poverty is God-given, hence the poor should accept their condition since they will receive their just reward in heaven. Project development approach introduces whatever resources that are lacking in a given community Assumes that development consists of abandoning the traditional methods of doing things and must adopt the technology of industrial countries. The process of empowering/ transforming the poor and the oppressed sectors of society so that they can pursue a more just and humane society. Assumes that poverty is not God-given rather it is rooted in the historical past and is maintained by the oppressive structure in society

B. Modernization Approach

C. Transformatory/Participatory Approach

IMPORTANCE OF COPAR
COPAR is an important tool for community development and people empowerment as this helps the community workers to generate community participation in developmental activities. COPAR prepares people to eventually take over the management of a development program in the future. COPAR maximizes community participation and involvement

PRINCIPLES OF COPAR
People especially the most oppressed, exploited and deprived sectors are open to change, have the capacity to change and are able to bring about change. COPAR should be bases upon the interests of the poorest sectors of society. COPAR should lead to a self reliant community and society

Integration > Living with the people to experience and understand their culture economy, leaders, history and lifestyle. B. Social Investigation > Collecting, collating and analyzing data in a systematic process in order to draw a clear picture of the community. C. Tentative Program Planning > Choosing an issue to work on in order to begin organizing the people D. Ground working > Continuously going around and motivating the people on a one-on-one basis to do something on the issues that has been chosen. E. The Meeting > An opportunity for the people to collectively gain the power of confidence by discussing their problems and issues. F. Role Play > Training the people through simulated activities to anticipate what will happen and prepare themselves for such eventuality. G. Mobilization or Action > Actual experiences of people in confronting the powerful and the actual exercise of people power. H. Evaluation > The people reviewing the previous steps to determine whether they were successful or not in their objectives. I. Reflection > Discussion of the factors that facilitated or hindered the activity, done at the end of every activity. J. Organization > The result of many successive and similar actions of the people

PROCESS OF COPAR

PHASES OF COPAR
A. PRE-ENTRY PHASE
> The initial phase of the organizing process where the community/organizer looks for communities to serve/help.

A progressive cycle of action-reflection-action which begins with small, local and concrete issues identified by the people and the evaluation and the reflection of and on the action taken by them. Consciousness through experimental learning central to the COPAR process because it places emphasis on learning that emerges from concrete action and which enriches succeeding action

Activities:
Designing a plan for community development including all activities and strategies for care development Designing criteria for selection of site Actually selecting the site for community care

COPAR is feasible for the elimination or reduction of diseases. Area must have relatively high prevalence of diseases.

Planning:
o

The decision to enter a community and establish a helping/working relationship with the people should be based on the following:
Clarity and purpose of the relationship between the community organized and the people in the community through initial dialogues with formal and informal leaders. The identification of social/health problems and needs around which the organizing process can start. Communitys desire for the need to change and its willingness to work with the community health nurse to bring about desired changes

Planning Planning Planning Planning Planning

is futuristic is change oriented is a continuous and dynamic process is flexible is a systematic process

The planning cycle:

Situational Analysis

B. ENTRY PHASE

Goal and Objective Setting

Evaluation

Social Preparation Phase which includes: SENSITIZATION MOBILIZATION This phase signals the actual entry of the community health nurse into the community

Strategy and Activity Setting

Guidelines:
The CHN recognizes the role of local authorities by paying them visits to inform them of their presence and activities. The appearance, speech, behavior and lifestyle should be in keeping with those of the community residents without disregard of being role models. Avoids raising the consciousness of the community residents by adopting a low-key profile

Situational Analysis:
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
Gather health data Tabulate, analyze and interpret data Identify health problems Set priority Define program goals and objectives Assign priorities among objectives Design CHN programs Ascertain resources Analyze constraints and limitations Determine outcomes Specify Criteria and Outcomes

WHERE DO WE WANT TO GO? HOW DO WE GET THERE?

I. Sensitization: Advocacy building

HOW DO WE KNOW WE ARE THERE?

Informing the people about the rightness of the cause Thoroughly discussing with the people the nature of the alternatives, their content and possible consequences. Supporting peoples rights to make a choice and to act on their choice Influencing public opinion.

a. Social Investigation/ Community Scanning

Program Evaluation:
Deciding what to evaluate in terms of relevance, progress, effectivity, impact and efficiency. Designing the evaluation plan specifying the evaluation indicators, data needed, methods and tools for data collection and data sources Collection of relevant data Analyzing data Making decisions Preparing report and providing decision-makers feedback

The process of systematically learning and analyzing the various structures and forces in the community economically, politically and socioculturally. These results in a community study write up also known as a Community Diagnosis.

Criteria for Selection:

Area is relatively economically depressed It must have a population of 100-200 families It must have a relative concentration of poor people There is not strong resistance from the community Peace and order problems must be seriously considered Local leaders and community are receptive and supportive.

Objectives: To gather geographic, economic, socio-cultural situation of the community in order to identify and understand the problems and issues that need immediate and long term solutions. To identify the class sectors present in the community in order to determine their interest and attitudes towards the problems and issues in the community To determine the correct approach and method of organizing. To provide a basis for programming and planning or organizing activities.

Steps in Community Analysis:

Define the community Collect Data

 Assess community capacity Assess community barriers Assess readiness for change Synthesis data and set priorities

Conflict Situations:

b.1. Leadership Identification

o Should belong to the majority sector o Well respected by members and has relatively wide influence. o Desirous of change and is willing to work for change o Conscientious and resourceful in his work. o Can communicate well and is a good listener

Issue Spotting and Analysis Target Analysis Planning Role Playing

a. Quantitative Analysis

Monitoring and Evaluation:

General description Total number of families Number of families being serviced Number of organizations/groups being serviced Membership/Organization Listing of activities Peoples issues being handles, collected, ongoing and potential Mobilization/negotiation undertaken Meeting/Reflection sessions held Seminars/Conventions Area description General information (population, sectors etc) Economic conditions Political situation Cultural milieu, educational level, values and attitudes Issues Origin of issues Reason/s for the choice of the issue Gains achieved in realizing the issue Perspective of the issues if it is still unresolved Organizations/groups Knowledge gained Involvement/Outlook of the people Attitudinal Changes (indicators) From fear and apathy to courage Form ignorance to creative thinking From egoistic to sense of solidarity From dependence to self reliance From paternalism and authoritarianism to democratic leadership

b.2 Core Group Formation

o Serve as a training ground for democratic and collective leadership o Builds peoples potentials and self-confidence o Helps the CHN gather data for genuine community studies, spotting other potential leaders and prospective members for a community-wide organization. o Helps laying out plans and task for the formation and maintenance of a community-wide organization with working committees, and offers to ensure democratic collective leadership

b. Qualitative Analysis

Organizational Structures:
Leadership board or council Coalition Lead or official agency Grass-roots Citizen Panels Networks and Consortia

c. Problem identification and Analysis

> Scope/Degree of the problem > Effects of the problem on operations of the community > How members feel individually and collectively > Factors that maintain/increase or eliminate the problem > Problem prioritization > > > > > > How much? (quantity of resources) Of what? (programs, projects, services) For whom? (target beneficiaries, clients) Why? (to achieve what goals) For how much? (the social and economic costs) What conditions? (with what other consequences)

d. Goal Setting/Planning and Strategizing

D. SUSTENANCE and STRENGTHENING PHASE

>

Guidelines in Strategizing:
Principal issue or problem Solution of problem Strengths and weaknesses Other secondary issues Larger outside issues

The community organization has been established and community members are actively participating in community-wide undertakings.

Strategies:
a. Education and training b. Networking and Linkaging c. Conduct of Mobilization on health and development concerns d. Implementation of livelihood projects e. Developing secondary leaders

C. ORGANIZATION BUILDING PHASE

> Entails the formation of more formal structures and the inclusion of more formal procedures of planning, implementation and evaluating community-wide activities. > It is at this phase that organized leaders or groups are given training to develop their skills in managing their own concerns/programs

a. Education and Training:

o o o o

Conducting community diagnosis Training of community health workers Health services and mobilization Leadership formation activities

Health Promotion and Health Education

 The PHN recognizes the role of a healthy lifestyle in the prevention of a number of health problems and integrates healthy lifestyle in the different health programs The PHN plans, conducts and evaluates health promotion and health education activities properly. The PHN demonstrates the knowledge and skills on: How to advocate for healthy public policy.\ Creating supportive environments Strengthening community action Developing clients personal skills.

b. Networking and Linkaging: b.1 Partnership and Collaboration

Networking Coordination Cooperation Collaboration Coalition or Multi-sectoral Collaboration

General ideas in establishing partnership: Involve all stakeholders in the process of forging partnership and collaboration with the community. Partnership involves risks therefore nurse and community must trust each other. Determine how each organization views the problem, how it proposes to solve the problem and how it perceives an organizational relationship can help solve the problem Organizations should agree on the kind or level or relationship that will help best accomplish the group goals considering needs and available resources. Formulate ground rules that will become the basis for decision making. Listen to what each has to say Take time to listen to people who voice different opinions and concern Dont force organizations to give up their identities

b.2 Maintaining and Consolidating Gains of the program

Integrate intervention activities into community networks. Establish a positive organizational culture Establish an ongoing recruitment plan Disseminate results