HANDOUT

S IN
NSTP 2
Summary of the Topics in
Unit 1 and Unit 2

Exclusively for the use of CatSU NSTP Student Trainee’s only.

UNIT Community Immersion as
1 Requisite of NSTP

Community immersion is one important requirement of the National Service Training

Program (NSTP) prescribed to students, male and female alike, in private and public higher
education institutions and technical-vocational schools (RA 9163, Sec. 7). In essence, it is
the practicum-based element of NSTP where lessons learned and acquired in NSTP 1,
whether on a semester basis or as part of the One Summer Program, are applied in the
enhancement of the trainees’ capabilities, civic consciousness and defense preparedness in
the service of the nation. This practicum requirement essential to NSTP 2 is not only
applicable to the Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS) and the Literacy Training Service
(LTS) components but the Reserve Officers Training Course (ROTC), as well.
As a concept, community immersion is a strategy in community organizing that is
sought to imbibe among the NSTP trainees a better understanding and realization of the
different community concerns through exposure on actual life situations specifically in
deprived, depressed and under privileged (DDU) communities. These experiences will allow
them to may facilitate them to undergo certain changes that will make them civic-conscious
and socially responsible citizen.
Corollary, community immersion, as a process, is aimed at developing among
student-trainees, through the training program, their appreciation of rendering community
works which is quintessential in affording for them the opportunity to experience and put
themselves in real-life situations in the communities they serve. For these reasons, each
trainee must have a genuine feel of living with the people in order that they may understand
and relate with community concerns as they go through a self-transformation and personal
growth at the same time.
In more specific terms, the NSTP trainees are expected to initiate community-based
interventions in the form of projects and activities meant to address the multi-faced issues
and concerns supported by needs assessment/analysis study that multi-faced problems
there from which impedes the important aspiration of the community people in the area of
service.
 The trainees, in their own little way, contribute in the uplift of the quality of life of the
people in the service areas and, at the same time, develop their ethics of service imbued
with the good citizenship values of Makadiyos (Godly), Makabayan (Patriotic), Makatao
(Humanitarian), and Makakalikasan (Nature lover) thereby better preparing them as
reservists in responding to the call of the times.

Objectives of NSTP Community Immersion

The community immersion requirement of NSTP is a mechanism specifically designed to

allow student-trainees to:

a) Define community immersion as an approach and strategy of developing projects in

serving people and communities.
b) Enrich knowledge and competencies on community immersion as a process for
development;
c) Apply the principle and concepts of working in the community through immersion
projects and activities;
d) Expose NSTP trainees in depressed, deprived and unprivileged communities and
marginalized groups of our society;
e) Appreciate the values of community immersion as means of developing themselves
as citizen and helping people improve their way of life and in alleviating their living
conditions.
f) Enhance civic consciousness and defense preparedness; and
Develop ethics of service imbued with good citizenship
 APPLICATION
Assessment Task 1:
For your authentic assessment task for this unit, do the following:
Title of the Authentic Learning Task: My Community
Activity Objectives: At the end of the video, the student-trainee shall be able to:

1. Describe the community where he/she belongs to.

2. Produce a five to seven-minute video log (vlog) showcasing the community they have.

Procedure: You may follow these steps:

1. Watch and Listen to the webinar series about the topic “Community Immersion Requisite of NSTP”.
2. Understand the topic being discussed by the speaker.
3. Take videos of yourself while introducing your community.
4. Choose an application for video editing where you are familiar.
5. If possible, put a subtitle in your videos.
6. After steps 1-5, you can submit your output to your Instructor.

Reflective Log
• With the recent local news concerning 7 kids contracting Covid-19 after playing with medical waste on
the shoreline of Barangay Concepcion, it has been suspected that there has been some lapses on local
waste management resulting to a local health threatening crisis. Given the scenario and considering
your crisis. Given the scenario and considering your basic knowledge in community immersion, what
must be the role of NSTP Program in preventing and managing the threatening situation.
UNIT Understanding the Concept and

2 Principles of Community
Immersion

Learning Objectives
At the end of this unit, the student should be able to:

a. explain the concepts and principles underpinning community and community

immersion.
b. realize the importance of understanding the dynamics of a community and
community immersion as a way to realize the objectives of NSTP; and
c. practice the standard operating procedures and establish-protocols governing
community immersion.

WHAT IS A COMMUNITY?
The term ‘community’ refers to a group of people gathered in any geographic area,
large or small, who have common interests, actual or potentially recognized in the social
welfare field. (Arlien Johnson, community development specialist)
In other words, a community is a collective of people with similar interests and
goals whether living in the same geographic locality or not. The meaning of community
may vary depending on the objectives of a program to be conducted there at.

Community maybe categorized as Geographical or Functional.

Geographical Community Functional Community

The aggregate of people though not
necessarily based on the living in the same
The purview of group of persons living in geographical location, is bonded by a
the same geographical location like a common end such as fighting for the same
certain village, town, neighborhood, cause, having the same interest and goals.
district, area or territory. These are the people with common values,
share common function or express common
interest.
Elements of a Community
 Demographics (include 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 people)
 Structures (physical, political, and social structures)

Immersion as an Important Approach in Giving Community Service

 Through community immersion, trainees will be exposed in further and other realities of
life which they may or may not belong to.
 Trainees may understand how the people feel, think, say, and behave as dictated by their
condition and situations in life to make feel and realize that they are more fortunate that
many others and that the students can do something to improve the lives of the
marginalization and underserved. (“Experience is the best teacher”)
 Trainees will be exposed in further and other realities of life which they may or may be
used to. (“To whom much is given, much is required by Holy Scripture”)

What is Community Immersion?

Community immersion is an essential strategy in community organizing work that
entails understanding of the different community concerns, process, dynamics and lifestyle
through exposure and engaging different activities.

Community immersion is a strategy that goes beyond acquainting us with community

concerns but make possible community concerns but make possible our participation in their
(re)solution.

What Personal Gains from Community Immersion

The community immersion aspect of NSTP will be able to benefit not only the
communities served but more so the student-trainees who may be accorded with the following
advantage:
 opportunity for the trainees to comprehend people’s lives because of the chance given to
them to see real-life situations, live, identify and associate with the people therein.
 gain social acceptance derived from community relations coupled with the right to offer
services.
 enhance experiences in conducting asset mapping such as identifying geographic
coverage, pointing out resources and their use, and the relationships of people with the
existing resources.
  establish rapport and relationships with different people who may be of help to them at
some future time.
 develop their conscientization ability. it helps them realize issues that will help solve
problems in the community. it is important for them to do something that can change their
situation.
 acquire first-hand experiences in dealing with community work; and the
 chance to learn life skills that will enrich and better their persons.

Succinctly, community immersion improves the trainees’ understanding of himself in

relation to others. And by understanding others, the trainees can be able to give a part of himself
to help others.

Dos and Don'ts in Community Immersion

 trainees must be well-versed with the area

 skilled to communicate with community people and disciplined to keep yourself from
responding indifferently towards diverse types of personalities.
 Prudence, therefore, orders that community “immersionists” must be well-informed of the
prescriptive and proscriptive norms in the conduct community immersion.
 APPLICATION

Assessment Task 2
For the activity of this lesson you are going to make a Full Value Contract with 5
values that you would like to possess during the implementation of community immersion.
The Full Value Contract is a process by which trainees and trainers set behavioral
expectations for the entire community immersion or to have a contract that fully values each
member of the group. It is the process whereby the group agrees to find positive value
efforts of its members. It is a starting point for any group that provides the ground rules of
behaviour of the community immersion implementers.

Values Explanation

Example: People in the community are diverse, we

1. Be sensitive. should always think how our actions/words
may affect people in the community.
REFLECTIVE LOG
You have chosen to conduct your community immersion in a very remote and isolated
community where localities have an existing preference in faith healing over proper medical
intervention.

During your community immersion, you offensively criticize their traditional belief in
healing and asserted your medical perspective to be more logical and more effective. Given
the situation:

1. Do you think your actions displayed respect towards the feelings of the localities?
Why or Why not?
2. Given another chance to approach the localities regarding their outdated belief in
healing, how will you introduce your modern perspective in a more ethical way?