ABSTRACT
Community change comes in all sizes, and all of it matters. This chapter presents certain guiding principles useful in directing the work of community change. These concepts form the foundation for the Essential Eight, the Rules of the Game, and even the Thirteen Commandments. Change efforts strongly rooted in an understanding of these principles have a good chance to grow. A system must get from the environment what it needs and give back to the environment to help that host environment function. Change involves risk taking. Some of these risks are imagined, but some are very real. Change agents need to recognize that some question of confidence is always at hand when trying to produce change. An effective change agent cultivates trust and self-reliance, along with a taste for adventure. Ultimately, all good teachers are students who can learn from their partners in learning and from the world around them.
