Giving youth a voice… … What matters to children from grades 4 - 6

Developmental Assets: A Profile of Our Children Leeds & Grenville Schools Grades Me and My World Survey Report Search Institute

Participating schools Benson PS Boundary PS Centennial ’67 PS Commonwealth PS Holy Cross CS JL Jordan CS Linklater PS Lyn/Tincap PS Maynard PS Oxford on Rideau PS Prince of Wales PS South Branch ES St. John Bosco CS St. Joseph CS Toniata PS Vanier PS Westminster PS

Who was surveyed Randomly selected - 27% of grades 4 – 6 student population: 891 Gender: Females 455 Males 422

Breakdown by grades Grade 4299 Grade Grade 6292 Total **891**

Our community profile Copyright 2005 Search Institute Assets 28% 0 – 10 Assets 5 % Assets 24% Assets 43%

Average assets by Grade…

Investigating our community profile What did the survey show??? Percentage of children 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 support86% #2 – Positive family communication58% #3 – Other adult relationships52% #4 – Caring neighbourhood55% #5 – Caring School climate56% #6 – Parent involvement in schooling42%

EMPOWER them to use their abilities to help others. # 7 - Community Values Youth33% # 8 – Youth as resources47% # 9 – Service to others35% # 10 – Safety67%

Set reasonable BOUNDARIES AND have high EXPECTATIONS. #11 – Family boundaries55% # 12 – School boundaries84% # 13 – Neighbourhood boundaries46% # 14 – Adult role models46% # 15 Positive peer influence85% # 16 – High expectations87%

Help them find activities that make CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF their time. # 17 – Creative activities 55% # 18 – Youth programs63% # 19 – Religious community41% # 20 – Time at home29%

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 motivation68% # 22 - School engagement46% # 23 - Homework69% # 24 – Bonding to school69% # 25 – Reading for pleasure55%

Guide them toward a life based on POSITIVE VALUES. # 26 – Caring87% # 27 – Equality and social justice70% # 28 – Integrity83% # 29 – Honesty88% # 30 – Responsibility85% # 31 – Restraint82%

Help them develop SOCIAL COMPETENCIES and life skills. # 32 – Planning and decision-making44% # 33 – Interpersonal competence45% # 34 – Cultural competence65% # 35 – Resistance skills72% # 36 - Peaceful conflict resolution65%

Celebrate their uniqueness and affirm their POSITIVE IDENTITY. # 37 – Personal power57% # 38 – Self-esteem68% # 39 – Sense of purpose46% # 40 – Positive view of personal future59%

Why assets are important… They do make a difference in the lives of young people They are the keys to success

Thriving behaviours School success A’s & B’s 76% Helping others 1 or more days/wk 70% Values diversity Gets along well with 81% people who are a different race or culture Delays gratification Can wait for a reward later 52% Coregulation Often helps parents makes 84% decisions Coping Regularly uses coping skills 44% to deal with problems Life satisfaction80%

The Survey shows the connection between thriving (+) behaviours and the number of assets a youth has… # Of + B e h a v i o u r s

Deficits influences that interfere with healthy development by limiting access to external assets, or by easing the way into risky behavioural choices Alone at home31% (less than one hour per day of adult supervision after school) TV overexposure59% (watches TV or videos two or more hours per school day) Victim of violence54% ( Reports yes to “In the last year, has anyone hurt you by punching, hitting, slapping or scratching you?”

Risk behaviour patterns ( 6 -- Identified by the survey – two = pattern ) Use of alcohol 9% (Has used alcohol more than once during the last year) Tobacco 2% ( Has smoked cigarettes more than once during the last year) Marijuana 1% ( Has used marijuana more than once during the last year) Anti-social behaviour 4% ( Has damaged property just for fun more than once dly) Physical Aggression/ Violence 20% ( Has hit or beat someone up more than once dly) Sadness 44% (Has felt sad or depressed a few or more times during the last month)

The Survey shows the connection between high risk behaviour patterns and the number of assets a youth has… # Of High Risk B P e a h t a t v e i r o n u s r 1.0 % 0.9 % 0.5 % 0.8 %

From awareness to action… The challenge: Since studies across time indicate that the most typical path for students in middle and high school is for assets to decrease overall, anything we can do to build assets during the upper elementary years will aid in keeping people of developmentally healthy trajectories!!!!

What is at risK? If we are not intentional in our actions and behaviours to promote healthy development, we will see too many young people who are susceptible to risky behaviours and negative pressure, drawn to less desirable sources of belonging and ill-equipped to become healthy adolescents and eventually the next generation of parents, workers, and leaders. Me and My World Survey Report, Leeds & Grenville, 2007, Search Institute