Building Assets in Our Children's Lives

In the late 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, Search Institute in Minneapolis, MN, performed various surveys and studies of young people in the 6th-12th grades. From their research, 40 developmental assets, the building blocks for healthy social and physical growth in young people, were formed.

Research has shown that, as they grow older, many young people begin to lose many of the assets that help them on the road to success. But this does not need to be the case. Here are some suggestions of things you, your family, and your community can do to help build assets in the lives of the children you know.

Ideas for Young People

• Learn the names of your neighbors (adults and children) and go out of your way to say hello to them.
• Build a positive relationship with a younger child by baby-sitting, playing catch, or volunteering as a coaching assistant.
• Each day, choose one of the 40 developmental assets, and focus on building it for your friends.
• Take a look at the co-curricular activities you are involved in. Do you enjoy them? Do you have enough time for the activities, your family and friends, and school work? If you are not involved in an activity, is there something that interests you? Consider making some changes.
• Write a note or call one of the important asset-builders in your life and say thank you.
• Talk about the 40 developmental assets with your family.
• If you work a part-time job, make sure you allow time for school work and other activities that are important to you.
• Even if your family provides a warm and caring place to grow, seek support from other adults in your school, community organizations, and congregations.

Ideas for Adults

• Learn the names of children and teenagers that you see everyday, and greet them by name.
• Build at least one sustained, caring relationship with a child or teenager, either informally or through a mentoring program.
• Take time to play or talk with young people who live near you or work with you.
• Work on building one of the 40 developmental assets each day.
• Support initiatives intended to expand opportunities for young people to participate in teams, clubs, and organizations.
• Have high, positive expectations for young people to behave responsibly, and let them know what you expect and how you would like them to act.
• Never allow the quality of schools or youth programs to suffer because of a lack of financial resources or volunteers.
• Thank the people that work with children and youth (such as teachers, youth group leaders, social service providers, etc.).

Ideas for Families

• Make a point of purposefully nurturing one developmental asset each day in each family member.
• Model and talk about the values and priorities you want to pass on to your children.
• Nurture your own assets by spending time with supportive people, using your time constructively, and reflecting on your own values.
• Do things with your children every day. Let your child or teenager choose the activities you do together as a family.
• Talk to your children about assets and ask them for suggestions of ways to strengthen them.
• Eat at least one meal together every day.
• Become active in your child's education through school activities, monitoring homework, and talking about school and learning.
• Be a friend and asset-builder for your children's friends.

For more information on the 40 Developmental Assets, visit Search Institute at www.search-institute.org