Youth groups, classes, families and other groups love to celebrate seasons with pictures. SeeHere is having a great sale through Wednesday: Mini-Photo Books $2.50 + FREE Shipping
Celebrating milestones is a great way to build the Developmental Assets of Positive Identity and Support!
Thanks to Faithful Provisions for sharing this link!
Showing posts with label The Basics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Basics. Show all posts
Monday, May 24, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Free Professional Development Opportunities for April 2010
Sponsored by Nashville After Zone Alliance (NAZA)
Location: Downtown YMCA in Nashville, TN
Register: NAZA staff: use the ERO for registration. Non NAZA staff: Contact Shai to register: 259.9672 or mailto:orsrasmussen@midtn.org. Priority will be given to NAZA partners, so register quickly!
Tuesday April 6th
Service Learning
Susan Ragsdale/Ann Saylor
10-12noon
Learn interactive tools for helping youth discover their passions and purpose and key strategies for planning meaningful interactive projects.
Wednesday, April 7th
Youth Engagement
Louisa Avery
10-12noon
Learn strategies on implementing youth voice, choice, planning and reflection.
Friday, April 9th (back-to-back trainings)
Youth Interaction
Louisa Avery
1:30-3:30 p.m.
Build community, belonging and techniques for creating youth interaction.
Great Group Games: Building Relationships
Susan Ragsdale
3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Learn “play with purpose” game strategies to further build relationships and a sense of team within your group.
Tuesday, April 13th:
Introduction to Positive Youth Development for Volunteers
Susan Ragsdale & Louisa Avery
5:30-7:30pm
Volunteers will explore the 5 principles, adolescent development and the 40 assets.
Thursday, April 15th
Introduction to the 40 Developmental Assets
Ann Saylor
10-12noon
Learn strategies to intentionally build the 40 assets into your programs and introduce them to your youth.
Questions? Contact: louisa@louisaavery.com or susan@theassetedge.net
Monday, February 22, 2010
Resources for Youth Programs
If you want to have a strong youth program, check out Search Institute's resources for integrating Developmental Assets into Youth Development Programs. Here are some of the many tools they offer on their website:
Service-learning — When young people engage in the asset of Service to Others, they are more likely to experience more of the other assets over time.
Peer helping — Peer-helping programs can make a big impression and have a significant impact on young people.
Mentoring — In an asset-building organization or community, formal mentoring offers an important strategy for intentionally linking young people and adults…
Creative activities — Art, theater, and music programs can build many Developmental Assets.
Sports and athletics — Young people benefit a lot from sports programs—-particularly those that are balanced and age-appropriate.
Camping — Camping takes young people away from their everyday environment and, at their best, create an asset-rich experience
Service-learning — When young people engage in the asset of Service to Others, they are more likely to experience more of the other assets over time.
Peer helping — Peer-helping programs can make a big impression and have a significant impact on young people.
Mentoring — In an asset-building organization or community, formal mentoring offers an important strategy for intentionally linking young people and adults…
Creative activities — Art, theater, and music programs can build many Developmental Assets.
Sports and athletics — Young people benefit a lot from sports programs—-particularly those that are balanced and age-appropriate.
Camping — Camping takes young people away from their everyday environment and, at their best, create an asset-rich experience
Monday, August 10, 2009
Free Training - 8/20
If you're in middle Tennessee and you want to learn more about positive youth development, come to this free workshop that we are leading on Thursday August 20, 2009:
Sponsored by Department of Health & Human Services and Youth Life Foundation of Tennessee
40 Developmental Assets Training
Come learn about Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets in a fun way as we play the Hidden Treasures of Assets board game. See why teachers, parents and youth-serving agencies are excited about these key factors that positively impact our youth. Improved grades, appreciating diversity, delaying gratification and maintaining good health are just a few of the results of this holistic approach to education and youth development. But that's the research - rediscover and explore assets you had as a youngster and discover a new tool you can use with young people. (Game is adaptable for grades 3-12).
Location: YMCA Youth Development center
Facilitators: Susan Ragsdale and Ann Saylor
Date: Thursday, August 20, 2009
Time: 10am-12pm
Please RSVP to training@yllc.org
Sponsored by Department of Health & Human Services and Youth Life Foundation of Tennessee
Monday, August 3, 2009
40 Developmental Assets for Children Grades K–3
Search Institute's new list of 40 Developmental Assets for Children Grades K–3 is out! You can print a list for yourself here. You can also see the similar lists for children in ages 0-18 at their website.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Best Predictor of a Child's Success?
This article talks about the importance of teaching children responsibility. Even more than teaching a preschooler about colors, letters and reading; it looks like responsibility is a greater predictor of a child's success. The article targets the audience of parents, but youth workers and educators can also take cues from the ideas and strategies.
Taking time to teach responsibility feeds into the asset categories of Positive Values, Empowerment and Social Competencies.
Taking time to teach responsibility feeds into the asset categories of Positive Values, Empowerment and Social Competencies.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Teen Voice 2009: The Untapped Strengths of 15 -Year Olds
News from Search Institute:
Teen Voice 2009: The Untapped Strengths of 15 -Year Olds.
Sponsored by the Search Institute and the Best Buy Children's Foundation
Youth at this stage make decisions that have lasting impact on their lives, yet research shows that support for kids during this critical period is lower than at any other. @15 was created to ensure opportunities for kids across four dimensions of early adolescence: education, life skills, leadership, and relationships.
June 8, 2009
2:00pm CST
Best Buy Corporate Campus or via webcast
Join us to learn more about the research report Teen Voice 2009 and how this information will help develop and empower teens. Teens have special power to do great things and make our world better. We hope you'll be able to join us to learn about and help act upon the important findings of this study.
Please click here to register for the Best Buy campus event or the webcast.
Teen Voice 2009: The Untapped Strengths of 15 -Year Olds.
Sponsored by the Search Institute and the Best Buy Children's Foundation
Youth at this stage make decisions that have lasting impact on their lives, yet research shows that support for kids during this critical period is lower than at any other. @15 was created to ensure opportunities for kids across four dimensions of early adolescence: education, life skills, leadership, and relationships.
June 8, 2009
2:00pm CST
Best Buy Corporate Campus or via webcast
Join us to learn more about the research report Teen Voice 2009 and how this information will help develop and empower teens. Teens have special power to do great things and make our world better. We hope you'll be able to join us to learn about and help act upon the important findings of this study.
Please click here to register for the Best Buy campus event or the webcast.
Monday, May 11, 2009
The Inside Track on Youth Work
I really liked the points Tim made in his post, What I wish someone told me about youth ministry… from Life in Student Ministry. Most of the points are quite applicable to youth professionals and educators - even if they are not in a faith-based organization.
1. It’s very emotional, unlike any other job. You’ll experience the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows.
2. It’s very messy, and always will be as long as you work with people who are just as imperfect and sinful as you are.
3. It’s constantly changing. Youth culture never stays the same from year to year, and neither do the kids, values, nor worldviews. Youth ministry must always morph along with it. As soon as you think you have a handle on it, think again.
4. It requires strong vision casting. Any leadership position does, but leadership in youth ministry does especially. Your leaders, teens, parents, church and community all depend on it.
5. Don’t think you need to do it all. In fact, the ministry is healthier when you enable others to serve instead of taking responsibility for every youth event, trip, fundraiser, small group, idea, and strategy that furthers the vision.
6. No matter what people at your new church say, don’t make deep rooted changes in the ministry until after two years of building trust and respect.
7. Live a life that is above reproach in everything. Eventually even “little things” will come to light and you will be held to a higher level of accountability for it (and rightly so).
8. Kids really don’t care how “cool” you are or how well you know scripture as much as they care about how much you love them as individuals, not as a group.
9. Have a firm grasp on what your values are in ministry and make sure they’re are aligned with a church’s written and unwritten values before accepting a paid youth ministry position there.
10. Don’t be too discouraged if you don’t see results and life-change take place right away. Sometimes it takes years, and even then you won’t always hear about it.
If you like this post, make sure to read more of Tim's work at Life in Student Ministry.
1. It’s very emotional, unlike any other job. You’ll experience the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows.
2. It’s very messy, and always will be as long as you work with people who are just as imperfect and sinful as you are.
3. It’s constantly changing. Youth culture never stays the same from year to year, and neither do the kids, values, nor worldviews. Youth ministry must always morph along with it. As soon as you think you have a handle on it, think again.
4. It requires strong vision casting. Any leadership position does, but leadership in youth ministry does especially. Your leaders, teens, parents, church and community all depend on it.
5. Don’t think you need to do it all. In fact, the ministry is healthier when you enable others to serve instead of taking responsibility for every youth event, trip, fundraiser, small group, idea, and strategy that furthers the vision.
6. No matter what people at your new church say, don’t make deep rooted changes in the ministry until after two years of building trust and respect.
7. Live a life that is above reproach in everything. Eventually even “little things” will come to light and you will be held to a higher level of accountability for it (and rightly so).
8. Kids really don’t care how “cool” you are or how well you know scripture as much as they care about how much you love them as individuals, not as a group.
9. Have a firm grasp on what your values are in ministry and make sure they’re are aligned with a church’s written and unwritten values before accepting a paid youth ministry position there.
10. Don’t be too discouraged if you don’t see results and life-change take place right away. Sometimes it takes years, and even then you won’t always hear about it.
If you like this post, make sure to read more of Tim's work at Life in Student Ministry.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The 8 Asset Categories
Sometimes its easier to grasp the concept of 8 asset categories instead of 40 unique assets. This is an easy list to post on your refrigerator or bulletin board.
Support - young people need to be surrounded by people who love, care for, appreciate and accept them.
Boundaries and expectations - young people need clear rules, consistent consequences for breaking rules, and encouragement to do their best
Commitment to Learning - young people need a sense of the lasting importance of learning and a belief in their own abilities.
Constructive Use of Time - young people need opportunities - outside of school - to learn and develop new skills and interests with other youth and adults.
Empowerment - young people need to feel valued and valuable. This happens when youth feel safe and respected.
Positive Identity: young people need to believe in their own self-worth and to feel that they have control over the things that happen to them.
Positive Values - young people need to develop strong guiding values or principles to help make healthy life choices.
Social Competencies - young people need the skills to interact effectively with others, to make difficult decisions, and to cope with new situations.
The 8 asset categories were developed by Search Institute.
Visit their website to learn more about the developmental assets.
Support - young people need to be surrounded by people who love, care for, appreciate and accept them.
Boundaries and expectations - young people need clear rules, consistent consequences for breaking rules, and encouragement to do their best
Commitment to Learning - young people need a sense of the lasting importance of learning and a belief in their own abilities.
Constructive Use of Time - young people need opportunities - outside of school - to learn and develop new skills and interests with other youth and adults.
Empowerment - young people need to feel valued and valuable. This happens when youth feel safe and respected.
Positive Identity: young people need to believe in their own self-worth and to feel that they have control over the things that happen to them.
Positive Values - young people need to develop strong guiding values or principles to help make healthy life choices.
Social Competencies - young people need the skills to interact effectively with others, to make difficult decisions, and to cope with new situations.
The 8 asset categories were developed by Search Institute.
Visit their website to learn more about the developmental assets.
Being Intentional
Look ahead at your week and think about how you could intentionally promote healthy children and youth. Ask yourself questions like:
- How can I empower people to use their talents and resources wisely this week?
- How can I promote social competencies (relationship skills) this week?
- How can I set boundaries and expectations for children/youth this week?
Then take time to review your day or your week, and ask broad questions, such as:
- How have I encouraged children to use their time constructively?
- How have helped to develop someone’s sense of positive identity?
- Have I taken the opportunity to model and teach positive values?
Taking time to be intentional with the children and youth around you will make a big impact on who they grow up to be!
Engaging Children and Teens
I've been pondering the different ways that people engage children & teens as they parent, educate, and supervise them.
So I've created a ladder of engaging children/teens that rises from
tolerating
engaging
nurturing
shepherding
As a parent/grandparent/teacher/caretaker, it's easy to fall into the habit of simply tolerating kids. It doesn't look like an abusive relationship - you and your kids might even happily co-exist, sharing space together, but really living separate lives. Sometimes I go to sleep realizing that I served my children all day, I watched them play, and I even directed them in various activities. But I never sat down to just 'be' with them.
To really engage a child, you must get down on their level and interact with them. You might read a book together, work a puzzle together, cook together or play cars together. But the key is being together - capturing time and space in the same plane together. Engaging a child is the first stpe in building a meaningful relationship. It's building a bottom line level of support from which you can grow.
The next level of adult/child relationship is nurturing. It goes beyond 'playing with' a child to promoting character/skills development. It means taking time to teach life lessons through everyday experiences. It means disciplining a child in order to mold a heart - not just change immediate behavior. Nurturing requires a much greater investment of time and heart - and it requires adults to resist the call of laziness in order to be intentional (ouch!).
The highest level of relationship is shepherding - it's engaging a child in order to lovingly guide them towards spiritual, emotional, social, mental and physical maturity. It means looking into the skills/talents/passions/styles of a child and helping them to become the best they can be. As children grow, it means helping them establish and work toward life goals. It requires rebuking, instructing, discipling and loving in a long-term committed relationship.
So I've created a ladder of engaging children/teens that rises from
tolerating
engaging
nurturing
shepherding
As a parent/grandparent/teacher/caretaker, it's easy to fall into the habit of simply tolerating kids. It doesn't look like an abusive relationship - you and your kids might even happily co-exist, sharing space together, but really living separate lives. Sometimes I go to sleep realizing that I served my children all day, I watched them play, and I even directed them in various activities. But I never sat down to just 'be' with them.
To really engage a child, you must get down on their level and interact with them. You might read a book together, work a puzzle together, cook together or play cars together. But the key is being together - capturing time and space in the same plane together. Engaging a child is the first stpe in building a meaningful relationship. It's building a bottom line level of support from which you can grow.
The next level of adult/child relationship is nurturing. It goes beyond 'playing with' a child to promoting character/skills development. It means taking time to teach life lessons through everyday experiences. It means disciplining a child in order to mold a heart - not just change immediate behavior. Nurturing requires a much greater investment of time and heart - and it requires adults to resist the call of laziness in order to be intentional (ouch!).
The highest level of relationship is shepherding - it's engaging a child in order to lovingly guide them towards spiritual, emotional, social, mental and physical maturity. It means looking into the skills/talents/passions/styles of a child and helping them to become the best they can be. As children grow, it means helping them establish and work toward life goals. It requires rebuking, instructing, discipling and loving in a long-term committed relationship.
The Power of a Smile
"A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he cannot get along without it and none is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it. Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give." - Author Unknown
How might a smile change the spirit of your program/classroom/home today?
How might your smile change one child's perspective today?
How could your smile change your own spirit today?
Your smile is powerful - use it often and be known for the smiles you share with others.
How might a smile change the spirit of your program/classroom/home today?
How might your smile change one child's perspective today?
How could your smile change your own spirit today?
Your smile is powerful - use it often and be known for the smiles you share with others.
Building Positive Identity in Children and Youth
Positive Identity is one of the 8 categories of strengths (Developmental Assets) that all children need to succeed. The Search Institute defines positive identity as “young people need to believe in their own self-worth and to feel that they have control over the things that happen to them.”
The characteristics listed under positive identity are:
1. Personal power. Young person feels he or she has control over “things that happen to me.”
2. Self-esteem. Young person reports having a high self-esteem.
3. Sense of purpose. Young person reports that “my life has a purpose.”
4. Positive view of personal future. Young person is optimistic about her or his personal future.
Researching positive identity today, I stumbled upon an article titled, “Helping Your Child Develop Self-Esteem” by the Child Development Institute.
It talked about the characteristics of children with high vs. low self-esteem. It mentioned strategies to build a child’s self-esteem, including my favorite method of generously giving specific praise when praise is due. I also liked how they connected the dots between healthy decision-making and high self-esteem.
They close the article with 10 additional steps you can take to help a child develop a positive self-image. Five of the ideas are on my personal and professional radar lists this month:
1. Encourage your children to develop hobbies and interests which give them pleasure and which they can pursue independently.
2. Let children settle their own disputes between siblings and friends alike.
3. Help your children develop "tease tolerance"
4. Help children learn to focus on their strengths by pointing out to them all the things they can do.
5. Laugh with your children and encourage them to laugh at themselves.
If you want to learn more about building developmental assets visit www.search-institute.org, where you can learn more about the research behind assets and discover many other resources to promot your journey to nurture healthy youth.
How are YOU building positive identity in your children and youth? Leave us a comment with your stories, or email us at ann(at)theassetedge(dot)net.
The characteristics listed under positive identity are:
1. Personal power. Young person feels he or she has control over “things that happen to me.”
2. Self-esteem. Young person reports having a high self-esteem.
3. Sense of purpose. Young person reports that “my life has a purpose.”
4. Positive view of personal future. Young person is optimistic about her or his personal future.
Researching positive identity today, I stumbled upon an article titled, “Helping Your Child Develop Self-Esteem” by the Child Development Institute.
It talked about the characteristics of children with high vs. low self-esteem. It mentioned strategies to build a child’s self-esteem, including my favorite method of generously giving specific praise when praise is due. I also liked how they connected the dots between healthy decision-making and high self-esteem.
They close the article with 10 additional steps you can take to help a child develop a positive self-image. Five of the ideas are on my personal and professional radar lists this month:
1. Encourage your children to develop hobbies and interests which give them pleasure and which they can pursue independently.
2. Let children settle their own disputes between siblings and friends alike.
3. Help your children develop "tease tolerance"
4. Help children learn to focus on their strengths by pointing out to them all the things they can do.
5. Laugh with your children and encourage them to laugh at themselves.
If you want to learn more about building developmental assets visit www.search-institute.org, where you can learn more about the research behind assets and discover many other resources to promot your journey to nurture healthy youth.
How are YOU building positive identity in your children and youth? Leave us a comment with your stories, or email us at ann(at)theassetedge(dot)net.
Power Packed 40 - the list of Developmental Assets
* Family support * Positive family communication * Other adult relationships * Caring neighborhood * Caring school climate * Parent involvement in schooling * Community values youth * Youth as resources * Service to others * Safety * Family boundaries * School boundaries * Neighborhood boundaries * Adult role models * Positive peer influence * High expectations * Creative activities * Youth programs * Religious community * Time at home * Achievement motivation * School engagement * Homework * Bonding to school * Reading for pleasure * Caring * Equality and social justice * Integrity * Honesty * Responsibility * Restraint * Planning and decision making * Interpersonal competence * Cultural competence * Resistance skills * Peaceful conflict resolution * Personal power * Self-esteem * Sense of purpose * Positive view of personal future *
You can see more about the 40 assets at www.search-institute.org. The research on these building blocks for youth is great - take time to look at it. And print a copy of the assets to post on your refigerator or desk!
You can see more about the 40 assets at www.search-institute.org. The research on these building blocks for youth is great - take time to look at it. And print a copy of the assets to post on your refigerator or desk!
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