Search Institute has identified the following building blocks of healthy development that help young people grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.

EXTERNAL ASSETS

Support

1 Family support – Family life provides high levels of love and support.

2 Positive family communication – Young persons 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 young person succeed in school.

Empowerment

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

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 responsible behavior.

16 High expectations – Both parent(s) 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 Youth programs – Young person spends three or more hours per week in sports, clubs, or organizations at school or in the community.

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 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

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 nonviolently.

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 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.

Permission to reproduce this handout is granted for educational, noncommercial purposes. Copyright © 1997 by Search Institute, 700 South Third Street, Minneapolis, MN 55415. 800-888-7828. www.search-institute.org.