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The paper describes developments in preventive interventions in AIDS/HIV that signal the emergence of a new perspective focusing on community-level intervention and community-level impact. These developments are reviewed, and a ecological framework from community psychology is offered as an integrating and guiding mind-set for future community impact interventions. Key ingredients are community assessment, the ecology of lives lived in different sociocultural communities, the development of collaborative relationships, and enhancing community empowerment through the development of local community resources. The perspective is outlined using existing examples of AIDS/HIV preventive interventions, which focus on such community-level issues as norms regarding sexual risk behavior. The paper concludes with a call to explore more fully the wisdom found in existing community-level work in the AIDS/HIV area and to develop an ecological mind-set when engaging in preventive community interventions.