‘A Fantastic Way To Reduce Teenagers Destroying Themselves….’

A reader has highly recommended the Developmental Assets program. He was present as a very committed teacher at Good Shepherd College in Hamilton, country Victoria, introduced this support for teenagers – in tears as he showed a 60 minutes clip of a teenage car crash.

The program is widely used in the US and is backed by extensive research in youth development, resiliency and prevention. It deals with the relationships, opportunities and personal qualities that young people need to avoid risks and to thrive.

What Are Developmental Assets?

Building Blocks For Raising Healthy Children And Youth

Since its creation in 1990, Search Institute’s framework of Developmental Assets has become the most widely used approach to positive youth development in the US.

The Power of Assets—Studies of more than 2.2 million young people in the US consistently show that the more assets young people have, the less likely they are to engage in a wide range of high-risk behaviors and the more likely they are to thrive.

Assets have power for all young people, regardless of their gender, economic status, family, or race/ethnicity. Furthermore, levels of assets are better predictors of high-risk involvement and thriving than poverty or being from a single-parent family.

The Gap—The average young person experiences fewer than half of the 40 assets. Boys experience three fewer assets than girls (17.2 assets for boys vs. 19.9 for girls).

For more info visit the website.

Thanks for passing on this info Frank.