Fundamentals of Community Immersion

Engaging to different community service is the proper way to put in action what has been discussed inside the school. This will give you better understanding of different phases to communicate to the community and how to react in every situation it is facing. During the immersion, the students are expected to collaborate with the community especially in implementing the project proposal they came up. Thus, the project proposal of the students should be an answer or a solution the community need for a specific and identified community or social problem.

Here are some definitions of Community Immersion:

- It is a form of service learning that is integrated with a student passions and interests. - It is a social strategy in public safety education and training designed to bridge the gap between theoretical instruction and the realities of public safety work through experiential learning. - It provides young people with opportunities to use newly acquired skills and knowledge in real-life situations in their own communities - It enhances what is taught in school by extending student learning beyond the classroom and into the community - It is an integrated with specific learning objectives and provides structured time for youth to think, talk, or write about what they did and saw during the actual service activity - Under which young people learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized experiences that meet actual community needs that are coordinated with the school and community;

- That is integrated with specific learning objectives and provides structured time for youth to think, talk, or write about what they did and saw during the actual service activity; - That is related to community development and social justice; - Helps foster a sense of caring for others through direct involvement; and that is supported by regular assessment to provide feedback and guide improvement.

Get quality help now

Bella Hamilton

Verified writer

Proficient in: Community

5 (234)

“ Very organized ,I enjoyed and Loved every bit of our professional interaction ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

Community immersion learning fulfills many of the school’s goals for students – becoming involved citizens, learning through worthwhile tasks, and developing leadership, advocacy and problem-solving skills. It also provides another avenue for students to discover new interests and meet potential mentors.

Protocols in Community Immersion
Protocols in Community Immersion

Before submitting yourself to do community service it is important that you are knowledgeable on the place you’re going to immerge. A good community profiling will help you understand how you can cope up with the community especially to the people living there. A simple idea on city or barangay ordinances will be a great help for you to have an idea on their way of living. You must learn to communicate to them to have a good relationship.

Here are some tips

DO’S| DON’TS|

Listen to your Facilitator‘s instructions.| Perform any task without your Facilitator‘s knowledge or consent.| Be Simple.| Wear attention-catching clothes and jewelries. As much as possible also, avoid bringing-out your expensive gadgets like cellphones, MP3 players and the like.| Always go with your assigned ―buddy.| Go to the community and wander by yourself.| Integrate! Observe.| Confine yourselves within your group/ class.| Integrate! Observe.| Confine yourselves within your group/ class.| Be courteous and polite. Use ―opo or ―po while conversing with those who are older than you.| Use curse or offensive terms/ words. | Be a role model. Be aware that in community work, you carry not only yourself but the name of the Institute.| Show your disgust or annoyance if any inconvenience were encountered. | Know the purpose and limitations of your visit.| Make any promises that you cannot fulfill. This will only give false hope to them.| Bring your own resources (foods,water,etc)| Ask the Community to take care of your needs| -------------------------------------------------

Process of Community Immersion
Process of Community Immersion

* Pre- immersion

After identifying the location where you will going to implement you project proposal. Organizer/Leader should make an initial meeting and interviews to the locals. They should have a site or ocular inspection of the location. This will help in proper entering of the group within the locality. By doing this, Organizer may also get fast facts and other information on the site. The following are the activities you may do during the pre-entry: 1. Site and location selection.

2. Establishing a set of criteria for the choice of the area or community to be organized. It is essential that community members are receptive to the non-government organizations (NGOs) and the type of project you are proposing. This is done through consultations with the leaders of the community. 3. Other considerations include the peace and order situation in the area, interest and willingness of the local government to establish partnership with the project and accessibility of the project site. 4. This also involves gathering of secondary data about the community from the local government, selected key informants or NGOs that have done organizing work in the area. 5. Organizers must be able to give ideas about the benefits and other involvement the community may do.

* Entering the Community

The community should be aware on the purpose of the groups’ entry. At this stage, there should be a courtesy call for everyone you may get in touch during the implementation of the project. An orientation should be done for proper flow and entering in the location. A good entry will mean good implementation.

* Community Integration

Integrating with the locals is also one of the best strategies one organizer can practice in order to catch-up with the current situation of the community. Joining a small ―umpukan of housewives, or some of the local youths at their ―tambayan, can, one way or another help you gather pertinent information (identification of problems and current issues) on the community.

Be observant. Attentively watch the community‘s ―pamumuhay or way of living. What do the youths normally do? How do the community members spend their spare time? What is their common source of income? What type of houses do they have? These are just some of the things you can initially observe during your visit. TRUST BUILDING is important at this stage.

* Community Assessment

The community organizers during this stage assist the community in identifying, analyzing and prioritizing current community needs and issues. A compromise between the felt and objective needs must be met. Let the locals decide on to which program they think is appropriate for them.

* SWOT ANALYSIS

Strengths - attributes of the community that are helpful to achieving their development Weakness - attributes of the community that are harmful to achieving their development Opportunities - external conditions that are helpful to achieving their development Threats - external conditions which could do damage to the community's performance

* Community Profile

Demographic Profile – (Gender, Age, Status, Means of Living) Geographic Profile - (Physical attributes of the location) (MAP)

* Project Planning

Once the community organizer has already established rapport with the community and has involved them in assessing their situation through the leadership of the core group, the organizer should let the community review the project proposal you want to implement. The community organizer facilitates the process and provides information that could be used as input for planning. The output of the process would include strategies and action plans, series of activities for organization development, capability-building and resource management.

* Implementation

The plan that was initially formulated with the community is now put into action. Collective work from the community members must be encouraged by the worker, after all, the project is for them, therefore, should also be participated by the people themselves.

The moment you put into practice the plans and project proposals you have must be documented in any possible way. With this you may use materials like, camera to have pictures or videos to document the implementation. You may also you voice recording for documentation. It is important to minutes the activities you will do to have a more organize and set documentation.

* Termination of the Project

This is the phase when the community organizer already starts to withdraw from the community because goals set by the community and the organizers at the start of the process have been achieved. At this stage, it is assumed that the community has reached a certain level of capability with which they can sustain existing operations, expand or initiate new projects. The community now takes full responsibility for managing their resources.

After the goals of the community have been met, and its members are empowered, the community organizer can now pull out from the community. Remember that prior to this, the worker must prepare the community before phasing-out. This is basic courtesy to the people. It is likely that the community organizer and the assisting agency will not fully phase out from the community but simply modify their roles in the partnership.