Home⇛PCS Review⇛vol. 15 no. 1 (2023)

Transformative Communication for Empowerment: Silence and Participatory Development in a Marginalized Community in Nueva Ecija

Valerie Anne M Lejarde

Discipline: media studies

 

Abstract:

This qualitative study explored how the Outreach Philippines, Inc. (OPI) - a non-profit organization in the Philippines implements the participatory human development (PHD) methodology using transformative communication, in a community-based organization (CBO) - Lawag ti Caridad Norte Association (LCNA), in Caridad Norte, Llanera, Nueva Ecija. A phenomenological lens examined the lived experiences of six participants interviewed on December 10 and 13, 2022, and through my reflections as a development worker of OPI. Specifically, I analyzed the CBO leaders’ perception of silence, transformative communication engagements in the PHD methodology, and changes among the stakeholders to provide a framework for transformative communication for empowerment in a marginalized community. The nine-step PHD methodology itself is transformative communication that allows the mutual development of both the CBO leaders and the PHD facilitator. It mainly involves and establishes consistent dialogic communication and collaborative actions between the facilitator and the community members, hence, transforming both into more empowered agencies. However, for transformative communication to empower, it must consider different constructs of cultural silence in engaging the community, especially in facilitating participatory development. This study contributes to the expansion of knowledge on communication for empowerment, and not only for transmission and ritualistic purposes.



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