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We at Cedar Mountain believe all adults can help young
people thrive by building their developmental assets. It doesn't
necessarily take a lot of time or energy. Each link below provides
an easy, practical idea for building one of the 40 developmental assets identified by the Search Institute.
Support
Empowerment
- Community values youth - Young person perceives that adults in the community value youth.
- Youth as resources - Young people are given useful roles in the community.
- Service to others - Young person serves in the community one hour or more per week.
- Safety - Young person feels safe at home, at school, and in the neighborhood.
Boundaries & Expectations
- Family boundaries - Family has clear rules and consequences and monitors the young person's whereabouts.
- School boundaries - School provides clear rules and consequences.
- Neighborhood boundaries - Neighbors take responsibility for monitoring young people's behavior.
- Adult role models - Parent(s) and other adults model positive, responsible behavior.
- Positive peer influence - Young person's best friends model responsible behavior.
- High expectations - Both parent(s) and teachers encourage the young person to do well.
Constructive Use of Time
- Creative activities - Young person spends three or more hours per week in lessons or practice in music, theater, or other arts.
- Youth programs - Young person spends three or more hours per week in sports, clubs, or organizations at school and/or in the community.
- Religious community - Young person spends one or more hours per week in activities in a religious institution.
- Time at home - Young person is out with friends "with nothing special to do" two or fewer nights per week.
Commitment to Learning
- Achievement motivation - Young person is motivated to do well in school.
- School engagement - Young person is actively engaged in learning.
- Homework - Young person reports doing at least one hour of homework every school day.
- Bonding to school - Young person cares about her or his school.
- Reading for pleasure - Young person reads for pleasure three or more hours per week.
Positive Values
- Caring - Young person places high value on helping other people.
- Equality and social justice - Young person places high value on promoting equality and reducing hunger and poverty.
- Integrity - Young person acts on convictions and stands up for her or his beliefs.
- Honesty - Young person "tells the truth even when it is not easy".
- Responsibility - Young person accepts and takes personal responsibility.
- Restraint - Young person believes it is important not to be sexually active or to use alcohol or other drugs.
Social Competencies
- Planning and decision making - Young person knows how to plan ahead and make choices.
- Interpersonal competence - Young person has empathy, sensitivity, and friendship skills.
- Cultural competence - Young person has knowledge of and comfort with people of different cultural/racial ethnic backgrounds.
- Resistance skills - Young person can resist negative peer pressure and dangerous situations.
- Peaceful conflict resolution - Young person seeks to resolve conflict nonviolently.
Positive Identity
- Personal power - Young person feels he or she has control over "things that happen to me".
- Self-esteem - Young person reports having a high self-esteem.
- Sense of purpose - Young person reports that "my life has a purpose".
- Positive view of personal future - Young person is optimistic about her or his personal future.
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