Module 1

The Principles and Concepts of Community Immersion

Topic:
●​ Introduction to Community Immersion
●​ Understanding the role of NSTP in Community Development

Objectives:
At the end of this module the students were able to:
●​ Explain the concept and principles underpinning community and community immersion
●​ Internalize the process on how to address the community according to their needs
●​ Discuss the role of the NSTP to community development

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

●​ Realize the importance of understanding the dynamic of community and community

immersion to realize the objectives of NSTP.
●​ Strategies and participate in different activities that will enhance their capabilities in
engaging in the community immersion

INTRODUCTION
​ They say that “Experience is the best teacher”. It is the simplest way to describe the
fundamentals of community immersion among college students today, particularly for the
students who are taking the NSTP – CWTS 2, in different aspects, functions and develops.
Community immersion introduce civic consciousness and defense preparedness in the youth.
They should be ready to engage in different community activities for them to be aware of
community concerns, and lifestyles. It is only through immersion in an actual community that
one gets to know the social, political, and economic situation of people belonging to the
community. When they go to the community, they associate with the people whom they intended
to work with as their partners in the community. The forms of community immersion includes
home visits, living with selected families, informal discussions with individuals or groups, sharing
in households and community activities, attendance in social gatherings, and assistance in
production work.
​ Community immersion is a strategy that goes beyond acquainting students with
community concerns but makes possible their participation in their resolution. It will also serve
as their guide in molding students to become socially aware and responsible citizens. This type
of activity changes the lives not only of the students but also the members of the community. As
students aid in providing solutions to problems encountered by the community, the community
also shows and shares its way of living that allows students to see world from different
perspective.
​ Students gain satisfaction while undertaking the community immersion. They are given
an opportunity to understand people’s lives as they will experience real – life situations, they will
also gain social acceptance acquired from community relations; develop skills in conducting
asset mapping and other life skills; and intake social awareness and consciousness of the
serious conditions faced by certain communities. Community immersion provides the students
an approach to identify and understand issues that will somehow help solve problems and
issues in the communities affecting the entire nation.

WHAT IS A COMMUNITY?
​ A community is a collective of people with similar interest and goals whether living in the
same geographic locality or not.
​ Community may be categorized as geographical or functional. The term geographical
community is defined in the purview of group of persons living in the same geographical location
like in a certain village, town, neighborhood, district, area, or territory. Meanwhile, community is
said to assume the functional nature if the aggregate of people though not necessarily based on
living in the same geographical location, is bonded by a common end such as fighting the same
cause, having the same interest and goals. These are people who hold common values, share
common functions or express common interests.

WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF A COMMUNITY?

​ The elements of the community are demographics, history, culture, economy, and
structures. The demographics (characteristics of population) tell a lot about the movement of the
population in the community that you will serve. History allows you to identify certain patterns of
change your activities. Understanding the economy, culture and community structures
increases the chances of success of activities since anyone can provide culture – based and
more realistic solutions to community concerns.

●​ Demographics - includes the population distribution and density

●​ History – events of the past that contributed to the development of the community
●​ Culture – ways of living of the people
●​ Economy – income level, occupation of the people
●​ Structure – physical, political, and social structures

TYPES OF COMMUNITY
1. Interest – Communities of people who share the same interest or passion
2. Action – Communities of people trying to bring about change
3. Place – Communities of people brought together by geographic boundaries
4. Practice – Communities of people in the same profession or undertake the same activities
5. Circumstance – Communities of people brought together by external events/situations

COMMUNITY IDENTIFICATION
​ ​ We can identify communities according to their needs
1. Perceived needs
●​ Based on what individuals feel their needs
●​ Very subjective and the standard change based on each point of view
●​ It is important not to dismiss perceived needs as just opinion
●​ The feelings and concerns of community members is essential component for the
assessment
2. Express needs
●​ Defined by what individuals have already voiced
●​ Member of the community can express complaints directly to the authorities
●​ These complaints can help guide you to what needs to be accomplished
●​ Make sure your mindful of the false assumption that all people with needs seek help
3. Absolute needs
●​ Deemed universal including those for survival (i.e., food, water, and clothing)
●​ If community member doesn’t even have clean running water, this absolute need should
be top priority to consider
4. Relative needs
●​ Rendered necessary based on equity and depend on current circumstances and the
room
●​ The standard may also vary based on population differences and social context
●​ The access for the thing they need based on the society development
CLASSIFICATION OF COMMUNITY
1. Formal Communities – engage in joint activities and discussion, help each other, and share
information with each other; they care about their standing with each other.
Example of formal communities
●​ Ecovillages
●​ Co – housing communities
●​ Co – ops communities
●​ Religious communities
2. Informal Communities – consists of a set of personal relations, social networks, common
interest, and emotional sources of motivation.
Examples of formal communities
●​ Academic communities
●​ Recreational communities
●​ Retirement communities
3. Urban Communities - large in terms of land area and population, advance in science and
technology, with favorable physical environment and diverse culture, and the people are
engaged in various occupation
Characteristic of Urban Communities
●​ Advancement in science and technology
●​ Many business establishments, recreational centers, educational and religious
institutions
●​ People are crowded
●​ Social heterogeneity
●​ Class extremes
●​ Greater pollution
●​ Many crimes are committed
●​ Family ties tend to be weak
●​ Limited space
●​ Greater impersonality among neighborhoods
●​ Higher standard of living
●​ Shortage of employment informal settlers are rampant
4. Rural Communities - usually produce their own food for subsistence
Characteristics of Rural Communities
●​ Greater personal interaction
●​ Deep, long-term relationships
●​ Generally, peace and order exist
●​ Mutual give and take affairs
●​ Emphasis of shared values
●​ Vernacular is usually spoken
●​ Wider area
5. Global Communities – it is the international aggregate of nation – states
Examples of global
●​ World community
●​ Common point of view towards issues of human rights, global warming and climate
change, peace and order, socio-economic conditions as well as disputed issues such as
territorial conflict.

6. Sectoral Communities – include the voluntary sector or non-profit sector

Example of sectoral communities
●​ Voluntary, non-profit, and non-governmental
 ●​ Also called third sector 9in contrast to public and private sector)
●​ NGO’s: Non-government Organizations
7. Social Space – Based on the spaces
Example of social space
●​ Physical or virtual gatherings
●​ Social center gathering place
●​ Pubs
●​ Malls
●​ Online social media
●​ Websites
Characteristics: Social interactions, information gathering, data sharing

WHY COMMUNITY IMMERSION IS AN IMPORTANT APPROACH IN GIVING SERVICE TO

THE COMMUNITIES?​
​ As mentioned above “Experience is the best teacher”. Going through the immersion
process and conducting community service activities/projects will enable the students to
understand how people feel, think, say, and behave as dictated by their conditions and
situations in life to make them feel and realize that they are more fortunate than many others
and that the students can do something to improve the lives of the marginalized and
underserved.
​ Through community immersion, students will be exposed to further realities of life to
which they may or may not belong to.

WHAT IS COMMUNITY IMMERSION?

​ Community immersion is a strategy that goes beyond acquainting us with community
concerns but makes possible our participation in their (re)solution.
​ Community immersion in NSTP is a tool as a strategy in molding and conscientizing
students just so that they may be socially aware and responsible to their communities. This
manner of transformation is bent on training the youth to becoming civic conscious and defense
prepared individuals. The nature of immersion efforts done is along the dimensions of, but not
limited to, education, health, safety education, sports and recreation, environmental services,
entrepreneurship, morals of citizenry and other social welfare concerns.

​ Community immersion as a voluntary and participatory approach to developing a

healthy and ideal society is reflected in the following student learning activities:

1. Determine people’s economic, psychosocial, and political status while immersing students in
real community life.

2. Identify community needs, interests, and other concerns

3. Personal development by acquiring additional knowledge about real -life situations and
emphasizing good values and life skills

4. Recognizes human dignity by engaging students in the programs and helping them to
determine appropriate courses of action for community issues.

5. Recognizing that student participation contributes to the well-being of the community and
that community participation gives meaning to the overall development of students

FORMS OF INTIGRATION IN COMMUNITY IMMERSION

●​ Home visits
●​ Living with selected families preferably with key informants
●​ Informal discussion with individuals or groups
 ●​ Sharing of household and community activities (cooking with community host, clean – up
drive)
●​ Attendance in social gatherings (fiestas, weddings, etc.)
●​ Assistance in production work (selling, farming, etc.)

WHAT PERSONAL BENEFITS CAN A STUDENT GAIN FROM COMMUNITY IMMERSION?

​ The community immersion aspects of NSTP will be able to benefit not only the
communities they will serve but more so to the student/trainees who may be accorded with the
following:
●​ Opportunity for the students to comprehend with people’s lives
●​ Gain social acceptance gained from community relations together with the right to offer
services
●​ Increase their experiences in conducting asset mapping such as identifying geographic
coverage, point out resources and the use, and the relationships of people with the
existing resources
●​ Establish sympathy and relationship with different people who may be of help to them at
some future time
●​ Develop their awareness and ability that will help them realize the issues that will help
solve problems in the community
●​ Acquire first – hand experiences in dealing with community works; and the
●​ Chance to learn life skills that will enrich personal being and be a better person

​ To sum up things, community immersion improves the trainees understanding about

themselves in relation to others. And by understanding others, they can be able to give a part of
themselves to help others.
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