Heartland Task Force - 40 Developmental Assets

What are the 40 Developmental Assets?

Development assets are 40 common sense, positive experiences and qualities that help influence and mold young people into caring, responsible adults. They represent the relationships, opportunities, and personal qualities that young people need to avoid risks and to thrive.

 

The Development Assets framework includes twenty external and twenty internal assets.

The external assets are essentially health promoting features of the environment, they can be broken down into four categories:

• Support
• Empowerment
• Boundaries and Expectations
• Constructive Use of Time

The internal assets are the skills, values, competencies, and self-perceptions we attain. They are also grouped into four categories:

• Commitment to Learning
• Positive Values
• Social Competencies
• Positive Identity

Who came up with them?

Peter Benson a researcher from the Minneapolis-based Search Institute came up with the theoretical framework in the 1990s, he based the framework off of data from positive youth development focused studies.

What are the benefits of them?

Research has proven that the youth who are exposed to the most assets are least likely to engage in four different patterns of high-risk behavior, including problem alcohol use, violence, illicit drug use, and sexual activity.

The Search Institute did a small study that found that the more Development Assets the youth are exposed to positively correlates with academic achievement.

Another researcher found that academic achievement was tied to frequent participation in community-based organizations, this demonstrates the utilization of the empowerment asset.

For more information on the Developmental Assets the Search Institute has a youtube video that explains the importance of these simple, positive assets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk6ius0qLv4

References

Anderson, K. (2011). Developmental assets. Retrieved from http://www.search- institute.org/developmental-assets

Tilley, C. L. (2011). Developmental Assets. School Library Monthly, 27(7), 41-44.