About Developmental Assets®
Thinking Inside the Box…
The Developmental Assets Framework
At the heart of the institute’s work is the framework of 40 Developmental Assets, which are positive experiences, relationships, opportunities, and personal qualities that young people need to grow up healthy, caring, and responsible. Created in the 1990s, the framework is grounded in research on child and adolescent development, risk prevention, and resiliency. Assets are easy to build! Asset building is about relationships—anyone can do it. You can make a difference and help a young person succeed!
The Importance of Assets
Search Institute’s research shows that the more assets young people have, the less likely they are to engage in risky behaviors.
In addition, these common themes about the importance of assets have emerged from numerous findings:
- Assets promote academic success.
- Assets divert youth from risky behaviors and increase civic engagement.
- Assets give young people the strengths they need to make positive choices in life.
- Across the United States—in big cities and small towns—most young people now experience fewer than half of the 40 Developmental Assets.
Building Assets in your Community
Get started with intentional asset building. Some of the basics are:
- Learn more about the 40 Developmental Assets and the communities that have already built successful initiatives. Search Institute’s Web site is a great source for information about published resources, trainings, and events.
- Share the message of asset building. Talk to PTA groups, civic organizations, neighbors, congregation members, realtors, businesses, student clubs—anyone interested in the youth in your community.
- Gather together a group of people, including young people, who are willing to go deeper with assets. Develop a vision of what your community would look like if Developmental Assets were being nurtured throughout the community.
The Five Action Strategies
Five Action Strategies for Transforming Communities and Society
Creating a World Where All Young People Are Valued and Thrive
The Five Action Strategies provide a practical approach to identifying, encouraging, and linking all the important people, places, activities, and programs necessary for a powerful collective effort. As initiatives work to strengthen relationships within and between these spheres of influence across the community, they build a web of interconnected efforts that support one another. Long-lasting success happens by merging the asset-building capacities of all community members where the lives of adults and youth intersect. It takes the combination of all five Action Strategies to make lasting positive change.
Engage Adults
Engage adults from all walks of life to develop sustained, strength-building relationships with children and adolescents, both within families and in neighborhoods.
Mobilize Young People
Mobilize young people to use their power as asset builders and change agents.
Activate Sectors
Activate all sectors of the community—such as schools, faith-based organizations, youth, businesses, human services, and health-care organizations—to create an asset-building culture and to contribute fully to young people’s healthy development.
Invigorate Programs
Invigorate, expand, and enhance programs to become more asset rich and to be available to and accessed by all children and youth.
Influence Civic Decisions
Influence decision makers and opinion leaders to leverage financial, media, and policy resources in support of this positive transformation of communities and society.
