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Applying Knowledge CHANGING TO A STRENGTH-BASED PHILOSOPHY MEANS STRENGTH-BASED PROGRAMS AND POLICY YOUTH DEVELOPMENT=COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ELEMENTS OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT PROVIDE ROAD MAP FOR WORKING WITH YOUTH HOW DO YOUTH BENEFIT FROM BEING INVOLVED IN AN ASSET-BUILDING ORGANIZATION?
Evaluation Tracks
Growth of Asset Movement in Colorado and Impact of the Statewide Initiative The culmination of a two-year evaluation by OMNI Institute, Creating Social Change: The Growth of a Statewide Movement details outcomes and processes used in measuring the spread of assets in Colorado. Released by The Colorado Trust, the initiative's funder, the study explores four main areas:
The evaluation findings will help youth development researchers and practitioners better understand the asset-building process, its transformational power for organizational change and measures of success. Youth Development
Professionals Respond to Evaluation Results Evaluation Tools Asset Integration in organizations can be described as an upward moving spiral upon which groups move from pre-engagement to full engagement in incorporating a strength-based approach to working with youth.
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HOW DO YOUTH BENEFIT
FROM BEING INVOLVED IN AN ASSET-BUILDING ORGANIZATION? As the asset movement has gained momentum nationwide, the need has grown to demonstrate the positive impacts of the assets on youth. The OMNI Institute, as part of their two-year evaluation of the asset movement in Colorado, developed a focus group study to explore the central questions around the impact of an asset-building organization on how youth are engaged. As a result of their analysis they identified two major domains of positive change for youth participating in asset-building efforts. OMNI's analysis of youth focus group data uncovered two main domains of positive change for youth participating in asset-building efforts.
These domains are explored in the following paragraphs: Strengthening Youths'
Sense of Belonging Forums such as advisory councils placed youth in the position of decision makers, presenters and consultants within organizations and interagency networks. These positions generally created opportunities for youth to work with adults. Based on both interviews and focus groups, close working relationships with adults seemed particularly important in affirming the value of youth roles and contributions toward collective goals. This affirmation created a sense of belonging that often extended beyond a particular class or program to an entire school or agency or community as a whole. One grantee commented on the difference that she/he saw in youth: "Well, I think for the youth, they're just more connected to their communities now. And they're part of something bigger." Data suggested that the formalization of youth roles and close working relationships with adults were significant factors in creating a sense of belonging among participating youth. As described by youth, asset building created a sense of belonging through the new relationships established between adults and youth, and the esteem of youth contributions. Both of these findings can be related back to specific assets identified by Search Institute:
Based on available data, it appears that asset building, as it occurred during the initiative, contributed to the development of these assets in youth. In the future, the issues identified relating to youths' sense of belonging may help advance the understanding of these particular assets, as well as the indicators that can measure their growth in youth. Strengthening Youths'
Relationships With Others A salient factor that youth identified as facilitating a change in these relationships was a shift in their perceptions of adults. Youth indicated that as they witnessed adults listening and working with them differently, they began to question many of the assumptions that they held about adults. One youth explained, "Once I started realizing that there were adults in the community that cared about kids, and wanted to be our friends and talk to us and stuff… it's definitely changed my opinion on adults." A shift in perceptions encouraged many youth to reassess their relationships with the significant adults in their lives, as well as to look for new opportunities to meet, work with and learn from others. At all but one of the case study sites, youth reported having strong and enduring relationships with adults, which supports youths' positive perceptions about the impacts of the assets on relationships. The following assets best corresponded to the impacts youth described:
Based on available data, the asset building that took place during the initiative contributed to the development of these assets in youth. Future research should further explore the improvements that youth observed in their relationships - specifically the transformative effects that youth identified, the shift in youth perceptions of adults and how strengthened relation-ships functioned to develop these identified assets. Strengthening Youth
Through Skill Building Development of these skills, focus group participants suggested, gave youth an important sense of accomplishment. Describing some of the qualitative aspects of these impacts, one grantee confided, "His face was different; he was smiling; he was thrilled; he had accomplished this wonderful task." Beyond creating a sense of achievement, skill building in specific areas also translated into other areas of youths' lives. As one youth explained, "I've learned responsibility and just different things to make better decisions." Focus group and interview data suggested that the assets that were built when youth had the opportunity to work side by side with adults were:
Working on the development of specific skills provided youth with opportunities to build these assets. Strengthening Youth
by Building Self-Confidence and a Positive Future Orientation Youth indicated that it was the sense of belonging, accomplishment and acquired skills that made them feel more confident in their capabilities and positive about their futures. Data also revealed a common theme among youths' experiences with the assets: asset-building organizations and asset builders encouraged youth to speak for themselves and to voice their concerns. This appeared to be the common thread that linked the development of a sense of belonging and accomplishment, skills, self-confidence and a positive view of the future in youth. Many young people believed that learning the 40 developmental assets and applying their definitions to their everyday lives was important. Knowledge of specific assets, youth reported, helped them identify and act upon positive opportunities in their everyday lives. Young people indicated that this self-knowledge contributed to growth in their self-confidence and promoted a more positive outlook on their current and future circumstances. Collectively, young people's stories about growth in self-confidence and a more positive outlook appeared most tied to building the following assets:
The data suggested not only that these assets were built, but also that the development of integrity in youth - defined as acting on one's convictions and standing up for one's beliefs - may be leveraged as a means of building other assets, including asset #21, achievement motivation. In other words, integrity appeared to be highly related to building other assets. Emergence of Youth
Asset Builders Youth explained that their participation in local asset-building initiatives helped them more clearly see the link between their own individual actions and positive change in the broader community. Youth reported that the assets inspired them to take care of the community, to see beyond differences and to feel empathy toward others. One young person said that the assets inspire youth "to live a better life and be a better person." For many youth, this meant making others feel good about themselves. In their daily interactions, youth reported, they began to see opportunities to positively impact others and to develop an understanding of the importance of building assets. Youth could identify many ways that their individual asset-building efforts affected others, including:
Given these findings,
teaching youth about the framework and its application may be an important
mechanism for nurturing the following assets:
Download a complete copy of the evaluation report (PDF) To order a print copy of the full report call Assets for Colorado Youth at 303/832-1587 or contact us via email at info@assetsforcoyouth.org. |
Copyright 2005 Assets for Colorado Youth
