What is SPARC?

Strengthening Positive Assets and Resiliency in Communities

SPARC Red Deer is "Strengthening Positive Assets and Resiliency in Communities." It is a local coalition designed to promote and educate community members and families about the '40 Developmental Assets.' The 40 Developmental Assets are research proven life experiences or building blocks which all children need to grow up healthy, caring and responsible.

Research shows that the higher number of these assets a young person has, the more likely they are to thrive as they engage in positive behaviors. Research also shows that the lower number of these assets a young person has, the more likely they are to engage in risky behaviors.

When a child is exposed to the necessary building blocks of healthy development, they are better equipped with coping mechanisms that help them flourish, making it possible to manage stressors, even when there are boundaries caused by mental health problems. Our goal is to increase the number of assets children have. We will do this by creating awareness, offering education sessions, and developing activities that engage children, youth and families.

What Is SPARC Trying To Do?

You will find a comprehensive explanation of what SPARC Red Deer is designed to do in support of youth in Red Deer and throughout Central Alberta here, but to get you interested from a foundational perspective, our vision and mission is stated below...

Vision:

To focus on the development of healthy children and youth by increasing protective factors and reducing risk factors.

Mission:

To educate and excite our community on building blocks that all children and youth need in order to thrive, which includes the 40 Developmental Assets and healthy lifestyles.

Essentially, we aim to teach adults and kids that becoming aware of the 40 Developmental Assets, and then making efforts to grow them in ourselves and others will lead to healthy people living healthy lives within healthy communities. To learn more about what the 40 Developmental Assets can do for you, click here.

A Brief Introduction To "Asset Building"

The video to the right provides an excellent background explaining why and how Asset building, as a remarkably simple concept, is so effective in supporting healthy, happy and well-adjusted young people. Asset building is about growing resiliency by manufacturing protective factors in support of kids, while at the same time mitigating risk factors that draw kids away from positive experiences.