Search Institute has surveyed over two million youth across the United States and Canada since 1989. Researchers have learned about the experiences, attitudes, behaviors, and the number of Developmental Assets at work for these young people. Studies reveal strong and consistent relationships between the number of assets present in young people’s lives and the degree to which they develop in positive and healthful ways. Results show that the greater the numbers of Developmental Assets are experienced by young people, the more positive and successful their development. The fewer the number of assets present, the greater the possibility youth will engage in risky behaviors such as drug use, unsafe sex, and violence.
The reality is that the average young person experiences only 19 of the 40 assets. Overall, 59% of young people surveyed have 20 or fewer of the 40 assets. In short, the majority of young people, from all walks of life, are lacking in sufficient Developmental Assets needed for healthy development. These statistics, as well as the role assets play in predicting both positive and negative outcomes for youth, underscore the importance of the developmental asset framework and its application.
Adults and youth--in big and small ways--can help increase Developmental Assets in the daily lives of young people. What’s needed is an understanding of what actions and behaviors breed success, willingness and ideas to apply that knowledge, and most importantly, a desire to see young people grow up happy, healthy, and confident.
“Asset-building”--the Institute’s term for purposefully helping youth experience more assets in their lives--is happening in hundreds of communities by thousands of people across North America. Youth and adults—in big cities and small towns-- understand in growing numbers the awesome power they have in making positive and lasting impact on the lives of young people. Individually and together, they are actively engaged in the movement to grow healthy communities and healthy youth.
At St. Alban's Boys' and Girls' Club, all of our children and youth staff incorporate strategies to increase the Developmental Assets in young people into their program plans.
External Assets
The first 20 Developmental Assets focus on positive experiences that young people receive from the people and institutions in their lives. Four categories of external assets are included in the framework:
Internal Assets
A community's responsibility for its young people does not end with the provision of external assets. Caring adults must make a similar commitment to nurturing the internal qualities that guide positive choices and foster a sense of confidence, passion, and purpose. Young people need this wisdom to make responsible decisions about the present and future. The framework includes four categories of internal assets: