<![CDATA[Purpose: This study examines gatekeepers’ roles in site selection for community-based social action within the Lestari Mengabdi program, shifting attention from research access and data collection to community access and implementation decisions.Research Methodology: A reflective qualitative approach with a case-study design was employed. Data comprised reflective field experiences during planning, negotiation, and implementation across communities in four districts on Java Island in 2025. Thematic analysis identified patterns of access negotiation, gatekeeper influence, and site selection.Results: Site selection depended not only on community needs but also on gatekeepers controlling access to target communities. Access approval was shaped by personal relationships and material considerations. Relocation of planned activities frequently signaled implicit rejection, indicating that gatekeepers could facilitate, redirect, or constrain implementation. These findings highlight the importance of examining how negotiated access shapes implementation opportunities and the final choice of sites.Conclusions: Community access is a negotiated process in which gatekeepers shape site selection and implementation rather than merely connect organizers with communities. Relationship-based approaches may facilitate access, although gatekeeper approval should not automatically be equated with broader community acceptance.Limitations: Reflective findings offer contextual and conceptual insights rather than statistical generalizations.Contributions: Drawing on contemporary Gatekeeping Influence Theory, this study provides contextual insights into how relational and resource-related considerations shape community access and site selection within the specific context of this program. It broadens the theory’s application from stakeholder-engaged evaluation to community-based social action, highlighting gatekeepers’ influence on implementation opportunities.]]>
