Communities are built on connections. Having better connections will provide better opportunities for changing norms, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. It pays to actively manage your connections to the strategic networks in your community. The advice often given is: Know the network! Knit the network!

• For each goal that you develop, identify social networks that will be involved or will be key in helping you to achieve the goal, such as sectors (Health, education, Council), interests (hobby groups), age networks (elders, youth, parents), or ethnicity networks. Then actively build relationships to those networks. Otherwise, your connections will evolve slowly. Work to build relationships, not just network.
• Seek out opinion leaders. These individuals have more influence on people’s opinions, actions, and behaviors than the media. They do not have to be an executive or in a high position, but rather seen as trustworthy and non-purposive.