Developing Assets In and Around Young People

Why is This a Key?

Why do some kids engage in risky behaviors while others spend their time learning and playing in positive ways? Many factors influence why some young people have successes in life and why others have a harder time.

Family finances, genetics, trauma and many other factors play a role. But these factors — which seem difficult, if not impossible to change — aren’t all that matter.

Keys to Understanding

• Assets influence behavior. — They help prevent young people from developing problem behaviors. They also encourage positive attitudes and behaviors.
• Too few young people experience enough of these assets.
• Assets are standards for positive development of children and adolescents. — Assets clearly show important roles that families, schools, congregations, neighborhoods, youth organizations, and others in communities play in shaping young people’s lives.
• Everyone can help build assets.

External Assets

The first 20 developmental assets focus on positive experiences that young people receive from people and organizations in their lives. Four categories of external assets are included in the framework.

1. Support: Young people need to experience support, care and love from their families, neighbors and many other people. They need organizations and institutions that provide positive and supportive environments.
2. Empowerment: Young people need to be seen as having an important role in building successful communities. Their opinions and energy must be included in making decisions in families, schools, organizations and government. For this to occur, they must be safe and feel secure.
3. Boundaries and expectations: Young people need to know what is expected of them and whether activities and behaviors are “in bounds” or “out of bounds.”
4. Constructive use of time: Young people need constructive, enriching opportunities for growth through creative activities, youth programs, congregational involvement and quality time at home.

Internal Assets

A community’s responsibility for its children does not end with providing external assets. There needs to be an equal commitment to encouraging the internal qualities that guide and create a sense of centeredness, purpose and focus. Indeed, shaping internal dispositions that encourage wise, responsible and compassionate judgements is particularly important in a society that prizes individualism. The second 20 assets are found in four categories of internal assets.

1. Commitment to learning: Young people need to develop a lifelong commitment to education and learning.
2. Positive values: Youth need to develop strong values that guide their choices.
3. Social competencies: Young people need skills and competencies that equip them to make positive choices, build relationships and succeed in life.
4. Positive identity: Young people need a strong sense of their own power, purpose, worth and promise.

What Key People are Saying

The developmental assets promote thriving behaviors (such as valuing diversity, maintaining good health, and succeeding i school) among young people from all racial/ethnic groups studied. For example, youth with many assets across all racial/ethnic groups studied are twice as likely to maintain good health habits as their peers with few assets. These relationships hold true for groups of youth from all socioeconomic levels. — Search Institute Insights & Evidence, November 2003

Neighborhoods have rallied behind the idea of assets because it’s very positive based, very validating, easily understood, user friendly, and it transcends age, academic level, and socioeconomic group. — Maria Perkins, Youth/community development director, Alternatives, Inc., Hampton, VA.

Parents tell us that asset building gives them the kind of hopeful, positive framework that motivates them to take action and think about parenting in a new way. — Peter Benson, Ph.D., President, Search Institute

Keying In

Below are examples from the Search Institute how adult leaders of youth might use the developmental assets. Choose two that you like and describe an example of how you could use them with your clubs.

1. Include both youth and adults in activities; encourage them to listen to each other.
2. Provide opportunities for youth to be with their peers in settings where they are modeling healthy behavior.
3. Encourage youth to use what they’re learning in school to address issues in your program or community.
4. Affirm and recognize success in school.
5. Include service projects with reflection as an integral part of all youth programming.
6. Give youth responsibility and leadership for service projects so they learn they can make a difference.
7. Let young people make decisions in programs and special projects.
8. Use experiential activities and simulations that challenge youth to make difficult decisions.
9. Challenge youth to reach out to newcomers and others who may not have friends.
10. Take time to pay attention to every young person.
11. Help youth set personal goals that inspire hope.

Key Resources

• Search Institute
• Cuyahoga County Extension

Teaching Outlines

We hope you found this material helpful. If you did and would like to use it as the topic of a training session with other youth leaders (time - Approx. 1 hour), select the topic(s) of interest to you below, fill in your E-mail Address and click “Send!”send this page to us at the address below:

4-H Keys for Leaders
2490 Lee Boulevard, Suite 108
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118

We will contact you with more information about our Teaching Outlines.

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This youth leader's guide my be reproduced and distributed for educational purposes if the following attribution is made under the title of the guide:

A PUBLICATION OF
Gregory M. Yost, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development, Cuyahoga County, Youth Outdoors
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION, CUYAHOGA COUNTY

Unless otherwise noted, all material within may be distributed freely for educational purposes. Anyone redistributing the material must include this copyright notice and must use the appropriate citation including the URL. Credit should also given to Diamond Advertising, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, for development of web-based format. Also, we would appreciate users sending notice to Gregory P. Siek as to how the material is being used. No reproduction for commercial use is given without a written permission agreement.

Series developed with grant support from Ohio 4-H Foundation, 2004.