LESSON 3: CORE

VALUES AND
PRINCIPLES OF
COMMUNITY
ACTION INITIATIVES
 The Core Values of
Community Action Initiatives
 What are the Core Values?
According to Oxford Dictionary,
core values are principles or beliefs
that a person or organization views
as being of central importance.
Another definition of core values is
What are the that these “are the fundamental
beliefs of a person or organization.
Core Values? These are guiding principles dictate
the behavior and can help people
understand the difference between
right and wrong.” Core values also
help to determine if they are on the
right path and fulfilling their goals by
creating an unwavering guide.
 Based on the book of (Taguibao
et. al 2016), There is no single
approach to community
The Core Values development and as such, initiatives
and actions that are intended to
and Principles of address community issues and
problems must consider different
tools and methods that are
Community- appropriate to the context of the
community. Essentially, community
action Initiatives actions must give members and
leaders a “voice” in the community
action.
In that sense, the following are
the core values that must be taken
into consideration in making
community action initiatives and
plans.
 HUMAN RIGHTS
According to the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for
The Core Values Human Rights (OHCHR), it is defined as
“the rights inherent to all human
and Principles of beings whatever our nationality, place
of residence, sex, national or ethnic
Community- origin, color, religion, language or any
other status.
action Initiatives It is also defined as the supreme,
inherent, and inalienable rights to life,
to dignity, and to self-development. It is
concerned with issues in both areas of
civil and political rights and economic,
social and cultural rights founded on
internationally accepted human rights
obligations.
 HUMAN RIGHTS
In this sense, each person,
The Core Values even before coming into this
world and getting out of its
and Principles of mother’s womb, have already
have rights, like right to live,
Community- which is a natural right. Upon
birth and growing up, citizenship
action Initiatives and other rights and entitlements
are already alongside to the child,
such as the right to a name and
nationality, the right to health and
nutrition, the right to shelter, the
right to education and the likes.
 HUMAN RIGHTS
Also, here are the human rights
included in the United Nations declaration:
The Core Values 1. Natural Rights - The liberty and the

and Principles of pursuit of happiness.

2. Civil Rights - privacy, property, religion,
Community- expression, contract and movement
3. Political Rights - assembly, petition,
action Initiatives suffrage, direct and indirect participation,
self-determination, self-government and
election to public office.
All of these and more are our rights,
but let us not forget that our right ends,
where the rights of others begin. Also, in
every right there is a corresponding
obligation and responsibilities.
 SOCIAL EQUITY
It is the fair access to
The Core Values opportunities, like education,
livelihood and resources. It involves
and Principles of participation in cultural and political
practices in the community like the
Community- social justice, but social equity
action Initiatives emphasizes more on institutions and
how people can access it, especially
those who need it most. It also refers
to standards set applied to improve
the participation of a certain classes
or sectors of people in the
community.
 SOCIAL EQUITY
The Core Values An example of this is the
marginalized group like Persons With
and Principles of Disability (PWDs) who do have the
same and equal rights to ordinary
Community- people but are also protected and
action Initiatives given the privilege to achieve social
equity. Other marginalized groups
sectors or groups are women,
children, youth, indigenous, LGBTQ+
community, and the likes who are
considered weak and in need of help.
 SOCIAL EQUITY
The Core Values In tackling social equity, we
cannot go away with social justice. As
and Principles of defined by former President Jose P.
Laurel, it is the humanization of laws
Community- and the equalization of social and
action Initiatives economic forces by the state so that
justice may at least be approximated.
It is anchored heavily on the idea that
justice is based on basic human rights
and each individual must have an
opportunity to exercise these rights.
 SOCIAL EQUITY
The Core Values Hence if we compare equity and
and Principles of equality, equity according to Encarta
Dictionary is a general condition
Community- characterized by justice, fairness, and
impartiality, while equality is full
action Initiatives equality under the law. If we think
about it, equality means giving all
things to all individuals even others
may not need it, while equity is giving
the individuals what they need.
 GENDER EQUALITY
The Core Values As defined by United Nations
and Principles of Entity for Gender Equality and
Empowerment of women, it is “the
Community- equal rights, responsibilities, and
opportunities of women and men and
action Initiatives girls and boys.” It does not mean that
both genders are the same but
emphasize the equality of men and
women, with equal rights, values,
treatment, and opportunities.
 GENDER EQUALITY
Clear examples of problems in
The Core Values gender equality are seen in the
following situations:
and Principles of -Men may often have better
Community- opportunities, freedom and social
favor compared to women.
action Initiatives -Most of the positions, socially and
politically were being occupied mostly
by men.
-Men may have more weight in
marriages or other direct or indirect
relationships.
 GENDER EQUALITY
It is known that individuals in a
The Core Values community have unique roles that are
being played, also, aside from the said
and Principles of roles; they also have unique needs that
must be answered. There are gender
Community- differences between the roles played
by women and men and their unique
action Initiatives needs and responses to a community
issue.
Not including a certain gender
group may mean a different set of
priorities that would become a possible
condition of a non-holistic approach in
the issue and problem solving.
 PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT
The Core Values Its objective is to engage the
marginalized group in programs and
and Principles of activities that will benefit them. It must
have advocacies to enable the
Community- marginalized groups to promote their
rights. The more participation from the
action Initiatives community, the higher is the possible
success and sustainability of the
programs and projects. As a result, it
will empower a certain sector that will
benefit from the community initiatives
thru participatory development.
 PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT
This kind of development aims to
The Core Values directly involve local communities in
development projects. It is in our knowledge

and Principles of that different members of the community have

their own and distinct needs, but if all or most
of its members will unite and participate for a
Community- certain goal, there will be less discord and
misunderstanding, then most likely, the
action Initiatives program and activities, as well as the
participation of the groups in the community,
will succeed, and answering the needs of a
certain group or sector would be easier.
Hence, the entire above stated core
values of community action initiatives must be
our guiding light in making and preparing our
own community action initiative and project.
STRATEGIES OF EMPOWERMENT AND
ADVOCACY OF A COMMUNITY ACTION
INITIATIVE
 According to Oxford Dictionary,
empowerment is the act of giving somebody
more control over their own life or the
situation they are in or giving somebody the

Defining power or authority to do something.

On the other hand, advocacy is the

Empowerment support, advice and help given to people,

often with special needs or aims, who are
unable to speak for themselves.
and Advocacy Thus, if it will be applied to community
engagement, solidarity and citizenship, these
two are both modes of community
engagement. It highlights the collaborative
nature of various groups and people working
together to attain a specific goal that may
promote betterment of the quality of life and
social change.
 To elaborate, according to
Taguibao (2016), in connection with
community action, people
Defining empowerment is the process that
increases community autonomy and
Empowerment individual self-determination. These
processes are designed to help gain
control of their own lives.
and Advocacy As stated by Ban Ki Moon,
Former Secretary General of the
United Nations, this aims to ensure
that people have the right set of skills
and opportunities they need to live
better and dignified lives.
 Now, let us move to advocacy. It
refers to enabling marginalized groups
and promoting their individual rights.
Defining It is a process of supporting people
and advancing or promoting the rights
Empowerment these individuals have.
Advocacy, in connection with
and Advocacy community engagement, also means
attaining people empowerment. It
can be led by people who are not part
of the community or by leaders within
the community. The most effective
advocacy and people empowerment
is the combination by both.
 Strategies of
Empowerment Empowering sectors like the
poor, indigenous people and the likes
and Advocacy of need strong and effective advocacies
a Community for protection and promotion of their
interests. In this sense, according to
Action Initiative Huberman (2014), these are the
strategies is community mobilization
resulting to people empowerment
and advocacy:
 Strategies of 1. Secure Strong Leadership- Engage
Empowerment strong leaders within the community
members. The leader should possess
and Advocacy of these characteristics: the will to serve
a Community as the leader of the community over a
significant period of time; the capacity
Action Initiative to provide both infrastructure and
human resources; financial stability;
the ability to gather and manage
financial resources, and the respect
and support of the community.
 2. Establish Formal Structure- a formal
Strategies of structure must be created for it can
effectively lead community change
Empowerment efforts. These may include specific
committees, organizational charts, rules
and Advocacy of like by laws, policy statements and
formal letters of agreement for those
a Community who lead, organize, and participate in
the community effort.
Action Initiative 3. Engage the stakeholders- engage
people, groups or institutions that may
be affected by or are important to the
achievement of the stated purpose of a
project. They include government, civil
society, and the private sector at
national, intermediate and local levels.
 4. Conduct a Needs assessments- it's a
way of asking group or community
Strategies of members what they see as the most
Empowerment important needs of that group or
community. The results of the survey
and Advocacy of then guide future action.
5. Create a Strategic Plan- develop a
a Community strategic plan that lays out the goals and
objectives. The strategic plan should
Action Initiative identify the social, structural, and
individual changes that will lead to
people empowerment.
These are some of the many
strategies of empowerment and
advocacy of a community action
initiative.
 IMPORTANCE OF COMMITMENT AND
ACTION IN PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT
IMPORTANCE OF Making a commitment includes
COMMITMENT dedication of self to a certain person
or a cause. Before anyone makes a
AND ACTION IN commitment, it must carefully think
PARTICIPATORY about. A commitment obligates a
person to do something that it
DEVELOPMENT involves action. Hence, it is very
important to commit and act to
accomplish a certain community
action initiative through participation
of the citizens.
IMPORTANCE OF According to Taguibao (2016),
COMMITMENT participatory development generally
aims to engage the marginalized in
AND ACTION IN development projects which are
PARTICIPATORY designed and initiated for their own
benefit. Participatory development is
DEVELOPMENT guided by the possibility of success
and sustainability of development
projects is more attainable if the local
community is engaged in the process
of development.
IMPORTANCE OF Stakeholders must not be
COMMITMENT ignored in the process. It has already
been discussed in the first lesson who
AND ACTION IN the stakeholders are. They are the
people, groups or institutions that
PARTICIPATORY may be affected by, can significantly
influence or are important to the
DEVELOPMENT achievement of the stated purpose of
a community action initiative. They
include government, civil society, and
the private sector at national,
intermediate and local levels.
 These stakeholder groups are:
IMPORTANCE OF General public: those who are
directly or indirectly affected by the
COMMITMENT project (women’s groups, individuals
AND ACTION IN and families, indigenous groups,
religious groups)
PARTICIPATORY Government: civil servants in
ministries, cabinets, etc.
DEVELOPMENT Representative assemblies:
elected government bodies
(parliament, national and local
assemblies, district and municipal
assemblies, elected community
leaders.
 Civil society organizations: networks,
IMPORTANCE OF national and international NGOs, grassroots
organizations, trade unions, policy
COMMITMENT development and research institutes,
media, community-based organizations.
AND ACTION IN Private sector: umbrella
representing groups within the private
groups

PARTICIPATORY sector, professional associations, chambers

of commerce.
DEVELOPMENT Donor and international financial
institutions: resource providers and
development partners
If all of these stakeholders will
develop participation, in terms of
commitment and action, any community
action initiative will be a success.
 Passive Participation- Participation is
Forms of at the minimum; stakeholders are
merely informed about the plans and
Participatory progress of projects. People
participate by being told what is going
Development. to happen or has already happened.
Hence, this kind of commitment is not
very effective in attaining community
action initiative.
 Participation by Consultation-
Stakeholders being asked for their
Forms of idea or opinion about a certain
problem while development
Participatory professionals only listen to their
views. People involved exercised no
Development. responsibility in formulating the
original plan or the decisions that
went into it, and the development
professionals are not obliged to
incorporate their views.
 Participation by Collaboration-
Stakeholders with predetermined
goals participates during the
discussion, analysis, and decision-
Forms of making stage.
Empowerment Participation-
Participatory Stakeholders actively participate in
the process and its analysis. This
Development. features a joint decision-making
process, wherein stakeholders are
considered equal copartners with the
external experts. Most significantly,
control and ownership of the process
are in the hands of the primary
stakeholders.
 Thus, in all these for types of
participation, it is essential to develop
empowerment participation, for it
Forms of includes commitment and action in
the grassroots level who are the direct
Participatory beneficiaries of a community action.
Hence, they are the ones who are
being empowered.
Development. Hence, we should not forget
that in any action there are good and
bad effects. According to NGO leader
Gerardo Bulatao, these are the pros
and cons of participatory
development:
 PROS
– Participation helps LGUs maximize the use
of their resources
– Enhances trust in the government
Forms of – Ensures continuity of plans despite changes
in leadership
Participatory – Accurately identify problems, issues, needs
and concerns

Development. CONS
– Costly and slow
– Tokenism – only a few locals from the
community are hand-picked to prove its
participatory credentials
Therefore, everyone should be careful in
taking commitment and action in community
action initiative.
ASSESS SELECTED COMMUNITY
ACTION INITIATIVES
 The Community Action Initiative
ASSESS (CAI) was created to support community-
led projects that helps the community to go
SELECTED for a change and build its character. In CAI
citizens take a leading role in providing
COMMUNITY public services and goods. CAIs have been
acclaimed for their innovativeness,
ACTION problem-solving capacity, and legitimacy.
Community Action Initiatives also
INITIATIVES aims for a social, environmental, and
sometimes political change that will help its
stakeholders to grow and have an ease in
living their lives. Also, the tools in engaging
the community should help in planning for
the community’s achievable goals
reachable vision and passionate mission for
the society.
 ASSESS Thus, the community action
initiatives should take into consideration its

SELECTED core value and various methodologies and

approaches in planning and making
community action plan. However, to
COMMUNITY implement and identify the success of the
project or activity we need to assess using
ACTION different tools and determining the
characteristics of the project. The essence
INITIATIVES of assessing community action initiatives is
to know, identify and validate the current
and immediate needs or situations of the
community. From the results of assessment
members of the community may come up
of formulate relevant activities and projects
that will address the community’s needs
and situation.
 Short-term projects take a few
DIFFERENCES hours, days, or weeks to complete.
BETWEEN Long-term projects take months or
even years to finish. Typically,
SHORT-TERM & companies require more
LONG-TERM documentation and infrastructure for
PROJECTS longer-term efforts. Decisions about
project governance usually depend on
by Tara Duggan budget, resources required, business
impact, and the scope the project.
Effective project managers start by
assessing the project need and
determining how much time is
needed to meet the desired
outcomes.
Characteristics of Short- and Long-Term Community Action Initiatives
CHARACTERISTICS SHORT TERM LONG TERM COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY ACTION ACTION INITIATIVES
INITIATIVES
BUDGET Local funds National funds

RESOURCES Community officials Bureaus/gov’t agencies

IMPACT Specific needs of the Common needs of the

community communities

SCOPE Limited Larger

 DIFFERENCES Budget

BETWEEN Short-term projects typically require

less money to complete than long-term
SHORT-TERM & efforts. An exception might occur for a
short-term disaster recovery effort or other
LONG-TERM unplanned event that requires immediate,
all-out attention. Because short-term
PROJECTS projects typically cost less, they usually
by Tara Duggan require fewer approvals to get started and
completed. Short-term project leaders may
simply keep track of expenditures in a
spreadsheet, while larger, more complex
projects might require the use of more
sophisticated accounting software packages
to track and monitor forecasting and
spending.
 DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN Resources
The number of resources required for
SHORT-TERM & a short-term project typically depends on

LONG-TERM the type of product or service being

developed. Short-term projects usually
PROJECTS require specialized expertise. For example,
you might institute a short-term project to
by Tara Duggan analyze a recurring product problem and
devise a solution. Large, complicated T
development projects typically require
numerous resources over the course of the
project life cycle to initiate, plan, execute,
control, and close the project.
 DIFFERENCES Impact
BETWEEN Short-term projects typically have a
limited impact. You may initiate a project to
SHORT-TERM & handle a specific problem or react to a

LONG-TERM situation. Once the problem is solved, the

project team disbands. Longer-term
PROJECTS projects tend to have a larger impact on the
business, community, or employees. For
by Tara Duggan example, you might institute a long-term
project to analyze complex problems and
make sweeping changes that affect your
entire company. Project team members
typically commit to working on the project
for the duration of the effort. This ensures
consistency and continuity.
 DIFFERENCES
Scope
Long-term projects tend to be complex.
BETWEEN Project plans describe multiple objectives,
business needs and interdependent
SHORT-TERM & requirements. Long-term projects may be
divided into smaller projects to make them
LONG-TERM more manageable and to produce more

PROJECTS immediate results. Short-term projects

typically focus on a single goal. Evaluating

by Tara Duggan short-term projects requires less effort and

analysis than larger projects. Your company
may require a formal scope statement for
projects that last more than a month.
Establishing this type of governance ensures
that the number of features and requirements
of the project is documented early on to
prevent miscommunication,
misunderstandings, and cost overruns later.
Example of Short-term Community
Action Initiative
Example of Long-term Community
Action Initiative
DIFFERENT ASSESSING TOOL
(INTERVIEW AND SURVEY)
 Interviews are one-on-one
conversations between a facilitator (the
interviewer) and a community
stakeholder (the respondent).
Interviews allow you to gain a deeper
understanding of the respondent’s
ideas and feelings. Unlike surveys,

Interview interviews give the facilitator the

freedom to veer off script and ask
follow-up questions. And unlike group
assessments, such as community
discussions and focus groups, the
respondent has the facilitator’s sole
attention and is more likely to share
personal opinions freely.
 Advantages to using interviews
include:
• They allow the facilitator to follow
the flow of conversation and ask
spontaneous questions.
• They encourage the respondent to

Interview speak freely and give spontaneous

answers.
• They are the most accurate and
thorough way to obtain qualitative
data from your respondents.
• They are effective with illiterate
populations.
 Challenges with interviews may
include:
• They are time consuming.
• They reach only one respondent at a
time.

Interview
• Conducting a good interview
requires practice and some degree of
skill.
• Finding willing respondents for
impromptu interviews can be difficult.
(It’s better to schedule phone
interviews in advance.)
 Surveys are a popular method of
collecting information and opinions. In
the context of a community
assessment, a survey can reveal the
community’s perceived strengths,

Survey assets, weaknesses, and needs. Surveys

can be general or targeted to specific
groups. Try to reach as many people as
you can, focusing on key stakeholders
in the community. You can administer
surveys through email, by phone, or in
person.
 Advantages to using surveys
include:
• They can be administered remotely.

Survey
• They can be repeated.
• They can be completed
anonymously, encouraging candid
responses.
• They are generally inexpensive to
administer.
 Challenges with surveys may include:
• Identifying prospective respondents and
obtaining their personal contact
information can be difficult.
• Emailed surveys are ineffective in places
where internet access is limited.

Survey
• Phone surveys may be subject to sample
or interviewer bias.
• Response rates for remote surveys are
generally low compared with in-person
assessments.
• Written surveys are ineffective with
illiterate populations.
• Written surveys don’t allow for follow-up
questions.