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What are Assets?
Assets are 40 key building blocks to help kids
succeed. Developed by the Search Institute through years of
research they have identified eight categories of assets, starting at
birth, that are crucial for helping young people grow up healthy.
The Developmental Asset framework is categorized into
two groups of 20 assets. External assets are the positive experiences
young people receive from the world around them. These 20 assets are
about supporting and empowering young people, about setting boundaries
and expectations, and about positive and constructive use of young
people's time. External assets identify important roles that families,
schools, congregations, neighborhoods, and youth organizations can play
in promoting healthy development
The twenty internal assets identify those
characteristics and behaviors that reflect positive internal growth and
development of young people. These assets are about positive values and
identities, social competencies, and commitment to learning. The
internal Developmental Assets will help these young people make
thoughtful and positive choices and, in turn, be better prepared for
situations in life that challenge their inner strength and confidence.
There are eight categories and they apply to birth to 18-
The first 20 Developmental Assets focus on positive
experiences that young people receive from the people and institutions
in their lives. Four categories of external assets
are included in the framework:
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Support-Young people need to experience
support, care, and love from their families, neighbors, and many
others. They need organizations and institutions that provide
positive, supportive environments.
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Empowerment-Young people need to be valued by
their community and have opportunities to contribute to others. For
this to occur, they must be safe and feel secure.
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Boundaries and expectations-Young people need
to know what is expected of them and whether activities and
behaviors are "in bounds" and "out of bounds."
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Constructive use of time-Young people need
constructive, enriching opportunities for growth through creative
activities, youth programs |
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Internal Assets
A community's responsibility for its young people does
not end with the provision of external assets. Caring adults must make a
similar commitment to nurturing the internal qualities that guide
positive choices and foster a sense of confidence, passion, and purpose.
Young people need this wisdom to make responsible decisions about the
present and future. The framework includes four categories of
internal assets:
| Commitment to learning-Young people need to develop a
lifelong commitment to education and learning.
| Positive values-Young people need to develop strong values
that guide their choices.
| Social competencies-Young people need skills and
competencies that equip them to make positive choices, to build
relationships, and to succeed in life.
| Positive identity-Young people need a strong sense of their
own power, purpose, worth, and promise. |
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To find out more about the Search Institute click here-www.search-institute.org
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Asset # 19 -Religious
Community in the category of Constructive Use of Time.
"Youth are more likely to grow up healthy
when they spend one or more hours per week in activities in a
religious community."
The following article is written by the
Reverend Karl Travis, Pasteur at Grosse Ile Presbyterian Church
and a board member for Everybody Ready.
It won't surprise you that a minister would
argue for bringing kids to church. What might surprise you
is why.
We live in an excruciatingly competitive
culture. Young people learn from their earliest memories
that they are being compared against others. Education, we
remind our kids, prepares them to compete in the real world.
It is little wonder that recent surveys reveal that American
teenagers worry most not about drugs, or AIDS, or violence, but
about their grades.
Religious communities, at their best, provide a
safe respite for young persons, a competition-free zone.
Churches, synagogues, and mosques offer a faith family for which,
unlike the basketball team, one does not try out. Admission
requires no minimum GPA. No particular skill is
required. Acceptance into a family of faith is offered not
because one is smart, fast, or talented, but simply because one
breathes. Each child is created by God and worthy for this
reason alone. Everything else is gravy.
Spending time each week in a religious community
is about the expected activities, of course: worship, religious
instruction, having fun. Yet something deeper happens in
these goings-on. Children learn a subtler lesson-the sublime
inclusion in a community of supportive acceptance and
unconditional love. And what can compare?
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