Adapted from Tapping the Potential:
Discovering Congregation's Role in Building Assets in Youth,
by Glenn A. Seefeldt and Eugene C. Roehlkepartain
(from May 1995, Youth Update newsletter)
Many people may not think of congregations as playing a central
role in communities in efforts to build assets in youth. In the
not-too-distant past, mention of congregations or religion as a resource for
youth development would have been rare in public discussions.
That's beginning to change. More and more people are affirming that congregations
have tremendous potential for helping young people grow up healthy, principled, and
caring. The challenge for congregations is to discover and realize this potential.
Asset building focuses on 30 "developmental assets" identified by Search Institute
that provide a foundation to help youth grow up healthy. Most congregations already
offer youth many "asset-building" strengths, such as support, service opportunities,
a focus on values, and intergenerational and peer relationships.
The more of these assets young people have, the better off they will be. The wonderful
thing about assets is that everyone can build them. Congregations, youth-serving organizations,
families, communities, and others all play an important role in guiding and nurturing young
people to be healthy and caring.
What Happens in Asset-Building Congregations
When congregations adopt an asset-building perspective, it can change many things about the
way they work with youth and families. Here are some things that may happen:
- Asset-building provides a clear mission or purpose for integrating diverse activities
into a larger framework of positive outcomes.
- The framework gives concrete things the congregation can do to make a last difference for youth.
- The focus of youth programming broadens from youth-to-youth relationship to building
intergenerational community.
- Everyone in the congregation recognizes her or his responsibility for children and youth-and
her or his power to build assets.
- Parents are active partners in youth programs, through family activities and parent education.
- Energy is put into nurturing skills and values that help to avoid problems before they start,
rather that reacting to problems after they occur.
- Congregations become committed to cooperating with others in the community.
- Youth workers expand their role to serve as networkers and voices for youth in the community.
Return to top of page
10 Asset-Building Strategies for Congregations
Once you begin to see the possibilities of this new perspective for youth work, specific
strategies emerge that build the assets, thus enhancing young people's lives and futures.
While each congregation is unique, here are ten strategies to begin the process.
1. Assess Current Needs and Programs
- Know and celebrate what is currently being done to build assets.
- Have a clear sense of the needs of youth in the congregation and community.
2. Build a Shared Vision
- Develop a clear vision for children and youth programs that blends promoting
assets with spiritual development.
- Involve many people (youth, parents, congregational leaders, other members) in
shaping the asset-building vision.
3. Create Awareness and Commitment
- Communicate the vision for asset building to all members.
- Have many members who intentionally seek to build assets among youth.
- Involve youth in identifying priorities and developing action plans for asset building.
4. Nurture Support Assets
- Build sustained relationships between adults and youth.
- Nurture caring relationships among youth.
- Build sustained relationships between teenagers and children.
- Nurture a youth-friendly environment throughout the congregation.
5. Involve Youth in Structured Activities
- Connect all sixth- to 12th-grade youth to a weekly program, working particularly
hard to maintain high school involvement.
- Provide social opportunities for youth and their friends.
- Provide a safe place where youth can gather after school.
6. Articulate and Nurture Positive Values
- As a congregation, articulate and promote a core set of values to pass on to
the younger generations.
- Educate the congregation and community regarding these commonly held values.
7. Provide Opportunities for Service
- Engage every young person, ages 5 to 18, in at least one service activity per year.
- Connect adults and youth in service projects.
- Intentionally integrate learning and skills-building into service projects.
8. Develop Social Competencies
- Provide opportunities for youth to lead and make decisions within the congregation.
- Intentional building life skills through education programs.
9. Educate and Support Parents
- Educate parents and nurturing their parenting skills in areas of asset building
and spiritual development.
- Provide opportunities for families to serve others together.
- Support parents by building relationships among families and across generations-particularly
for families in stress.
10. Reach Out to The Community
- Develop strategies for reaching out to unconnected youth.
- Work with other clergy and youth workers in the community to promote positive
opportunities for youth.
- Support community efforts to nurture healthy youth through strong schools,
strong parks and recreation programs, enforcement of under-age drinking laws, etc.
- Serve as a partner in or a catalyst for a community-wide asset-building initiative.
People with many different views and perspectives find that they can unite behind the assets.
They form a common ground on which to start building together toward shared values and commitments.
When congregations adopt an asset-building perspective, it can change many things about
the way they work with youth and families. As they discover a new, positive vision for
asset building, the faith community will rediscover and begin to realize its tremendous
potential for leading and shaping communities toward a hopeful future for youth.
Return to top of page
Asset Building and Spiritual Development
While people from many faith traditions have affirmed the compatibility of asset building
with their theology, some worry that asset building could deflect energy from a primary
focus on nurturing young people's spirituality and religious identity. Several points clarify the issues:
- Most theological traditions affirm that religious youth work involves addressing
young people's spiritual needs in the context of their whole lives, which includes the
developmental issues identified in the assets.
- Many asset-building themes are rooted in a basic philosophy of religious youth work,
including the importance of relationships, caring community, intergenerational relationships, and more.
- Many asset-building strategies are also important strategies for nurturing faith.
These include involvement in service, creating a warm and caring climate for youth,
supporting families, developing thinking skills, developing friendship skills, and others.
Thus asset building can actually enhance faith development efforts, not detract from them.
- Many faith communities already have a tradition of being at the forefront of efforts
to address the well-being of young people. Asset-building is a natural expression of those commitments.
- All major faith traditions seek to guide young people away from various problem
behaviors such as alcohol or other drug use, premature sexual activity, and violence.
Asset-building can be seen as an effective strategy to employ in addressing these issues with youth.
Return to top of page
Copyright © 1995 by Search Institute. This article may be printed for personal use only.
Other uses require prior permission
from Search Institute, 1-800-888-7828. All rights reserved.