SUGGESTIONS FOR BUILDING ASSETS

Asset # 18- Youth Programs

(Young  people are involved in sports, clubs or organizations at least three ours per week.)

To Build Asset # 18 Parents and Extended Family Can . . .

* Notice things that your children are good at. Help them find groups or clubs that match their talents.

* Arrange with parents of other children to share in the transportation or supervision needed by programs.

* Encourage your kids to be involved in youth programs, and help them stick with a program for at least several months. Help with things like transportation and buying equipment.

* Attend the games or events your child participates in.

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 59% of youth surveyed by Search Institute have this asset in their lives.*

*Based on Search Institute surveys of almost 100,000 6th to 12th grade youth throughout the United States

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Words of Encouragement

"If you want kids to avoid a negative something, you have to replace it with a positive something." This is where youth programs come in. Kids who "hang out with nothing to do" are much more likely to get into trouble than kids who have a place to go and someone to do things with. Youth programs provide that purpose. Youth programs occupy idle time, but much more than that, they help young people discover and develop talents, practice interpersonal skills, take on new challenges, and receive recognition.

While youth programs are important for teen development, not all are equal. The one vital component of an effective youth program is the quality (competence, training, personality, and interpersonal skills) of the staff members.

Assets are not built through programs. They are built through relationships with people. Some of these relationships are nurtured through programs. If the program that your kids are participating in does not create stronger bonds to you, your family, and/or other positive adults, then it may not be building assets in kids. How do you know if the adults in the programs are "high quality?" I'd recommend that you ask your kids.

Over the past 30 years, numerous research studies have shown that youth programs WORK. And a dozen other positive results. The research has found that a long term commitment to an activity has been shown to be a better predictor of success and creativity in later life than either grade point averages or test scores. How many of your kids are actively involved in youth programs?