40 Development Assets

PRIORITIES

• EXTERNAL ASSETS - The supports, opportunities, and relationships young people need across all aspects of their lives.

  • Support - Young people need to be surrounded by people who love, care for, appreciate, and accept them.

  • Empowerment - Young people need to feel valued and valuable. This happens when youth feel safe and respected.

  • Boundaries and Expectations - Young people need clear rules, consistent consequences for breaking rules, and encouragement to do their best.

  • Constructive Use of Time - Young people need opportunities - outside of school - to learn and develop new skills and interests with other youth and adults.

• INTERNAL ASSETS - The personal skills, commitments, and values they need to make good choices, take responsibility for their own lives, and be independent and fulfilled.

  • Commitment to Learning - Young people need a sense of the lasting importance of learning and a belief in their own abilities.

  • Positive Values - Young people need to develop strong guiding values or principles to help them make healthy life choices.

  • Social Competencies - Young people need the skills to interact effectively with others, to make difficult decisions, and to cope with new situations. 

  • Positive Identity - Young people need to believe in their own self-worth and to feel that they have control over the things that happen to them.

• Address Loss of Learning 

• Support Recovery