Reflection on Co Theory and Practice in Six Co Learning Centers (COLCS)

Empowerment through awareness, as a goal of community organizing, can only take place when the action-reflection-action cycle is completed and carried on. Empowerment does not only mean securing the people’s demands; it is equally important to develop the people’s capacity to acknowledge and recognize the value of their own feelings, thoughts and responses as humans and members of a community
and as interconnected communities.

In line with pursuing its goals and mission, COM launched a reflection campaign in 2002 with partner communities and NGOs. The experiences of and guiding principles applied by organizers and communities in organizing for various issues such as environment and natural resource protection, social housing and finance, child labor, gender rights protection, participatory governance, among others, provided a rich source of material for reflection and writing.