Written by Amanda Alaniz, Principal
Portage Township Schools and the Portage Community have partnered together to increase the opportunities for overall success in the youth of Portage.
This partnership came about when Portage Township Schools’ District Quality Schools Team was trained by The Search Institute on the 40 Developmental Assets. The Developmental Assets® are 40 common sense, positive experiences and qualities that help influence choices young people make and help them become caring, responsible, successful adults. After the District Quality Schools team was trained, trainers engaged the rest of the Portage Township Schools’ personnel in the asset building focus. Once all school personnel were trained, we quickly began to reach out to youth development agencies within our community to join in the intentional efforts to build assets for our students.
Our Portage Community Asset Development Team consists of volunteers and community leaders from various arenas. We have over 50 individuals representing a wide range of agencies that support the positive development of Portage kids. Many of these members represent the Portage Township Schools as teachers, counselors, home school advisors, athletic coaches, police officers, school board members, teen court, district administrators, parents and students. Some of the members of our Portage Community include church clergy, the Portage Parks Department, pre-school and day care personnel, The YMCA, The Boys and Girls Club of Porter County, and Identity Events.
The purpose of the 40 Developmental Assets is to provide guidance and support that ultimately focuses the community’s effort on raising healthy children and youth. According to the Search Institute, since the assets’ creation in 1990, they have become the most widely used approach to positive youth development in the United States. The 40 Developmental Assets are grounded in research in order to encourage youth development, resiliency, and prevention of high risk behaviors. These assets allow the community and schools of Portage to have a common language and practice that focuses on building relationships, creating opportunities, and enhancing personal qualities that our kids need in order to avoid risks and thrive in life.
The asset building approach operates with the understanding that the more assets a child obtains, the better their chances at school, social, and overall life success. For instance, a child who has 24 assets is less likely to engage in high risk behaviors such as violence, lack of academic success, and/or substance abuse than a child who has 10 assets. Focusing on the 40 Developmental Assets in our youth programs will ultimately result in promoting positive youth development throughout Portage.
Portage community will focus on a particular asset each month intentionally incorporating the focus asset into the schools and other youth programs throughout the community. The month of September focused on Achievement and Motivation. The October focus will be School Engagement, and November will focus on Service to Others.
For more information about how the Development Assets are being incorporated into your child’s school contact the individual buildings. To read more about the developmental assets visit: www.search-institute.org.