How Did It Begin?
About 5 years ago a Board member and one leadership staff from our association heard Dr. Peter Benson’s message about the power of the 40 Developmental Assets. They returned to the association as our first two champions for this work and continued to gather knowledge, resources, and research. They would talk to anyone who would listen about how the Developmental Asset framework was organically intertwined with the mission vision and values of the YMCA. In 2005, key individuals were chosen to go to the Abundant Asset Alliance and Search Institute trainings. Again, they returned motivated and inspired and were instrumental in writing the strategic plan for 2006-2010 with the Developmental Assets woven through it. The vision for this work is that by infusing the Developmental Asset framework and the Determinants of Health into YMCA staff behaviors, programs, and policies, we will have the capacity to enhance healthy lifestyle goals for individuals and increase Developmental Assets in young people, thus achieving healthy outcomes as defined by the World Health Organization. To increase the likelihood of success, there needed to be dedicated time, money, and manpower to moving this forward. In 2006, the association received a three year grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and a project specialist was hired.
Outcomes of the Initiative:
1. To provide staff and volunteers a common language and approach.
2. To facilitate a culture shift where YMCA people were committed and valued for promoting health and supporting young people.
3. To use the impacts of this work to cultivate more donors and funding opportunities.
4. To be recognized as a key delivery agent for the promotion of health in our community.
Identifying Patterns to Make Change:
At the beginning of this journey, to influence change, patterns were identified that were used to determine the direction of the initiative. It was ascertained that the majority of YMCA staff were unaware of the two frameworks and the intent of this project. From the very beginning, we knew that the more we generated conversations about building assets, the more likely people were to get on board with the project. We knew that we had to begin where people were at and that everyone was at a different place in terms of awareness, motivation, and engagement in this work. To add to this, there seemed to be a continual rotation of staff. It often felt like we were stuck in the awareness-building phase of training.
In terms of program design and implementation it was observed that priorities revolved around outputs. Staff described YMCA programs in terms of numbers served, staff ratios, location, schedules, and budget constraints. A shift needed to happen so that the Developmental Assets and the Determinants of Health became the first thing staff thought about when enhancing and invigorating programs. We wanted YMCA people to talk in terms of the outcomes. What skill, attitude, or behavior changed because of program participation? Which Developmental Asset was built? How did the program improve health?
As the work progressed and change began to happen we discovered keys to success or “clicking points”. A clicking point is defined as the “ah-ha” moment, when people move out of the awareness and mobilization phases of change and into action and continuity.
Staff Behavior
The clicking points for staff came when:
- The project specialist could reach the passion of the individual to make a difference in another person’s life.
- The message was clearly communicated with concrete actions. 40 Developmental Assets®, 8 asset categories and 12 Health Determinants was overwhelming for people to remember.
- YMCA staff understood that it was not about adding something else to their work load but a shift in the way they were seeing and filtering their work. Just as we put on sunglasses to see the world differently, we had to put on our asset glasses to see the things we were doing from a different perspective.
Some of the tools and techniques used to get people to these clicking points were to offer interactive and experiential workshops. Each session was filled with activities that provoked conversations and questions on a personal as well as professional level. Diverse sessions were held so that people could learn and be motivated by each other. Story telling was intentionally included as a way to deliver the impact message. In the beginning the project specialist needed to model the lens or filter. Traveling throughout the association, the project specialist would find asset building behavior, name it, praise it and then share it with an invitation to join the asset champion group. This created the energy and motivation to do more until finally they were able to find it, name it and share it for themselves.
To clearly communicate the message with simple actions we use the acronym RAISE. This acronym is a concrete way for staff to remember the five principles of building developmental asset in young people.
Build R elationships
Engage A dults and young people together
Be I ntentional
Build S trengths
E mpower young people
This acronym is used as a filter for things that we do within the association. Staff orientation and trainings, communication and marketing, staff hiring and performance reviews, program observations, and funding proposals all use this acronym. It is accompanied by posters, banners, bookmarks that have a distinctive look and use the tag line, “We build strong kids, you can too, by…”
(See Bookmark and banner in PDF format)
Because people were beginning to behave differently based on RAISE, it began to provoke thinking and conversation around how this could affect program design and implementation.
Program Design and Implementation
The clicking points for staff came when:
- They realized that building assets is a part of what the YMCA has always done.
- They understood it is about intentionally creating opportunities to build assets.
- They were able to explore and talk about the outcomes/impacts of their programs.
One technique that was effective to influence this shift was when we generated conversation and inquiry using RAISE as the filter around program planning, program observations and evaluations. People began to speak about how they were already building relationships, engaging adults and young people, and empowering people using strength based perspective. We moved them forward by asking what else we could do. We also built in resources and coaching support to create logic models and outcome measurement tools and were able to secure funding for a Director of Outcomes which built capacity into our organization.
A concrete tool used to move people forward is called mind mapping. This is a process of questions, reflections and mapping out what we want to achieve in a program and how it connects to the Developmental assets and the Determinants of Health. These maps have been used to develop logic models and outcome measurement tools for 23 of our programs and services.
Policy and Procedure
The clicking points in regards to YMCA policy and procedure came when:
- Continual conversation and inquiries were generated around the Developmental Assets and the Determinants of Health. This keeps the initiative top of mind.
- The frameworks were embedded into existing structures so that it became a natural part of what people were already doing in their work.
- An emphasis was placed on measuring impacts and outcomes of programs. The results were then used for decision making and continuous improvement.
At this point, year two of our initiative, progress has been made in shifting some of our existing procedures to reflect the initiative outcomes. The YMCA now intentionally recruits and hires asset champions. Everything from job descriptions, interview questions, and performance reviews reflect the importance and priority of RAISE. Once hired, staff attain yearly performance objectives and goals that emphasize the importance of being an adult role model and building positive supportive relationships with young people.
Our focus is shifting to the importance of measuring the impacts of YMCA programs and the difference that we make in the lives of children and youth. New and targeted existing programs are built around outcomes based logic models. Tools, methods, and processes for measuring the impacts of our programs are being developed. A network of people working with these outcome based measurements comes together regularly for peer learning and support sessions to grow and continue with this work. We are beginning to shift from asking just the adults at our Y about their satisfaction with programs, to asking adults, young people, and staff about the difference that program made on their lives.
Program content increasingly reflects the importance of building Developmental Assets and health for our members For example, the Virtual YMCA program, launched in 2008, used the Developmental Assets and Determinants of Health as the foundation for program creation and delivery. With a focus on prevention this program weaves proven a program model with community support to sustain children in school with access to information, resources, and services for parents, as well as a focus on strengthening the community. The combined resources for family, school and community create an exceptional partnership that is mutually beneficial, providing children with the tools they need to succeed, and ensuring the future health of the community.
A standard for all YMCA meetings (from the frontline to leadership) is to tell a story of impact and prioritize time on the agenda to discuss the forward motion of our Healthy Communities Initiative. We are beginning to see a standard in committee organization that consciously includes representation from all service areas and searches for ways to engage youth in meaningful participation. We have also seen a shift in our communications and funding proposal division where they use the outcomes and Healthy Communities language to share our successes and garner support for the YMCA to do more.
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