What is asset development? ___You work to build the 40 developmental assets that will support and enhance the healthy development of children and adolescents in your community. ___You seek to develop assets that will help youth guard against high-risk behaviors and patterns. ___You seek to enhance the assets that encourage thriving indicators in youth: What are the characteristics of an asset development program? ___You seek commitment from the whole community. ___You create an inclusive, participatory effort. ___You base your effort on what’s needed in the community. ___You focus on the positive. ___You seek a comprehensive, community-wide effort. What are the developmental assets kids need? ___You are familiar with the 40 developmental assets listed in the section. Why (and why not) should you use an asset development approach? ___You are familiar with the advantages of an asset-building approach: A strong base in both empirical research and theory. Community ownership and diverse, broad-ranging input stemming from a participatory process. An accent on positive asset development, making youth issues seem more resolvable. The ability of each community to design its own asset-building solutions. The ability to analyze data in numerous ways and by different populations. An emphasis on long-term social change. The capacity to address a broad range of issues. The possibility of increasing community cohesiveness. The emphasis on what’s best for youth leading to what’s best for the community. ___You know the potential disadvantages to the asset development approach: A data base that’s 80% white and all youth for the Search Institute’s 40 assets. No real guidance as to how to develop assets. Community dependence on the Search Institute or CADY to analyze the surveys. Statistical limitations that may make accurate analysis difficult for small communities or schools. The lack of any guarantee that asset development will address current problems. The question of how necessary assets actually are for eventual success for most youth. How do you use asset development? ___You find someone to take the initiative (or do it yourself). ___You form an inclusive, participatory group to introduce the asset development concept and the idea of the survey of developmental assets to the community. ___You work out the logistics of administering the survey. ___You implement the survey. ___You analyze the survey results. ___You communicate the survey results and analysis to the community. ___You plan your next steps. ___You develop an initial action plan. ___You implement your action plan. ___You monitor, evaluate, and adjust your plan. ___You continue to develop, implement, monitor, and adjust action plans, and to maintain the gains you’ve made.
