Based on the research conducted by Search Institute, there are 40 positive things that every young person needs to lead healthy and successful lives. These assets include personal traits as well as support, empowerment, and bonding to community, school, and family. This framework encourages communities to come together and promote and foster assets in all youth. The more assets a child has, the less likely they are to become involved in problem behaviors such as teen pregnancy, school dropout, violence, and substance abuse.
At a time when there is great concern for crime prevention and the need to keep our young people occupied, it is important that our approach is not reactive and limited to specific challenging populations but rather proactive and targeted to all youth. This way we are preventing problems and issues in the future, thus having a better chance for a thriving community. Evidence-based programs or programs using evidenced-based strategies have proven to be most effective in other parts of the world and have been mentioned in both Cayman’s Criminality Report and the National Anti-Drug Strategy. It is then prudent that our already scarce resources be geared to more evidence-based programs.
About the Developmental Assets
Search Institute’s Developmental Assets (or asset) model is based on a set of theoretical hypotheses and empirical evidence that helping youth experience healthy developmental resources and opportunities, and helping them to successfully achieve developmental tasks is one of the best ways to prevent negative behaviors and outcomes and to promote positive behaviors and outcomes.
The asset model is based on a synthesis of multiple lines of inquiry aimed at identifying the “building blocks” of development that contribute to three types of healthy outcomes.
The prevention of high-risk behaviors (e.g., substance use, violence, early sexual intercourse, school failure); The enhancement of thriving behaviors (e.g., school success); and resilience, or the capacity to function adequately in the face of adversity.
External Assets
Support Young people need to experience support, care, and love from their families, neighbors, and many others. They need organizations and institutions that provide positive, supportive environments.
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 parents.
3. Other Adult Relationships – Young person receives support from three or more nonparent adults. 4. Caring Neighborhood – Young person experiences caring neighbors.
5. Caring School Climate – School provides a caring, encouraging environment. 6. Parent Involvement in Schooling – Parent(s) are actively involved in helping the child succeed in school.
Empowerment Young people need to be valued by their community and have opportunities to contribute to the world around them. For this to occur, they must be safe and feel secure.
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, school, and in the neighborhood.
Boundaries and expectations Young people need to know what is expected of them and understand whether the activities and behaviors they choose are “in bounds” and “out of bounds.”
11. Family Boundaries – Family has clear rules and consequences and monitors the young persons’ whereabouts.
12. School Boundaries – School provides clear rules and consequences. 13. Neighborhood Boundaries – Neighbors take responsibility for monitoring young people’s behavior.
14. Adult Role Models – Parent(s) and other adults model positive, responsible behavior. 15. Positive Peer Influence – Young person’s best friends model responsible behavior. 16. High Expectations – Both parent(s) and teachers encourage the young person to do well.
Constructive use of time Young people need constructive, enriching opportunities for growth through creative activities, youth programs, time with family and faith based organizations.
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 community organizations. 19. Religious Community – Young person spends one hour or more 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
Commitment to learning Young people need to develop a lifelong commitment to education and 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 Young people need to develop strong values that guide their choices and decisions throughout life.
26. Caring – Young Person places high value on helping other people. 27. Equality 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 Young people need skills and competencies that equip them to make positive choices, to build healthy relationships, and to be successful and productive adults.
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 nonviolently.
Positive identity Young people need a strong sense of their own power, purpose, worth, and promise.
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.
About CIYDC Leadership and Resiliency Programme
The Cayman Islands Youth Development Consortium has charted an intentional course towards youth development work in the Cayman Islands. Instead of taking the deficit approach to dealing with adolescent problem behaviors, CIYDC has adopted asset-building/strength-based programming, which aims to enhance the positive development of the students targeted.
WHY SUPPORT CIYDC?
CIYDC is the only organization in the Cayman Islands that has created its program components utilizing the asset-building framework to enhance thriving behaviors in students and reduce their risky behaviors, e.g., youth violence, drug use, delinquency, etc.