Written by Mary Ann Krems and Dee Erlandson, PCAY
Asset #25 is that quality a youth develops or has when they are reading three or more hours per week. In the last Asset survey done in Portage County, 24 % of youth completing the survey reported they had that quality. Reading can be just plain fun. Having a book to capture your imagination and is hard to put down is a pleasure all youth can enjoy. Reading can be free – it doesn’t have to cost money to let your mind open and travel to any destination.
The public library in Stevens Point has been a true partner in developing assets. The staff has provided space for Developmental Asset materials to be displayed and be easily accessible to parents, community members and teachers. Anyone can learn ways to promote and build the assets in our youth. The Asset Materials are now available in the 3 branches of the library – Almond, Rosholt and Amherst – to serve the rural communities.
A brochure on how to effectively use the Asset Development materials has been developed by a team from Leadership Portage County. The new brochures are being placed in each of the libraries and schools throughout Portage County. It will guide the reader along the path to using the building blocks of the Assets in supporting the youth they know toward a more positive rewarding life.
Tips for Building Asset # 25:
- Let your child see you reading for pleasure at your home.
- Discuss ideas that come up from what you have learned from your reading.
- Set aside a family reading time once a week. With young children you can read aloud together. With older children, read different books while hanging out together, or read the same book and then discuss it.
- In your school or youth program: Set up a book club to read popular fiction, non fiction or classics. (A mother recently shared that she and her pre teen daughter had joined a mother/youth book club that met monthly and shared discussion on a book. Another mother shared that her daughter started a book club that has really taken off in the community)
Remember: reading can open up a new world, transport you to faraway lands, bygone eras, or lives only dreamt of. Research shows that youth who read for pleasure at least three hours a week (that’s 26 minutes a day) exhibit more positive than negative values.
Unsure of how to get started?
Talk to a librarian who can make suggestions.
- Go to www.search-institute.org or www.pcayouth.org
- Connect on Asset Development and see how you, your county and community can start building assets on purpose.
Information from: Instant Assets: Search Institute (printed with permission.)
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