What Can I Do?
The Power of Assets
On one level, the 40 Developmental Assets represent everyday wisdom about
positive experiences and opportunities for young people. Search Institute’s
research indicates that these assets powerfully influence adolescent behavior—both
by protecting young people from risky, problem behaviors and by promoting
positive attitudes and choices. This power reaches across all cultural and
socioeconomic groups of youth, and additional research suggests that assets
have similar implications for younger children.
Unfortunately many young people experience too few of these important
building blocks. Surveys of almost 150,000 6th - 12th grade students
gathered in 2003 reveal that young people experience an
average of 18.6 of the 40 assets. Overall, 59 percent of young people
surveyed experience 20 or fewer of the assets. In short, our research
shows that young people from all walks of life have too few assets.
Everyone’s an Asset Builder
The good news is that everyone can build assets. It’s not just the responsibility of families, schools, social service agencies, or other institutions—though they all have important roles. Whether you are a grandparent, a neighbor, or a bus driver, you can start building assets today with the young people who live in your community. Click here for
some ideas to get started.
