Search Institute

Paradise, California, is a beautiful community situated in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Surrounded by soaring pine trees and the breathtaking Butte Creek Canyon, the small Northern California city appears to be exactly as advertised—paradise. Yet, this idyllic setting could not hide the issues facing the community in the early 2000s. The town was dealing with a drug problem beyond anything they had ever experienced due to widespread illicit use of the prescription pain medication Oxycontin. Teachers, parents, and community members were at a loss; they had never dealt with anything like this before. The crisis hit its peak when, during the 2003-2004 school year, the 25,000-person community lost four students to overdose and suicide.MORE

The community of Charlotte County, Florida, has experienced a difficult last five years. On August 13, 2004, the area was devastated by hurricane Charley—buildings were severely damaged, businesses destroyed, and homes lost. The extent of the storm’s destruction included six schools that were beyond repair, making Charley the largest catastrophe to hit a school district until Hurricane Katrina. The community spent the next several years rebuilding their lives and, due to the construction boom in the county, began to see economic recovery as well. Yet, when a financial crisis ravaged the country last year, Charlotte County fell on troubled times once again. Many of the young families that were involved in the construction trades began moving away and those that stayed had trouble finding work. As Children’s Services Council and school board member Sue Sifrit describes, “It’s a very difficult economic time right now. There are a lot of businesses that are closing and those that aren’t are just scrambling and doing everything they can to keep in the black.”MORE

Shelby Andress has had an impressive career. The Adjunct Senior Consultant and Facilitator has lead upwards of 500 trainings and planning events, conducted numerous research projects, and co-authored several publications. Yet, for Andress, gathering communities for Generations Together has created many lasting memories.MORE

As summer comes to an end and for many involved in school, whether sending youth or attending yourself, you find new starts. In an unsettling fall with the news reports of increasing unemployment and financial challenges for families, Portage County Alliance for Youth wishes to offer for consideration, some positive views for connecting with youth in relationships.MORE

When many people think about mentoring, one of the first images that comes to mind is a picture of a happy mentoring pair, content and thriving because of the relationship each individual has with the other. The images that we conjure up usually have common themes: the youth comes from a troubled background or lacks stability in his or her life, and the adult is established and knows where he or she is going in life, setting a good example for the mentee. But one thing that may not be immediately apparent is the diversity in the relationship. How do individual differences affect the quality or content of a mentor-mentee match? Does it matter if the mentor is white and from a middle-class background and the mentee is a Hispanic youth whose family recently immigrated to the United States? If the mentor and mentee are both labeled as “black” by the casual observer but one is African American and the other is first generation Ethiopian American?

Dr.MORE

In a world that is generally acknowledged to be controlled by men, we are experiencing something of a paradox that some people call a “boy crisis.” Forty-four percent of college graduates today are men. Thirty years ago, that figure was 58%. Some may cheer at this shift in numbers and applaud the growth of women in education, but the truth is that too many boys are not doing well in school. Boys are more likely than girls to drop out of school, and three-quarters of the valedictorians in major U.S. cities are girls. If men are dominant in our society, why are they falling farther behind in schools?MORE

The effect of gender in mentoring relationships is a relatively unexplored area. Some boys respond very well to having a formal relationship with an adult role model outside of their family. Others do not. The same goes for girls. But from what little has been studied of the effects of gender between adult and mentee, there are a few patterns which enable us to make rough generalizations about this relationship.MORE

16-year-old Nini To was on the brink of dropping out of high school. Despite starting school in Orange County, California, with a high GPA and even higher hopes, she soon had trouble keeping up in her fast-paced classes. Although she did her best to participate in discussions, impatient teachers and unsupportive classmates saw her questioning nature as burdensome. Financial issues, a lack of familial support, and the resulting depression she suffered nearly pushed her over the edge—she had run out of options.MORE

With every student that enrolls at the Charles F. Fernandez Center for Alternative Learning, Principal Liz Fulton goes over the Developmental Assets, provides the students and parents with written information, and meets with all of the parents individually. The school’s goals are rooted in the Developmental Assets, as it tries to support students, meet social and emotional needs, and work with parents and the community.MORE

When the Millard School District began using the asset framework a few years ago, Geri McClenny, a school social worker at Millard Learning Center, an alternative high school in the district, volunteered to be one of the school’s Asset Builders and has since worked in many capacities to promote the Developmental Assets at the school.MORE