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During the hot summer months in Prescott, Wisconsin, something very cool is going on at the public library. For eight weeks in June and July, the Prescott Public Library opens its doors to children and youth of all ages to participate in various activities that keep kids entertained and learning during their break from school.

See what kinds of other programs the library offers

The library is planning a range of events this year around the theme “Make a Splash: Read,” including a pirate day, shark trivia, science experiments with water, and a story time that will teach kids about keeping Wisconsin’s lakes and rivers healthy.MORE

Upper Bucks Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth Coalition (UB HC • HY) used the results of a recent Attitudes and Behaviors survey to create a “Student Support Card“ (UBSSC) for their community. The document displays the current levels of Developmental Assets that Upper Bucks’ youth have and the change that has taken place since their baseline measure in 2002-2004. By highlighting “reasons to celebrate” and “reasons to stay connected,” the support card clearly points out places where the community has seen improvement and where youth still need support.

As UB HC • HY explains, “The UBSSC is not a gauge to judge what is lacking. Rather, it is a strength-based measure to find out what supports do exist, and build upon that foundation.MORE

In the social networking world, there is a lot of discussion about taking your online community offline and meeting face-to-face. But what about taking your offline community online? That’s exactly what the Greater Omaha Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth (GO HC • HY) initiative has done by creating a thriving online presence through Facebook.MORE

Intergenerational communication can be tricky—-many adults are finding that, to reach young people, it’s necessary to adapt to the forms of communication that are popular with younger generations. This is why Shelly Beissel, the Youth Services Coordinator for Minnesota’s St. Louis Park Schools and Community Education, uses text messaging to reach the fifty students she works with.MORE

Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth initiatives know that asset building is not about quick fixes or single acts, but about building awareness and changing habits across their communities. Annual events or celebrations are one way that community initiatives shine a light on the importance of asset building and asset builders. They also make asset building fun for everyone!MORE

Two community organizations in Montello, Wisconsin recently teamed up to help community members lead healthier and more connected lives.MORE

Now, more than ever, families are in need of assistance navigating the powerful and persuasive media culture. In January, the Kaiser Family Foundation released a study stating that kids ages 8-18 are exposed to 7 hours and 38 minutes of screen time a day. Parents, teachers, and everyone who works with young people need to be involved in helping children make smart decisions about media consumption.

For this reason, it was sad news that the National Institute on Media and the Family (NIMF), a nationally recognized authority on media and positive youth development, was forced to close its doors at the end of 2009.MORE

“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” This is, roughly, the philosophy of the Alaska Teen Media Institute (ATMI), a group committed to giving teens the tools and opportunities needed to tell their stories through the media. ATMI believes that youth voice is a valuable perspective that is underrepresented in the mainstream media. The group, a program of the media-based project Spirit of Youth, has spent the last six years working with Alaska’s youth to produce a monthly half-hour radio show that broadcasts on their local NPR affiliate, KNBA 90.3 FM.MORE

The small community of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, primarily a summer destination for tourists and part-time residents, might not be a location that immediately comes to mind when considering mass media. Yet, the Boothbay Asset Builders community initiative has done much to incorporate their local newspaper and television station in their asset-building efforts.MORE

Are you looking for ways to spread the message of the Developmental Assets in your community? Why not work with your local media to do the job? Many Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth initiatives have worked with their local television stations, radio stations, and newspapers to spread the message of the assets. Here are five great examples from our archive of initiatives making strong connections with various media outlets.

1. Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth of Ada County in Boise, Idaho worked with their local television stations to create public service announcements about their initiative and the developmental assets. With assistance from news anchors at each of the local stations, Mayor Brent Coles, and other prominent community members, the advertisements encouraged citizens to make Idaho a great place to be young.MORE