Portage County Alliance for Youth

EXTERNAL ASSETS:

Support

1. Family support
   Family life provides high levels of love and support.
2. Positive family communication
   Parent(s) and child communicate positively. Child feels comfortable seeking advice and counsel from parent(s).
3. Other adult relationships
   Child receives support from adults other than her or his parent(s).
4. Caring neighborhood
   Child experiences caring neighbors.
5. Caring school climate
   Relationships with teachers and peers provide a caring, encouraging environment.
6. Parent involvement in schooling
   Parent(s) are actively involved in helping the child succeed in school.

Empowerment

7. Community values youth
   Child feels valued and appreciated by adults in the community.
8. Children as resources
   Child is included in decisions at home and in the community.
9. Service to others
   Child has opportunities to help others in the community.
10. Safety
    Child feels safe at home, at school, and in his or her neighborhood.

Boundaries & Expectations

11. Family boundaries
    Family has clear and consistent rules and consequences and monitors the child’s whereabouts.
12. School Boundaries
    School provides clear rules and consequences.
13. Neighborhood boundaries
    Neighbors take responsibility for monitoring the child’s behavior.
14. Adult role models
    Parent(s) and other adults in the child’s family, as well as nonfamily adults, model positive, responsible behavior.
15. Positive peer influence
    Child’s closest friends model positive, responsible behavior.
16. High expectations
    Parent(s) and teachers expect the child to do her or his best at school and in other activities.

Constructive Use of Time

17. Creative activities
    Child participates in music, art, drama, or creative writing two or more times per week.
18. Child programs
    Child participates two or more times per week in co curricular school activities or structured community programs for children..
19. Religious community
    Child attends religious programs or services one or more times per week.
20. Time at home
    Child spends some time most days both in high-quality interaction with parents and doing things at home other than watching TV or playing video games.

INTERNAL ASSETS

Commitment to Learning

21. Achievement Motivation
    Child is motivated and strives to do well in school.
22. Learning Engagement
    Child is responsive, attentive, and actively engaged in learning at school and enjoys participating in learning activities outside of school.
23. Homework
    Child usually hands in homework on time.
24. Bonding to school
    Child cares about teachers and other adults at school.
25. Reading for Pleasure
    Child enjoys and engages in reading for fun most days of the week.

Positive Values

26. Caring
    Parent(s) tell the child it is important to help other people.
27. Equality and social justice
    Parent(s) tell the child it is important to speak up for equal rights for all people.
28. Integrity
    Parent(s) tell the child it is important to stand up for one’s beliefs.
29. Honesty
    Parent(s) tell the child it is important to tell the truth.
30. Responsibility
    Parent(s) tell the child it is important to accept personal responsibility for behavior.
31. Healthy Lifestyle
    Parent(s) tell the child it is important to have good health habits and an understanding of healthy sexuality.

Social Competencies

32. Planning and decision making
    Child thinks about decisions and is usually happy with results of her or his decisions.
33. Interpersonal Competence
    Child cares about and is affected by other people’s feelings, enjoys making friends, and, when frustrated or angry, tries to calm her/ himself.
34. Cultural Competence
    Child knows and is comfortable with people of different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds and with her or his own cultural identity.
35. Resistance skills
    Child can stay away from people who are likely to get her or him in trouble and is able to say no to doing wrong or dangerous things.
36. Peaceful conflict resolution
    Child seeks to resolve conflict nonviolently.

Positive Identity

37. Personal power
    Child feels he or she has some influence over things that happen in her or his life.
38. Self-esteem
    Child likes and is proud to be the person that he or she is.
39. Sense of purpose
    Child sometimes thinks about what life means and whether there is a purpose for her or his life.
40. Positive view of personal future
    Child is optimistic about her or his personal future.

The 40 Developmental Assets® may be reproduced for educational, noncommercial uses only. Copyright © 1997 Search Institute®, 615 First Avenue NE, Suite 125, Minneapolis, MN 55413; 800-888-7828; www.search-institute.org. All rights reserved.