The Search Institute has identified the following building blocks of healthy development that help young people grow up healthy, caring and responsible. For more information check out www.search-institute.org

40 Developmental Assets

External Assets
Support:
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 parent(s) advice and counsel.
3. Other adult relationships. Young person receives support from three or more non-parent 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 young person succeed in school.

Empowerment.
7. Community values youth. Young person sees that community adults 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 in home, school and the neighborhood.
Boundaries and Expectations
11. Family boundaries. Family has clear rules and consequences; and monitors the young person's 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 positive, responsible behavior.
16. High expectations. Both parents and teachers encourage the young person to do well.

Constructive Use of Time
17. Creative activities. Young person spends three or more hours per week in lessons or practice in music, theater, or other arts.
18. Young programs. Young person spends three hours or more per week in sports, clubs, or organizations at school and/or in community organizations.
19. Religious community. Young person spends one or more hours 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
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 one or more hours of homework every school day.
24. Bonding to school. Young person cares about his or her school.
25. Reading for pleasure. Young person reads for pleasure three or more hours per week.

Positive Values
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
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 non-violently.
Positive Identity
37. Personal power. Young person feels he or she has control over "things that happen to me."
38. Self-esteem. Young person reports having high self-esteem.
39. Sense of purpose. Young person reports "my life has a purpose."
40. Positive view of personal future. Young person is optimistic about her or his personal future.

This page may be reproduced for educational, noncommercial uses only. From Healthy communities * Healthy Youth Tool Kit, copyright ã 1998 by Search Institute, 700 S. third Street, Suite 210, Minneapolis, MN 55415; phone 800-888-7828