What Difference Does Developmental Assets Make

Whether we like it our not, there are many things influencing the way our kids grow up and the choices they make. Some things will lead them down a path to success and some will take them to a destruction and disappointment. With things being so busy these days, it is easy to forget the important foundations that help kids stay on the right path to positive choices.

One organization that has never stopped fighting the children of our nation for the past 50 years is the Search Institute. Though much research, they have created a framework of Developmental Assets that offers a positive and practical strategy for making a difference in the lives of our kids.

What are Developmental Assets?

Grounded in scientific research, Developmental Assets are 40 essential building blocks of healthy development. These assets are the core staples that young people need in their lives to help them grow up healthy, caring, and responsible. Whether you are a parent or anyone who comes in contact with a child, you play a vital role in building these assets. These assets deal with support, empowerment, boundaries and expectations, constructive use of time, commitment to learning, positive values, social competencies, and positive identity.

Why do Developmental Assets matter?

Research shows that the more Developmental Assets young people experience, the less likely they are to engage in a wide range of high-risk behaviors including underage drinking, violence, illicit drug use, sexual activity, gambling, eating disorders and school truancy. To illustrate this power, these charts show that youth with the most assets are least likely to engage in four different patterns of high-risk behavior, based on surveys of almost 150,000 6th- to 12th-grade youth in 202 communities across the United States in calendar year 2003.

	0–10 Assets	11–20 Assets	21–30 Assets	31–40 Assets
Problem Alcohol Use	45%	26%	11%	3%
Violence	62%	38%	18%	6%
Illicit Drug Use	38%	18%	6%	1%
Sexual Activity	34%	23%	11%	3%

The same kind of impact is evident with many other problem behaviors, including tobacco use, depression and attempted suicide, antisocial behavior, school problems, driving and alcohol, and gambling.

Just as important, the more assets they experience, the more likely they are to engage in positive or thriving behaviors, such as succeeding in school, helping others, maintaining good health and overcoming adversity, as these charts show.

	0–10 Assets	11–20 Assets	21–30 Assets	31–40 Assets
Exhibits Leadership	48%	66%	78%	87%
Maintains Good Health	27%	48%	69%	88%
Values Diversity	39%	60%	76%	89%
Succeeds in School	9%	19%	34%	54%

Now, helping a child develop more assets is by not means a “miracle cure”. There is no guarantee that nothing will go wrong or that your child is going make all the right decisions. All of the struggles and frustrations of caring for children are still going to be apart of life. But building assets does increase the odds for a better life for your child. It a goal to work for, an encouragement when things aren’t going your way, and it reminds you that the little stuff does, in the end, add up to make a big difference.

Interested in learning more? Want to GET INVOLVED and MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the life of a child you know?

For more information about the 40 Developmental Assets and ways to help you get started, visit the Search Institute’s website at http://www.search-institute.org/

Help a child you know get on the path to a brighter future!

All the information shown is from:

Search Institute, (2008). The power of assets. Retrieved February 9, 2009, from Search Institute: 50 Years of Discovering What Kids Need To Succeed! Web site: http://www.search-institute.org/