40 Developmental Assets

I was attending a training session to be an In-School Mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters and was reminded of the importance of the 40 Developmental Assets that have been a project of the Search Institute for many years. We have written about these assets in Island Parent and I learned about them at a workshop quite a few years ago.

What struck me last night was to have a list of the 40 assets presented to me and then to reflect if each one of the statements were true as an elementary school child. I venture to say that I might not recognise myself in all of the situations but certainly in most of them. When looking at my life and comparing it to other children both then and now, I was truly lucky or blessed.

One of the ideas discussed at the training was the importance of a relationship with a trusted adult—be they a parent, teacher, friend, neighbour, relative—over the period of time. From a study done of individuals who were from very impoverished backgrounds (emotionally and economically) and became very successful in their lives, it was found that there was a "mentor", an trusted adult who showed interest and care for the child.

One story that was told was of a group of children from a certain area over a period of years and who ended up true successes despite their deplorable circumstances. When researchers delved further into their lives they found that this group all had one common factor. That factor was a certain teacher. When contacted to tell her of the study and how well some of her students turned out, she was asked what she did. Her simple reply was "I loved them".

Relationships are so key in the development of our children. The developmental assets simply looks at the External and Internal Assets that give individuals a chance in life.