Giving Grenville youth a voice… What matters to youth from grades 7 - 12

Giving Grenville youth a voice…

What matters to youth from grades 7 - 12

Developmental Assets: A Profile of Our Youth

Grenville County SchoolsGrades 7 -12

Search Institute Profile of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviours

Participating schools• North Grenville DHS• South Grenville DHS

• Maynard PS• Oxford on Rideau PS• South Branch ES

Who was surveyed• Randomly selected grade 7-12 students:

525

• Gender: Females 264Males 255

Breakdown by grades• Grade 7 73• Grade 8 79• Grade 9 114• Grade 10 105• Grade 11 82• Grade 12 68

• Total **525**

Grenville county profile

0-10 Assets11-20 Assets21-30 Assets31-40 Assets

24 %4%23%

50%

Our community profile


22 %4%35%

49%

A visual comparison??

Note the significant differences!!


L & G Grenville


We believe that…..

…young people are valuable resources

Investigating our community profile

What did the survey show???

Percentage of Youth reporting each specific asset…

How do our youth see themselves and their world???

External assets….

• SUPPORT young people with care and attention.

• EMPOWER them to use their abilities to help others.

• Set reasonable BOUNDARIES AND have high EXPECTATIONS.

• Help them find activities that make CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF their TIME.

SUPPORT young people with care and attention.

#1 – Family support 65% 65%

#2 – Positive family communication 34% 31%

#3 – Other adult relationships 35% 41%

#4 – Caring neighbourhood 33% 36%

#5 – Caring School climate 22% 26%

#6 – Parent involvement in schooling 20% 20%

EMPOWER them to use their abilities to help others.

# 7 - Community Values Youth 19%18%

# 8 – Youth as resources 20%23%

# 9 – Service to others 46%49%

# 10 – Safety 53% 51%

Set reasonable BOUNDARIES AND have high EXPECTATIONS.

#11 – Family boundaries 33% 34%

# 12 – School boundaries 36% 39%

# 13 – Neighbourhood boundaries 40% 39%

# 14 – Adult role models 24% 23%

# 15 Positive peer influence 50% 48%

# 16 – High expectations 42% 43%

Help them find activities that make CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF their

time.

# 17 – Creative activities 15% 16%

# 18 – Youth programs 53% 57%

# 19 – Religious community 22% 24%

# 20 – Time at home 53% 50%

Internal assets• Spark their COMMITMENT TO

LEARNING.• Guide them toward a life based on

POSITIVE VALUES.• Help the develop SOCIAL

COMPETENCIES and life skills.• Celebrate their uniqueness and affirm

their POSITIVE IDENTITY.

Spark their COMMITMENT TO LEARNING.

# 21 - Achievement motivation56% 58%

# 22 - School engagement 51% 54%

# 23 - Homework 39% 36%

# 24 – Bonding to school 49% 55%

# 25 – Reading for pleasure 29% 28%

Guide them toward a life based on POSITIVE VALUES.

# 26 – Caring 39% 42%

# 27 – Equality and social justice 43% 45%

# 28 – Integrity 63% 65%

# 29 – Honesty 65% 65%

# 30 – Responsibility 61% 58%

# 31 – Restraint 22% 23%

Help the develop SOCIAL COMPETENCIES and life skills.

# 32 – Planning and decision-making 24% 25%

# 33 – Interpersonal competence 35% 39%

# 34 – Cultural competence 30% 33%

# 35 – Resistance skills 36% 35%

# 36 - Peaceful conflict resolution 37% 38%

Celebrate their uniqueness and affirm their POSITIVE IDENTITY.

# 37 – Personal power 41% 40%

# 38 – Self-esteem 43% 44%

# 39 – Sense of purpose 59% 59%

# 40 – Positive view of personal future 72% 74%

Average # assets/ community

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

L & G Grenville

17.9 17.7

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Total Grade 7 Gr 8 Gr 9 Gr 10 Gr 11 Gr 12

Asset profiles by grade ….

Leeds & Grenville Counties combined data

17.9 18.9 17.1 17.1 16.2 15.0 16.3

16.3

16.015.818.9

16.0 15.9 15.9

Why assets are important…

They domake a difference

in the lives of young people

They are the keys to successThe following information is based on data

from both Leeds and Grenville counties.

Thriving behaviours• School success• Informal helping• Valuing diversity• Maintaining good health• Exhibiting leadership• Resisting danger• Impulse control• Overcoming adversity

The Survey shows the connection between thriving (+) behaviours and the number of assets a youth has…

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

0-10 Assets 11-20 Assets 21-30 Assets 31-40 Assets

#Of

+

Behaviours

High Risk behaviours(24 -- Identified by the survey )

• Alcohol use• Binge drinking• Smoking• Smokeless tobacco• Inhalants• Marijuana• Other illicit drugs• Drinking and driving• Riding with a driver who has

been drinking• Sexual intercourse• Shoplifting• Vandalism

• Trouble with police• Hitting someone• Hurting someone• Use of a weapon• Group fighting• Carrying a weapon for

protection• Threatening physical harm• Skipping school• Gambling • Eating disorders• Depression• Attempted suicide

The Survey shows the connection between high risk behaviours and the

number of assets a youth has…

0123456789

0-10 Assets 11-20 Assets 21-30 Assets 31-40 Assets

#OfHighRiskBehaviours

From awareness to action…Regardless of town size or geography,

youth typically:• Receive too little support through sustained and

positive intergenerational relationships• Lack opportunities for leadership and involvement• Disengage from youth-serving programs in the

community• Experience inconsistent and unarticulated

boundaries• Feel disconnected from their community• Miss the formation of social competencies and

positive values

So what???• We will continue to see too many

young people who are susceptible to risk taking and negative pressure, drawn to less desirable sources of belonging, and ill-equipped to become the next generation of parents, workers, leaders, and citizens.

• What needs to change??

What needs to change??• Refocus emphasis of well-intentioned

youth development programs from attacking the consequences of asset depletion

• To placing energy into rebuilding the asset foundation for youth

Ultimately, rebuilding and strengthening the developmental infrastructure in a community is not a program run by professionals. It is a ……

…movementThat creates a community-wide sense of

common purpose, places residents and their leaders on the same team moving in the same direction, and creates a culture in which all residents are expected, by virtue of their membership in the community, to promote the positive development of youth.

Developmental Assets: A profile of youth in Leeds& GrenvilleSurvey Report, Search Institute

Promoting Developmental Assets

Assets are cumulative or additive

The more the better

Research shows the more assets, the less likely to participate in risk taking behaviours and more likely to be involved in thriving behaviours

PRINCIPLES• All children and youth need assets.• Relationships are key.• Everyone can build assets.• Building assets is an ongoing process.• Asset building requires consistent

messages.• Duplication and repetition are good

and important.

Taking Action• Establish long-term goals and perspective• Mobilize the public• Think intergenerationally• Expand the reach of family education• Support and expand current asset-building efforts• Strengthen socializing systems• Empower youth to contribute• Elevate the importance of service• Provide places to grow• Advocate for quality opportunities for young people• Begin public dialogueDevelopmental Assets: A profile of youth in Leeds& Grenville

Survey Report, Search Institute

Documents

Giving Grenville youth a voice… What matters to youth from grades 7 - 12