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Pass h On! <br /> <br />Handout I <br /> <br />What Are <br /> <br />Developmental Assets? <br /> <br />Do you ever wonder why some kids seem to grow up with ease while others strug- <br />gle? Are you surprised that some kids thrive in spite of difficult circumstances? <br />Search Institute is a nonprofit research organization in Minneapolis, Minnesota, <br />that has been asking these same questions since 1958. Through studies involving <br />hundreds of thousands of young people across the count~ Search Institute has <br />found 40 factors that are essential to young people's success. They call these 40 fac- <br />tots developmental assets. These assets aren't financial. Instead, they are opportu- <br />nities, skills, relationships, values, and self-perceptions that all young people need <br />in their lives. <br /> The assets are both external (things that other people provide for youth) and <br />internal (things that develop within young people themselves). There are four cat- <br />egories of external assets and four categories of internal assets. <br /> <br />Support <br />Young people need to be supported, cared for, and loved by their families and <br />many others. They also need organizations and institutions, such as schools and <br />congregations, that provide positive, supportive environments. There are six sup- <br /> <br />port assets: <br />Asset # I-- <br />Asset #2-- <br />Asset #3-- <br />Asset ifA-- <br />Asset #S-- <br />Asset ~ <br /> <br />Family support <br />Positive family communication <br />Other adult relationships <br />Caring neighborhood <br />Caring school climate <br />Parent involvement in schooling <br /> <br />Empowerment <br />Young people need to feel that they are valued by their community and that they <br />have important ways to contribute. They must also feel safe. There are four <br />empowerment assets: <br />Asset #7-- Community values youth <br />Asset ~- Youth as resources <br />Asset fi9-- Service to others <br />Asset # I 0--- Safety <br /> <br />Boundaries and Expectations <br />Young people need to know what is expected of them and whether activities and <br />behaviors are acceptable or not acceptable. There are six boundaries-and-expec- <br /> <br />tations assets: <br />Asset # I I-- <br />Asset # 12- <br />Asset 013~ <br />Asset #1 ~. <br />Asset # 15- <br />Asset # 16~ <br /> <br />Family boundaries <br />School boundaries <br />Neighborhood boundaries <br />Adult role models <br />Positive peer influence <br />High expectations <br /> <br /> <br />