WHAT ARE ASSETS

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WHAT ARE ASSETS?

• SEARCH INSTITUTES FRAMEWORK provides a way to
  assess the health and well-being of middle and
  high school age youth. The assets represent a
  common core of developmental building blocks
  crucial for all youth regardless of community,
  gender, economics, or ethnicity.

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• This approach accents healthy development and
  requires action by all residents of a community.

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• These include adult support,
• positive intergenerational relationships,
• safe places,
• clear and consistent boundaries,
• participation in constructive activities,
• commitment to learning,
• consistent attention to values, and
• practice in serving others.

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• Strengthening, and in some cases rebuilding, this
  developmental infrastructure is essential for the
  positive development of all young people in all
  communities.
• Much of this capacity in in the hands of the
  people who interact with young people every
  dayfamilies, friends, neighbors, seniors, law
  enforcement, businesses, religious institutions,
  and other citizens.

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Asset Framework based on years of scientific
inquiry into risk and resiliency factors, as well
as normal developmental processes.
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EXTERNAL ASSETS

• Positive developmental experiences that
  surround youth

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External Assets

• Supporthow young people experience love,
  affirmation, and acceptance.
• Empowermentneed for youth to be valued and
  valuable
• Boundaries/Expectationsneed for youth to have
  clear and enforced boundaries
• Constructive Use of Timerich array of structured
  opportunities for children/adolescents

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INTERNAL ASSETS

• A young persons own commitments, values, and
  competencies nurtured within the youth

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Internal Assets

• Commitment to Learninginternal intellectual
  curiosity and the skills to gain new knowledge
• Positive Valuesinternal compasses to guide
  priorities and choices
• Social Competenciesreflect the important
  personal skills needed for independence and
  competence as adults
• Positive Identityview of self, sense of power,
  worth, purpose, and promise

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Deficits

• Opposite of assets, these influences interfere
  with a youths health development
• Does not necessarily do permanent harm, but makes
  harm more possible
• alone at home, TV overexposure, physical abuse,
  victim of violence, and drinking parties

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RISK TAKING BEHAVIORSSubstance Use

• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Inhalents
• Marijuana
• Other Drug Use
• Driving and Alcohol

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Other Risk Taking Behaviors

• Sexual Intercourse
• Anti-social Behavior
• Violence
• School Truancy
• Gambling
• Eating Disorder
• Depression
• Attempted Suicide

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Thriving Behaviors

• Succeeds in School
• Helps Others
• Values Diversity
• Maintains Good Health
• Exhibits Leadership
• Resists Danger
• Delays Gratification
• Overcomes Adversity

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The Challenge

• Your picture of Developmental Assets mirrors the
  pattern found in communities across the nation.
• Regardless of town size of geography, youth
  typically

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• Receive too little support through sustained and
  positive intergenerational relationships
• Lack opportunities for leadership and involvement
• Disengage from youth-serving programs in the
  community
• Experience inconsistent or unarticulated
  boundaries
• Feel disconnected from their community
• Miss the formation of social competencies and
  positive values

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• As long as this pattern exists, we will see young
  people susceptible to risk taking and negative
  pressure, drawn to less desirable sources of
  belonging, and ill-equipped to become the next
  generation of parents, workers, leaders, and
  citizens.
• WHY?

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• high levels of parental absence in lives of
  children
• adult silence about boundaries and values
• fragmentation of many socializing systems
• age segregation and the general disengagement of
  the public from building meaningful connections
  with youth

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• the isolation of people of all ages within
  neighborhoods
• over-exposure to the mass media
• barriers to healthy development such as poverty,
  lack of access to programs and services, and
  families ill-equipped to care for their children

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• fear of involvement by adults and sense that
  youth are the responsibility of someone else
• the too-common occurrence of schools, religious
  institutions, and other youth-serving
  organizations not adequately equipped to be
  places of support, caring, and positive challenge

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Promoting Developmental Assets

• Assets are cumulative/additivethe more, the
  better
• The more our children have, the less likely they
  are to engage in risk-taking behaviors
• The more our children have, the more thriving
  behaviors we see.

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Six Principles

• 1. All young people need assets
• 2. Everyone can build assets
• 3. Its an ongoing process
• 4. Relationships are key
• 5. Consistent messages
• 6. Redundancy