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Building Assets at Home and in the Community – By Natalie Whitson
 

Each morning, I am reminded about my main reason for wanting to promote healthy youth. She sits across from me at the breakfast table. I am referring to my 15 year old daughter, Saskia.

When Saskia turned eleven, she began asking me to dedicate some hours each week just to be together. She would suggest, “Let’s go window shopping, or watch a video. We don’t need to spend money; I’d just like to spend some time with you.” I am embarrassed to admit that I have often made excuses not to do so, saying that I had this or that responsibility to accomplish. Saskia would then challenge me with “let’s not be like that family in the song, Cat's In The Cradle.”

(“My son turned ten just the other day - He said, "Thanks for the ball, dad, come on let's play - Can you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today, I got a lot to do." He said, "That's ok.” – Harry Chapin).

It’s hard to be a parent, and I know that Saskia – with a two parent family – has more resources available to her than many young people. Sociologist Robert Putnam has noted with alarm in recent years the fraying of the social fabric, as our wealth has made us more individually self-sufficient. Many young people find themselves adrift due to a lack of supervision caused by parents working long hours, a lack of personal attention caused by overly large school class sizes, and a lack of attachment caused by living in areas without neighbors they know.

The ability of young people to successfully negotiate today’s society can be influenced by what is known as the “40 Developmental Assets.” Assets are concrete, common sense, positive experiences and qualities that have the power to influence young people to make good choices, and to help them become caring, responsible adults. Saskia may have never heard of the term “assets”, but intuitively she knows that youth want to feel connected to a caring family and to good things happening in the community. In the same way, if young people feel they have some control over things that happen to them, they are more likely to not just survive, but to thrive in adolescence and beyond.

The great thing about the assets model is that one person, one parent, doesn’t have to do it alone. In fact, families, schools, congregations, neighborhoods, and youth organizations all play roles in promoting healthy development. I am proud of the role I play at Northwest Youth Corps (NYC) in helping youth to develop assets. NYC is a local non-profit organization that has provided education, job-training, employment, and civic engagement opportunities to more than 8,000 youth and young adults since 1984.

At Northwest Youth Corps I support programs to help ensure that youth receive positive experiences in the world. By helping others through service projects, NYC youth participants enjoy an opportunity to be valued by the community. More importantly, by challenging youth through teamwork, education, and outdoor experience, we help young people learn to make good choices, and to be prepared for situations in life that require inner strength and confidence.

I also help youth develop assets though my work as an instructor with the Eugene Fencers Club. Two evenings a week, I get to model healthy, positive, responsible behavior to young people (and adults!), and encourage my students to do their best and learn from their mistakes. Sports, such as fencing, also provide opportunities for youth to take responsibility for their choices, plan ahead, develop self-esteem, and gain optimism about the future.

Asset building requires balance. One can get so caught up in “doing good” for others, as to neglect one’s own family. So we need to apply asset building to our own families as much as to the community youth we care for. That means, being actively involved in our children’s schools. Setting clear rules and consequences for our own children, and monitoring where they are. Reading for pleasure so that we encourage our own children and teens to read. Working to improve our community and world. Standing up for our beliefs. Telling the truth. In the end, all we have is each other. When your daughter or son asks you, directly or otherwise, to spend some time with them, do it!

If you’d like to learn more about assets, please visit www.lanecounty.org/prevention/assets.htm or www.search-institute.org/. To learn how you can support positive opportunities for youth at Northwest Youth Corps, please visit www.northwestyouthcorps.org

Natalie Whitson has been NYC’s Development Director since 1998. She has a Masters of Fine Arts degree from the University of Oregon, and is a credentialed fencing instructor.

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