There's an old joke that goes something like "There was once a man who had no children and five theories about raising children. A few years later he had five children and no theories." Like all good jokes, there is a nugget of truth in there, one that definitely resonates with parents. Sometimes we don't know what to do. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by all the risks out there youth face every day.
My boss, Gary Lester, didn't coin this phrase, but he says it enough that he might as well have: "You don't become successful focusing on what went wrong. You become successful by learning what works." I think Gary has it right. A lot of what we see on television or read in magazines regarding young people tends to focus on the more lurid issues and risks. Let's face it, that kind of stuff gets TV ratings and sells magazines. But it isn't particularly helpful to most parents. I wanted to let you know about a framework available to parents that shows you what works.
The 40 Development Assets, identified by a research organization called Search Institute, are "building blocks of healthy development…that help young people grow up healthy, caring, and responsible." It is not another list of dangers and risks, but a compilation of positive experiences and qualities we can foster in our young people—what works!
Does that mean that risky behavior doesn’t matter? Of course not. The neat thing is that research indicates that the asset approach has some bearing on protective factors. From Search Institute: "Studies of more than 2.2 million young people in the United States consistently show that the more assets young people have, the less likely they are to engage in a wide range of high-risk behaviors and the more likely they are to thrive. Assets have power for all young people, regardless of their gender, economic status, family, or race/ethnicity. Furthermore, levels of assets are better predictors of high-risk involvement and thriving than poverty or being from a single-parent family."
This week I'd like to explore the first half of the list, called External Assets. These are the environments that we can cultivate in our homes and around the community that promote success and healthy behaviors in our young people.
Category: "Support"
1. Family support—Family life provides high levels of love and support.
2. Positive family communication—Young person and her or his parent(s) communicate positively, and young person is willing to seek advice and counsel from parents.
3. Other adult relationships—Young person receives support from three or more nonparent adults.
4. Caring neighborhood—Young person experiences caring neighbors.
5. Caring school climate—School provides a caring, encouraging environment.
6. Parent involvement in schooling—Parent(s) are actively involved in helping young person succeed in school.
Category: "Empowerment"
7. Community values youth—Young person perceives that adults in the community value youth.
8. Youth as resources—Young people are given useful roles in the community.
9. Service to others—Young person serves in the community one hour or more per week.
10. Safety—Young person feels safe at home, school, and in the neighborhood.
Category: "Boundaries & Expectations"
11. Family boundaries—Family has clear rules and consequences and monitors the young person’s whereabouts.
12. School Boundaries—School provides clear rules and consequences.
13. Neighborhood boundaries—Neighbors take responsibility for monitoring young people’s behavior.
14. Adult role models—Parent(s) and other adults model positive, responsible behavior.
15. Positive peer influence—Young person’s best friends model responsible behavior.
16. High expectations—Both parent(s) and teachers encourage the young person to do well.
Category: "Constructive Use of Time"
17. Creative activities—Young person spends three or more hours per week in lessons or practice in music, theater, or other arts.
18. Youth programs—Young person spends three or more hours per week in sports, clubs, or organizations at school and/or in the community.
19. Religious community—Young person spends one or more hours per week in activities in a religious institution.
20. Time at home—Young person is out with friends “with nothing special to do” two or fewer nights per week.
Quite a list, isn’t it? How many assets do you think your child is experiencing? (A great conversation would be to show this column to your child and have them answer that question, too.) Are there assets that your young person is missing? Pick one to work on as a goal.
Also—something for parents and non-parents alike to consider: Imagine a community where all young people are experiencing all of the assets listed. It would be a pretty nice place to live, wouldn’t it? Now think about the different places in our community where you have influence—you know, where you work, volunteer, and serve. Can you promote a particular asset in those parts of the community? Helping ALL youth develop healthy, caring, and responsible behaviors benefits everyone!
Next week we'll look at how we can foster good values and responsible characteristics in young people. If you are interested in learning more about the 40 Developmental Assets in the meantime, check out the Search Institute's website.
Ian Eastman, M.A. is the Conference Youth Coordinator for the Southwestern New York Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Coordinator of the Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry in Jamestown NY, and a Youth Minister in the Pastoral Care Department at Gustavus Adolphus Family Services. He is a student at the Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary.
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