About Search Institute
Mission
Search Institute is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide leadership, knowledge, and resources to promote healthy children, youth, and communities. To accomplish this mission, the institute generates and communicates new knowledge, and brings together community, state, and national leaders.
At the heart of the institute's work is the framework of 40 Developmental Assets, which are positive experiences and personal qualities that young people need to grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.
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Search Institute Information Brochure
The Search Institute Information Brochure is designed as an introduction to Search Institute and the concept of 40 Developmental Assets. It contains a brief explanation of the assets, areas of work at Search Institute, the asset categories, and a listing of "25 Ways to Show Kids You Care." It can be printed out in either black and white or in color and is then tri-folded.
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Areas of Work
- Research—Search Institute conducts applied scientific research on positive child and adolescent development to strengthen and deepen the scientific foundations of the Developmental Assets framework. In addition, the institute studies how communities attend to young people’s developmental needs. The survey services unit offers school districts and communities comprehensive profiles of their youth based on the framework of Developmental Assets.
- Communication—Search Institute provides a wide range of publications and practical tools to equip community and organization leaders, parents, and young people to build Developmental Assets. The resources present, interpret, and apply the institute’s research and share innovations from asset-building communities. The institute also provides information through this Web site.
- Networking—Search Institute provides opportunities for leaders and practitioners engaged in asset building to learn from each other. These include the annual Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth National Conference
Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth listserve, a network of state asset-building initiatives, alliances with national organizations, and related activities. With support from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, the institute is facilitating the formation of statewide asset-building networks in Arkansas, Nevada, and Oklahoma. The institute has also been an active partner in the formation of statewide networks in Colorado, Kansas, and Indiana.
- Community supports—Search Institute provides limited strategic consulting and telephone technical assistance to support and learn from community asset-building initiatives. A major current initiative focuses on strengthening the capacity of school communities to build Developmental Assets.
- Training—Through a partnership with Vision Training Associates, Search Institute-developed training and training of trainers is available for multiple groups in communities.
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Board of Directors
- Bob Rudell, Chair
Former CEO, Zurich Scudder Investments
Former President, American Express Institutional Services
- Morris Goodwin, Vice-Chair
President and COO, The Hogan Company
- Harold Mezile, Immediate Past Chair
President and CEO, YMCA of Metro Minneapolis
- Craig Lewis, Secretary-Treasurer
Co-founder & Outreach Director,
Hiawatha Leadership Academy, Minneapolis, MN
- Dr. Peter Benson
President and CEO, Search Institute
- Dr. Kent E. Eklund
President, Fairview Foundation
- Mick Johnson
President, Park Nicollet Foundation
- Dick Lundell, JD
Former Insurance Executive
- Dr. Andy Munoz EdD, CYC-P
Vice President & Director, Academy for Educational Development
Center for Youth Development & Policy Research
- Carol Truesdell
Former Executive Director, Youth Trust
- Dr. Sheryl Niebuhr
Owner, Sheryl Niebuhr Consulting, LLC
- Dr. Dee Gaedert
Chief Operating Officer, LeaderSource, Ltd.
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Search Institute Staff
Complete staff listing
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Recent Annual Reports
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