Six Ways of Building Assets in Your Community – Part 2

Six Ways of Building Assets in Your Community-2

I have been discussing in the previous two posts about building assets in your community. In the last post, I listed three ways to begin the process of asset building and would like to list three additional courses to help start the process.

Fourth, please discuss with your group how, as individuals, we interact with young people.  How do we approach them?  Is it a positive approach?  An interactive approach?  Or is it a negative or avoidance of young people?  What messages can we send by designing a positive attitude?  How could you role play some approaches with your group so that the next time they see a group of kids at the mall or within the community, they have a cheerful, positive interaction that would lift kids’ spirits?  It is straightforward to avoid eye contact or to not speak to a group of kids.

After all, they are enjoying each other and doing their own thing.  But kids need interaction from other adults, particularly adults whom they may not know.  This interaction can be short and cheerful, and then move on.

Fifth, begin to interact at public meetings, organizations, and other venues and speak about the Assets for Youth and what the data says.  Start conversations about how the community can be an asset-building with their youth.  What can we do here?  A few years ago, a group of like-minded citizens from my community approached the city about building a skateboard park in one corner of a vast park in town.  It took a few years of meetings and discussion, but the city built the skateboard park, and it has been a real asset for our kids.

Sixth, choose one asset that you care about and that you can build with kids.  Take the time to promote that asset everywhere you go by setting an example, talking about it with other adults and various groups.  Choose just one and get going on it today.  You can find a list of assets at https://search-institute.org.  I challenge you to start with any one of these six examples of how to build assets in your community.  You will find a new enjoyment from your efforts, and helping just one child be better and enjoy their youth is well worth the efforts.

For more information on Asset Building, please see 40 Assets – Children First (children-first.org)

For more information on Asset Building, read my posting 40 Assets for Youth – Dr. Rich Patterson (pattersonphd.com)

Yours for a Better Community,

Rich