Roberto Vargas is principal consultant for New World Associates and his clients have included 150 agencies and organizations dedicated to community service. He writes in the opening pages of this paperback:

"The most powerful medicine we have to heal and evolve our world is our families, when we are inspired to create love and transformation. We can mobilize the power of our networks of family and friends to turn our society away from irresponsible self-destruction."

Caring about others must be nurtured first in the home before it can be spread to the community. In the family is where basic social skills and attitudes are developed. This process is animated by respect and doing good for others. Coming from a Chicano and healing tradition, Vargas lays out the five commitments that guide family activism — teach love, be the change. co-power others, facilitate connection, and activate transformation. This will foster familia — warm, loving connections with our relatives and others we choose to call family. Toward this goal, he explains strategies such as family communication, family councils, family ceremonies, and unity circles.