Young people and adults across the country are working together to create better communities in which all children and youth can grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.They’ve learned about the 40 developmental assets – the positive experiences and qualities that all of us have the power to bring into the lives of children and youth.

In 2009, United Way funded three Youth Asset Projects. Learn more about these exciting community projects:

Youth Weatherization Project - Waldoboro
Teen Assets Partnership (TAP) - Bowdoin
Interact Club's "Winteract" - Boothbay

The assets cover eight areas of human development, including support, boundaries and expectations, commitment to learning, and positive identity. Search Institute’s research indicates that the more assets a young person has, the more likely he or she is to make healthy life choices and avoid risky behavior.

Each and every individual has the power to create an environment that encourages young people to be and do their very best: we call this intentional effort building assets.

Youth Assets is a national, research-based model developed by the Search Institute in Minneapolis (see attachment for more information). Search Institute developed the framework of 40 Developmental Assets that young people need to grow up healthy, caring and responsible. Research has shown that the more assets a young person has – such as perceiving that adults in the community value youth, or spending three or more hours per week in sports or organizations – the less likely he or she is to engage in risky behaviors, such as using alcohol or other drugs, skipping school, hurting someone, getting into trouble with police, or attempting suicide. Assets promote actions such as: succeeding in school, helping others, maintaining good health, resisting danger and overcoming adversity.

On July 10, 2008, United Way of Mid Coast Maine’s Youth and Lifelong Learning Council hosted an Introduction to Youth Assets forum.Presented by Search Institute Senior Trainer Tim Duffey, the Introduction to Youth Assets Forum introduced the Search Institute’s asset building message to interested communities and organizations, inspiring future commitment and action toward creating healthy communities for youth. The Assets Forum included the research behind the Developmental Assets and the power of Developmental Assets.

Concrete examples of community-based asset building were presented by Linda Lupton and youth from the Boothbay Harbor Region. They discussed the challenge to be an asset builder, the opportunity to identify possibilities to work within your own community, and information about potential funds for community work.

For more information about the Youth Assets framework, click here for the Search Institute website.