Incorporating the principles of Project Management into Community Development has been
one of the challenges in Community Service, (Armenia et al., 2019) since most of the previous
community works are centered on dole-outs or band-aid solutions (Lloyd A. K. 1960, 44–46;
Chavez, 2019). Creating sustainable projects that believes in "Helping people to help
themselves" is one of the priorities that should be considered in community works.
So how does UST, SIMBAHAYAN and NSTP try to achieve this goal and incorporate project
management?
The UST SIMBAHAYAN (Simbahan, Bayan, at Tahanan) covers programs and projects of
College/Faculty-based and University-wide student organizations; Civic Welfare Training Service
(CWTS) and Literacy Training Service (LTS) sections of the National Service Training Program
(NSTP); and alumni groups and associations under the four different types:
1. Emergency Response Project Proposal: This is used to address the need of a
partner community or institution, this is in lieu Community Development Project
Proposal that was implemented during the pre-pandemic.
2. Advocacy Project Proposal: This is used to address the issues of the society and
bring awareness to UST partner communities and institutions, such as the Social
Justice Campaign Lecture-Sharing Series
3. Service Learning Project Proposal: This is used for Service-Learning projects that
are aligned with the objectives of a Service-Learning course
4. Community Engaged Research Project Proposal - This is used to aid student and
faculty researchers conducting community-based research (such as Bartolomé de
las Casas Research Community-engaged, community-based, and Service-Learning
research)
What is the difference with Community Development and Advocacy?
SIMBAHAYAN defines them as:
Community Development gears on working together with communities or sectors to
collectively participate in the enhancement of their well-being. Its goal is to empower
them and identify and address their difficulties.
The main target group is members of a particular community. Its success indicators are
solving a community problem and people are attending community meetings and
activities.
Advocacy is the act of pleading or arguing in favor of something. It usually tackles/caters
to an issue/concern in society. It aims to change policies and implement policies, laws
and practices. Those in positions of authority and/or influence are the primary target
group. Its success indicators are the formation of policies, implementation, laws, or
practices that enhance the lives of those who face discrimination, exclusion, exclusion,
marginalization, oppression, subordination, poverty, and rights violation. Promoting and
protecting the rights of nature and the environment is part of the advocacy work.
Community development and advocacy can coexist and can go together with other
related development strategies like information, education, and communication (IEC),
networking and partnership (N&P), and fundraising and resource mobilization (FRRM).
Aside from the Social Transformation Strategies and the TOMAS Clusters, the
projects and programs implemented by the UST SIMBAHAYAN and UST NSTP
CWTS | LTS are also both anchored with the 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development
Goals) adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015.
UST NSTP CWTS LTS use the data acquired from the many partner communities during the
yearly Kamanlalakbay as a foundation. Kamanlalakbay was created and executed in 2002 as an
annual gathering, training, and shaping event for all UST partner communities. At the event, the
community partners in attendance would present suggestions or raise concerns that the
community would want to address. They would collaborate with NSTP/SIMBAHAYAN to create
projects and programs that will address them. It is then complemented with community visits,
stakeholder interviews, community resource evaluation, kick-off meetings, MOU signing, and
other measures to help the project's initialization.
Community participation is very important during this process.
Pre-pandemic, NSTP students would be assigned to different partner communities and would
begin their initializing phase through fieldwork or data collection based on the office's initial
assessment. The initialization step is now a combination of face-to-face and online Community
Interaction.
Since KAMANLALAKBAY is a yearly event, monitoring previous projects and assessing whether a
closing is needed are also addressed during this event.
Literacy, financial assistance, employability and livelihood are among the most frequent
concerns. Hence the following program areas are itemized in a project proposal:
• Health and Wellness Development
• Equitable and Inclusive Education
• Leadership, Organizational Development and Good Governance
• Employability and Social Enterprise Development
• Socio-pastoral Ministry and Evangelization
• Culture and Heritage Development
• Sports Development
• Environmental Sustainability and Action
• Family and Household Development
Currently, the UST NSTP CWTS caters to partner communities located in the Luzon region -
Bataan, Batangas, Zambales, Nueva Ecija, Rizal, and Navotas, to name a few.
Since the pandemic, most of our interactions with our partners have been done online. Some
communities can participate, but some remote areas opted out due to connectivity concerns.
These factors are identified during the monitoring of previous activities and initializing as well.
Planning phase is usually done after the Community Interaction, this is to give you an idea on
who are the stakeholders,
During the implementing phase, you might encounter some implementation gap with your
project. What is an implementation gap, and how can I avoid it?
An implementation gap is a disconnect between what a project is expected to accomplish and
its actual outcomes. One common cause is a lack of understanding between those who plan the
project and those who carry it out. Another example is a lack of alignment or agreement among
leaders on the strategy.
Here are three suggestions to help you prevent a gap in your project implementation:
1. Ensure that all key stakeholders agree on the project's approach and principal
objectives throughout the planning.
2. Establish a framework and a timeline for reporting on progress, budget usage, and
milestones to avoid surprises at the end.
3. Create direct feedback mechanisms. This allows participants to ask questions,
express problems, and obtain assistance.
Reflection, surveys, and interviews, which will be featured in the Terminal Report, are
important aspects of the project management that NSTP carries out. These aids help monitor
the projects and programs and determine whether these will be continued in the succeeding
year. They are categorized into Qualitative and Quantitative evaluation type.
What type of project is your class executing right now? Which SDG and program are is it focused
on?
