Asset Corner #25

January’s Asset Category:  Positive Identity. Help young people bring out their best. The way people feel about themselves can fluctuate with circumstances. Depending on what’s happening, you may feel confident or unsure, optimistic or pessimistic, in control or not in control. What’s important is what a person’s identity is like most of the time. People who have a strong, positive sense of self maintain these qualities even when difficulties arise. They continue to be hopeful and optimistic, and believe they can make a difference.

Positive Identity Assets Include:
            #37 Personal Power – Young person feels he/she has control over “things that happen to me.” (42%*)
            #38 Self-esteem – Young person reports having high self-esteem. (48%*)
            #39 Sense of Purpose – Young person reports that “my life has purpose.” (57%*)
            #40 Positive View of Personal Future – Young person is optimistic about his/her personal future. (72%*)
(* The percent of youth who experience or have this asset in their lives.  Data based on an aggregate Search Institute sample of 148,189 students surveyed in 2003. The sample included students in 202 cities in 27 states.)

This column’s focus will be on…..Asset 37: Personal Power

Feel control over your own destiny
Having personal power means understanding and accepting the things we can and can’t control. You can find a new job, work out a conflict, or move to a new location if you choose. When young people feel empowered, they feel more confident to make their own choices—to get good grades, participate in activities they enjoy, and take action to find solutions to problems.

Here are the facts
Research shows that young people are more likely to grow up healthy if they feel a sense of control over the things that happen to them. A sense of personal power gives young people the confidence to embrace positive attitudes and behaviors, and walk away from risky situations and behaviors. About 42 percent of young people, ages 11–18, feel that they have control over things that happen to them, according to Search Institute surveys. Caring adults provide opportunities for young people to make their own decisions.

Tips for building this asset
Young people who have a strong sense of their own power believe that when good things happen to them, they had some control over the outcome. If things go wrong, help young people focus on the positive steps they can take to remedy the situation. Help them see how they can make a difference in their lives and the lives of others.

Also try this
In your home and family: Teach your child practical skills, such as how to change a tire, cook a meal, and sew on a button. Well-prepared young people are more likely to feel a sense of personal power.

In your school or youth program: Challenge the young people in your class or program to come up with a creative way to raise money for an underprivileged family or a charity in your area. Then put the plan into action. Serving others helps young people realize they can make a difference in the world, which gives them an enormous sense of personal power.

In your neighborhood and community: Support young people’s efforts to be industrious. For example, buy lemonade from their lemonade stand, read their homemade newspaper, and attend a play they put on in their garage.

ASSET RELATED NEWS

Is your child a middle school or Valley Forge student? If so, ask how they felt about the recent “Teen Truth” assembly they should have attended in their school sometime during the last couple of months.  With funding support from GM, PTA , the newly formed Parma Educational Foundation and others, the district was able to bring in TEEN TRUTH LIVE (http://teentruthlive.com) co-founder and speaker J.C. Pohl.  JC’s spell-binding, anti-bullying presentation and video is just one of a series of excellent, well-coordinated social skills programs focused on preventing the development of problem behaviors and maximizing academic success. As a parent, what can you do to help your child address a bullying issue? Visit http://www.parentfurther.com/blog/parents/preventing/bullying for some great tips.

SHARE YOUR ASSET-BUILDING IDEAS AND/OR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENTAL ASSET CONCEPT BY VISITING THE “ASSET CORNER” FACEBOOK PAGE. I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.

 Visit www.parmacityschools.org/assets or www.search-institute.org/assets for more information about the 40 Developmental Assets and ideas for helping young people build them.