40 developmental assets

Increasing the amount of developmental assets youth have, will give them the resources they need to thrive and be healthy.

Developmental Assets are 40 building blocks of positive development that help young people grow-up healthy, caring, and responsible. Assets are opportunities, skills, relationships, values, and self-perceptions that all young people need to live healthy lives.

External assets (things that other people provide for youth)

Support

1. Family Support: Family life provides high levels of love and support.
2. Positive Family Communication: Young person and her or his parent(s) communicate positively, and young person is willing to seek advice and counsel from parent(s).
3. Other Adult Relationships: Young person receives support from three or more non-parent adults.
4. Caring Neighbourhood: Young person experiences caring neighbours.
5. Caring School Climate: School provides a caring, encouraging environment.
6. Parent Involvement in Schooling: Parent(s) are actively involved in helping young person succeed in school.

Empowerment

7. Community Values Youth: Young person perceives that adults in the community value youth.
8. Youth as Resources: Young people are given useful roles in the community.
9. Service to Others: Young person serves in the community one hour or more per week.
10. Safety: Young person feels safe at home, at school, and in the neighbourhood.

Boundaries and expectations

11. Family Boundaries: Family has clear rules and consequences and monitors the young person’s whereabouts.
12. School Boundaries: School provides clear rules and consequences.
13. Neighbourhood Boundaries: Neighbours take responsibility for monitoring young people’s behaviour.
14. Adult Role Models: Parent(s) and other adults model positive, responsible behaviour.
15. Positive Peer Influence: Young person’s best friends model responsible behaviour.
16. High Expectations: Both parent(s) and teachers encourage the young person to do well.

Constructive use of time

17. Creative Activities: Young person spends three or more hours per week in lessons or practice in music, theater, or other arts.
18. Youth Programs: Young person spends three or more hours per week in sports, clubs, or organizations at school and/or in the community.
19. Religious Community: Young person spends one or more hours per week in activities in a religious institution.
20. Time at Home: Young person is out with friends “with nothing special to do” two or fewer nights per week.

Internal assets (things that young people develop within themselves)

Commitment to learning

21. Achievement Motivation: Young person is motivated to do well in school.
22. School Engagement: Young person is actively engaged in learning.
23. Homework: Young person reports doing at least one hour of homework every school day.
24. Bonding to School: Young person cares about her or his school.
25. Reading for Pleasure: Young person reads for pleasure three or more hours per week.
    

    Positive values

    26. Caring: Young person places high value on helping other people.
    27. Equity and Social Justice: Young person places high value on promoting equality and reducing hunger and poverty.
    28. Integrity: Young person acts on convictions and stands up for her or his beliefs.
    29. Honesty: Young person “tells the truth even when it is not easy.”
    30. Responsibility: Young person accepts and takes personal responsibility.
    31. Restraint: Young person believes it is important not to be sexually active or to use alcohol or other drugs.

    Social competencies

    32. Planning and Decision Making: Young person knows how to plan ahead and make choices.
    33. Interpersonal Competence: Young person has empathy, sensitivity, and friendship skills.
    34. Cultural Competence: Young person has knowledge of and comfort with people of different cultural/racial/ethnic backgrounds.
    35. Resistance Skills: Young person can resist negative peer pressure and dangerous situations.
    36. Peaceful Conflict Resolution: Young person seeks to resolve conflict non-violently.

    Positive identity

    37. Personal Power: Young person feels he or she has control over “things that happen to me.”
    38. Self-Esteem: Young person reports having a high self-esteem.
    39. Sense of Purpose: Young person reports that “my life has a purpose.”
    40. Positive View of Personal Future: Young person is optimistic about her or his personal future.

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This item was last modified on July 29, 2015