How can I build developmental assets?
What are the Key Asset Building Principles?
Everyone Can Build Assets
Source: http://ridalaskaofchildabuse.org/Talking_points_on_assets.html
What are the Key Asset Building Principles? (Back to Top)
There is NOT a single answer. It is the combined effect of numerous assets nurtured by many.
Everyone can build assets.
- Relationships are the key.
- All young people need assets.
- Asset building is an ongoing process (it must start in the early years of childhood and be maintained through adolescence).
- Consistent and redundant messages about asset building are important.
- Assets must be reinforced across families, congregations, schools and youth organizations.
Source: http://www.search-institute.org/assets/individual/
Everyone Can Build Assets (Back to Top)
Many things you personally do--or could do--every day make a big difference for children and teenagers. Whether you're a parent, grandparent, neighbor, aunt, uncle, friend, mentor, volunteer, or someone who just sees young people in the mall, in the neighborhood, or on the street corner, there are many ways you can help young people succeed.
How? By building developmental assets--positive relationships, experiences, and inner strengths that all young people need to grow up healthy, caring, and responsible. Search Institute research on thousands of young people has shown that having these assets can make a tremendous difference in young people's lives, giving them strength to make positive choices.
Search Institute organizes the 40 developmental assets into eight categories. The first four categories (20 assets) are "external assets"--relationships, experiences, and opportunities provided by nuclear and extended families, caring adults and peers, neighborhoods, and institutions within communities. The other four categories are "internal assets," which focus on the commitments, values, skills, and outlook on life that guide young people's choices.
Below are eight ways you can build developmental assets--one for each category of assets. (Words in capital letters are the names of the asset categories.)
Making a Difference for Young People: The Power of One
SUPPORT young people with your caring and attention.
EMPOWER them to use their abilities to help others.
Set reasonable BOUNDARIES AND have high EXPECTATIONS.
Help them find activities that make CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF their TIME.
Spark their COMMITMENT TO LEARNING.
Guide them toward a life based on POSITIVE VALUES.
Help them develop SOCIAL COMPETENCIES and life skills.
Celebrate their uniqueness and affirm their POSITIVE IDENTITY.
Note: A similar set of eight actions are available as a large, colorful poster to display in your organization or community to inspire others to build assets.
Do adults believe it's important to build assets? Are they doing it? Check out the findings of a national study titled
Grading Grown-Ups: American Adults Report on Their Real Relationships with Kids
1. Source: http://www.search-institute.org/assets/individual/ThePowerOfOne.html
Making a Difference for Young People: The Power of One
In this age of metal detectors, locker searches, and zero-tolerance policies, senior citizens armed with candy aren't what most people expect to see as they enter their local high school. But that's exactly what students in Worthington, Minnesota, encounter every Thursday morning.
Bernice and Don Camery and the other adult greeters aren't paid to be there. And they aren't under any obligation-other than their own sense of responsibility. They are there because they know that their personal acts make a powerful difference in the lives of young people. With their simple but profound commitment to helping students feel welcome and cared for in their school, these senior citizens are demonstrating what Peter Benson calls "the power of one"-the potential for one individual to help, heal, support, challenge, or change the life of another.
Benson is president of Search Institute, a nonprofit organization that studies and promotes strategies for the healthy development of children and youth. On the basis of more than 40 years of research and surveys of hundreds of thousands of young people, the organization has identified 40 experiences and qualities, known as developmental assets, that have a tremendous positive influence on young people from all walks of life. These assets form a foundation for positive, healthy development.
The asset concept is simple and based on common sense: young people need positive external supports and internal strengths in order to succeed in life. And, most important, they need people to help nurture these assets.
Search Institute has studied and promoted the developmental assets for many years. More recently, the organization has broadened its focus to examining how entire communities can be transformed into asset-building networks for young people.
Imagine a few hours in the life of a teenager in a community that is truly committed to asset building: The day would start with a healthy breakfast with one or more family members. The newspaper delivered that morning would have a front-page story about a new youth-run, adult-supported youth center opening up downtown. School would start at 9:00 a.m. because the district would be paying attention to research on adolescent sleep patterns. The parental figure in the family would be home until the bus comes because her or his employer would recognize the importance of family-friendly policies, including flexible scheduling. The bus driver would smile and greet the student by name; other riders would also smile and offer to share a seat. Once at school, the young person would see a clean, brightly decorated building and friendly faces in the hall. The student would finally settle in to the first class of the day with a teacher who was well funded, supported by colleagues, supervisors, and students, and passionate about the subject he or she taught.
Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? But is this fictional teen living in a dream world that can never be real? Can some variation of this become the norm for more than just a few lucky youth?
It would be naive and self-defeating to think that it's possible to create a "perfect world" for children and youth. And asset building really isn't about perfection. It's about facilitating and helping to nurture the opportunities, skills, relationships, values, and self-perceptions that all young people need and deserve. That foundation of strengths will then help them navigate and thrive in a world that certainly isn't perfect.
Nationwide there are more than 600 communities that are using the framework of developmental assets to help them think about how they can make their towns and cities better places for children and youth to live and grow. Like Worthington, these communities are part of a national movement known as Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth. Each community has its own approach to bringing together all sectors (business, schools, congregations, families, and so on) to support and nurture children and youth.
In the eight-page flier, The Asset Approach, Search Institute likens asset building to exercising one's right to vote: "It's important, it's powerful, it can be done after a lot of deliberation or on the spot, and it's your power-no one can do it for you." Asset building is also like voting in that one's personal impact is magnified if other likeminded people act on their power as well.
To help people think about the range of possible asset-building acts, the institute has outlined these six principles:
- Everyone can build assets. Building assets isn't just about great families or schools or neighborhoods. It's about each person playing a role in the raising of our children.
- All young people need assets. While it is crucial to pay special attention to youth who struggle-economically, emotionally, or otherwise-nearly all young people need more assets than they have.
- Relationships are key. Strong relationships between adults and young people, young people and their peers, and teenagers and children are central to asset building.
- Asset building is an ongoing process. Building assets starts when a child is born and continues through high school and beyond.
- Consistent messages are important. It is critical for families, schools, communities, the media, and others to all give young people consistent and similar messages about what is important and what is expected of them.
- Intentional redundancy is important. Assets must be continually reinforced across the years and in all areas of a young person's life.
2. Source: http://www.search-institute.org/assets/individual/support.html
How You Can Build the SUPPORT Assets
Children and teenagers need care, affection, love, and encouragement from the people in their lives. They also need to spend time in places that are warm, caring, and accepting. If you're a parent or another primary caregiver, you play a particularly important role in showing love and affection. In addition, children and teenagers need everyone around them to make special efforts to love and care for them--to "be there!"
Here are ideas for how you can build the support assets for all ages of children and teenagers, adapted from Pass It On! Ready-to-Use Handouts for Asset Builders:
- Smile at every newborn or infant you see.
- Spend as much time as possible holding babies and interacting with them.
- Say "yes" to children more often than you say "no."
- Cheer children on as they master new skills.
- Comfort and guide them when they become frustrated.
- Get down to children's eye level whenever you interact with them.
- Encourage children's thinking abilities by taking them to new situations, such as visiting a bird sanctuary, a candy manufacturer, or a concert designed for young children.
- Let them experience new sounds, sights, tastes, textures, and smells.
- Play with children, letting them choose what you do.
- Encourage children's passions and interests.
- Answer their questions. If you don't know, admit it and work together to find out the answer.
- When children and adults disagree, encourage adults to show they still care.
- Be available to listen.
- Affirm independence and interdependence. People need each other.
- Find out what teenagers care about and advocate for their causes.
- Ask teenagers for their opinion or advice.
- Continue to show affection to teenagers by spending time with them--even if you're not doing or talking about anything special.
3. Source: http://www.search-institute.org/assets/individual/empowerment.html
How You Can Build the EMPOWERMENT Assets
Children and teenagers need you to recognize the ways they can--and do--make a difference by serving others and having useful roles in their families and communities. You can help to empower them by recognizing the ways they contribute, by encouraging them to make a difference, by keeping them safe, and giving them opportunities to serve others.
Here are ideas for how you can build the empowerment assets for all ages of children and teenagers, adapted from Pass It On! Ready-to-Use Handouts for Asset Builders:
- Realize that babies do not manipulate adults; respond immediately to their cries and needs.
- Prop up babies and hold them so they can see more.
- Ensure safety by childproofing all environments where children play. If you're not sure what to do, ask your doctor, daycare provider, or early childhood educator.
- Start introducing the value of community service by having children do simple tasks at home, such as putting a toy away in a toy box or picking up socks.
- Allow children to make simple choices, such as wearing black socks or red socks.
- Teach children basic safety rules, such as avoiding poisons and always wearing safety belts.
- Do simple acts of community service together with children such as collecting food for a food bank.
- Encourage children to write letters about issues that are important to them to the editor of your local paper.
- Ask children what they like and do not like about their daily routines. Make changes to improve them.
- Encourage teenagers to volunteer at least one hour a week. Talk with them about what they learn from these experiences.
- Talk with young people about their feelings and fears about safety. Work together to help young people feel more safe.
- Help teenagers spend time contributing to their communities. This could range from finding out about opportunities and how to get involved to simply figuring out ways to get them there.
- Encourage teenagers to take leadership roles in addressing issues that concern them.
4. Source: http://www.search-institute.org/assets/individual/boundaries.html
How You Can Build the BOUNDARIES-AND-EXPECTATIONS Assets
If you only offer young people support and empowerment, you shortchange them. Just as important, children and teenagers need to see you behaving in healthy and responsible ways. Though they will get mixed or conflicting messages from the media, peers, and others, they need you to set and enforce clear, respectful rules and limits. They need you to expect and help them to do and be their best. This guidance helps them learn how to be responsible, contributing members of society.
Here are ideas for how you can build the boundaries-and-expectations assets for all ages of children and teenagers, adapted from Pass It On! Ready-to-Use Handouts for Asset Builders:
-
Realize babies don't intentionally violate standards and
boundaries. Don't punish them for violating boundaries they can't understand. - Distract children from inappropriate behavior and draw attention to how you want them to act.
- Give simple, understandable boundaries, such as "Sit down," or, "Don't bite."
- Enforce boundaries consistently so children don't get confused.
- Affirm children when they act appropriately.
- Stay calm when children act out in highly emotional ways.
- Model how you want children to act; don't just tell them what to do and what not to do.
- Learn what to expect from preschoolers.
- Read about child development in books or magazines, talk to other parents, or talk to preschool teachers or child care workers.
- Encourage schools, neighbors, organizations, and communities to have consistent boundaries and consequences so children know how to act in different settings.
- Be firm about boundaries that keep kids safe. Don't negotiate with these boundaries.
- Challenge children to do their best in school, and help them whenever you can.
- Be patient, calm, and consistent as young teenagers test the boundaries you set.
- Negotiate new boundaries as young people grow older. Work together on what's acceptable and what's not.
- Ask teenagers where they are going and who they will be with.
- Help teenagers think about their future goals and what kind of boundaries they'll need to meet them.
- Continue to have boundaries for appropriate behaviors and consequences for violating those boundaries.
- Respect teenagers' privacy needs while showing interest in their friends and activities.
- Challenge teenagers to learn through school and other activities.
5. Source: http://www.search-institute.org/assets/individual/time.html
How You Can Build the CONSTRUCTIVE-USE-OF-TIME Assets
All kids need access to programs and activities that challenge, shape, and enrich their lives. These can include music, drama, and other arts; sports and hobbies; and involvement in a religious community. At the same time, young people don't need to have every minute of the day structured. Indeed, some idle time can be good for them, and they need to spend time at home.
Here are ideas for how you can build the constructive-use-of-time assets for all ages of children and teenagers, adapted from Pass It On! Ready-to-Use Handouts for Asset Builders:
- Be flexible with infant schedules and gradually introduce predictable routines as babies get older.
- Have babies spend most of their time with their parents or consistent caregivers.
- Balance stimulating, structured time with free playtime.
- Have consistent times for children to sleep, eat, play, and relax.
- Take children to museums, theater, and other cultural events or activities to expose them to new things.
- Follow children's leads in which activities interest them
- Allow children to have one or two regular out-of-home activities that are led by caring adults.
- Teach children to balance their time so they gradually learn how not to get too busy or too bored.
- Volunteer in programs and activities for children, such as sports, clubs, religious activities, music, or others.
- Encourage families to have a regular family night to do something fun together.
- Help young people look for positive, stimulating activities that match their talents, interests, and abilities.
- Encourage teenagers to be involved in at least one activity that may continue into her or his adult years.
- Help teenagers think about how the time they spend on different activities helps or hinders them in reaching their goals.
- Volunteer in programs or activities for older teenagers. Take time to get to know the young people involved
6. Source: http://www.search-institute.org/assets/individual/learning.html
How You Can Build the COMMITMENT-TO-LEARNING Assets
Young children are naturally curious. Turning this natural curiosity into a lifelong commitment to learning is critical for young people's success in life. In an age of technology and rapid change, young people must learn not only facts and information, but they must learn how to learn. If young people enjoy learning, are naturally curious, and have skills to help them learn, then they'll be much more able to master almost anything throughout their lives.
Here are ideas for how you can build the commitment-to-learning assets for all ages of children and teenagers, adapted from Pass It On! Ready-to-Use Handouts for Asset Builders:
- Give babies new, interesting things to look at, such as toys in different colors, shapes, and sizes.
- Sing and read to babies every day.
- Bring toddlers to new places, such as parks and stores.
-
Make up a game or song for children that teaches them the
names of objects.
- Talk about what you see whenever you are with children and ask them to talk about what they see.
- Visit libraries, zoos, museums--any places that give children new experiences.
- Set daily homework guidelines for children and provide a place for them to study.
- Let children read to you every day as they learn to read. Show them that you are excited and proud about their reading.
- Help children find ways to learn more about subjects that really interest them.
- Find creative ways to help young people link their interests with school subjects (such as doing special projects).
- Encourage young people to collect things like stamps, postcards, leaves, dried flowers, or quotes they like. Contribute to their collections.
- Ask young people to teach you a new skill or about a subject they're studying in school.
- Help teenagers think about their future goals and the discipline required to reach them.
- Encourage teenagers to take an interesting community education class.
- Emphasize lifetime learning, not just graduation.
7. Source: http://www.search-institute.org/assets/individual/values.html
How You Can Build the POSITIVE-VALUES Assets
Children and youth need strong, positive values that can be "internal compasses" to guide their choices and priorities. Their values are shaped by the ways their families and communities model values. They also grow when kids have opportunities to talk about--and practice living--their values.
Here are ideas for how you can build the positive-values assets for all ages of children and teenagers, adapted from Pass It On! Ready-to-Use Handouts for Asset Builders:
- Create caring atmospheres for babies at home, in child care centers, and in other places.
- Encourage families to talk about their values while modeling and teaching them as their children grow.
- Teach children to care for others, such as by sharing or giving hugs.
- Interact with children in loving, respectful, and caring ways.
- Teach children how to care for special things, such as toys, outfits, or plants by themselves.
- Encourage parents to explain their values simply to children when they see others behaving in ways they value or do not value.
- Have children write thank-you notes or show their appreciation in some other way whenever they receive gifts.
- Encourage families to participate in service activities together.
- Talk to children about specific examples of people acting on their values.
- Interact in caring, responsible ways with people of all ages. Encourage youth to do the same.
- Watch television or read books together and discuss the characters' values.
- Talk to young people about your values regarding honesty, sexual activity, alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, and other topics.
- Encourage teenagers to volunteer with at least one organization.
- Together write letters to the editor or to politicians advocating for or against pending legislation.
- Talk with teenagers about how their values guide their choices and behaviors.
- Let them know how your values influence you.
8. Source: http://www.search-institute.org/assets/individual/competencies.html
How You Can Build the SOCIAL-COMPETENCIES Assets
Social competencies are the life skills that help young people grow up to be independent, capable, and competent. Social competencies equip young people to:
- Deal with the choices and challenges they face;
- Form and maintain healthy relationships;
- Reduce or avoid stress--and cope with it when it occurs;
- Be effective in school and the workplace; and
- Contribute to their community and society.
Here are ideas for how you can build the social-competency assets for all ages of children and teenagers, adapted from Pass It On! Ready-to-Use Handouts for Asset Builders:
- Give babies new toys and safe objects to touch and explore. Infants learn a lot about how to deal with people by first interacting with objects.
- Encourage children to experiment with sounds. It will help them develop language later on.
- Give children at least two equally appealing choices whenever possible.
- Encourage children to express their feelings, but give them guidelines on appropriate and inappropriate ways to act on their feelings.
- Continue to cheer on children's new skills, such as drawing, walking backward, and learning how to cut with scissors.
- Encourage families to start having periodic family meetings in which children have input into decisions made.
- Let children make simple choices on their own such as whether to wear white socks or black socks.
- Encourage children to use words--rather than just actions--to communicate.
- Encourage children to develop more skills in areas that interest them.
- Find ways for children to spe nd time with people who look, act, think, and talk in different ways.
- Help young people use healthy coping skills when difficult situations arise.
- Be gentle and supportive in how you respond to young people's fluctuating emotions.
- Help young teenagers find ways to deal with conflict without fighting.
- Slowly begin to allow teenagers more freedom to make their own decisions.
- Ask teenagers about their future dreams and help them with planning for how to achieve them.
- Encourage teenagers to practice healthy responses to situations where they might feel pressured or uncomfortable, such as being offered drugs by a friend or being challenged to a fight.
9. Source: http://www.search-institute.org/assets/individual/identity.html
How You Can Build the POSITIVE-IDENTITY Assets
A positive identity involves more than just high self-esteem. Young people also need a sense that they have some control over things that happen to them and that their life has meaning and purpose. They need to be hopeful and optimistic about their future.
Here are ideas for how you can build the positive-identity assets for all ages of children and teenagers, adapted from Pass It On! Ready-to-Use Handouts for Asset Builders:
- Always love, accept, and respect babies.
- Play together with babies in ways that make them laugh and enjoy the time together.
- Create a loving, supportive, and affirming atmosphere for children.
- Dwell on what children do right instead of what they do wrong. When they make mistakes or act out, focus on the behavior, not the child. For example, instead of saying "No! You are so naughty," try saying, "No, it's not okay for you to do that."
- Break new tasks and skills into small, manageable steps that children can master without becoming too frustrated.
- Talk with children about the good things that happen in their lives.
- Find ways to teach children about their cultural heritage, such as through stories or special foods.
- When children are facing problems or difficult times, help them think of all the possible ways they could deal with the situation. Then help them pick what they want to do.
- Encourage children to find inspirational, positive role models.
- Talk with children about what gives your life meaning and a sense of purpose.
- Expect young people to experience ups and downs of self-esteem during these years, and for it to increase as they get older.
- Avoid comparing young people with other young people.
- Let teenagers know that you are proud of and excited by their talents, capabilities, and discoveries.
- Support teenagers as they struggle with issues and questions of identity.
- Let teenagers know that you are willing to listen if they want to talk about their sense of purpose in life, including their ideas about how they would like to contribute to the world.