1. 2011 PROFILE OF YOUTH IN GREATER BRIDGEPORT Presented By RYASAP Catalyst for Community Change Bridgeport, CT In Cooperation With Search Institute, Minneapolis, MN November 2011

2. 2011 PROFILE OF YOUTH OVERVIEW  3,453 youth surveyed, an 18% sample of youth, grades 7-12 in Greater Bridgeport  Participating public school districts: Bridgeport, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull, CT  Racial and Ethnic Breakdown 50% White 13% African American 18% Hispanic 15% Multi-racial 3% Asian/Pacific Islander <1% Native American

3. DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS EXTERNAL ASSETS Positive experiences and support a young person receives from formal and informal connections to the community SUPPORT 1.Family Support –Family life provides high levels of love & support 2.Positive family Communication – Young person & parents communicate positively and youth seeks parental advice 3.Other Adult Relationships – Young person receives support from 3+ nonparent adults 4.Caring neighborhood – Young person experiences caring neighbors 5.Caring School Climate – School provides a caring, encouraging environment 6.Parent Involvement in Schooling – Parent(s) actively involved in helping young person succeed in school EMPOWERMENT 1.Community Values Youth –Young persons perceives that adults in the community values youth 2.Youth as Resources– Young people are given useful roles in the community 3.Service to Others– Young person serves in the community one (1) hour or more per week 4.Safety– Young feels safe at home, school and in the neighborhood

4. DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS INTERNAL ASSETS Things a community and family nurture within youth so they can contribute to their own development BOUNDARIES & EXPECTATIONS 1.Family Boundaries–Family has clear rules & consequences and monitors young person’s whereabouts 2.School Boundaries– School provides clear rules & consequences 3.Neighborhood Boundaries– Neighbors take responsibility for monitoring youth behavior 4.Adult Role Models– Parent(s) and other adults model positive, responsible behavior 5.Positive peer influence– Young person's friends model responsible behavior 6.High Expectations – Both parent(s) and teachers encourage the young person to do well CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF TIME 1.Creative Activities– Young person spends 3+ hours/week in lessons or practice of music, theater or other arts. 2.Youth Programs– Young person spends 3+ hours/week in sports, clubs or organizations and school and/or community 3.Religious Community – Young person spends 1+ hours/week in activities in a religious institution. 4.Time at Home – Young person is out with friends “with nothing special to do” 2 or fewer nights/week EXTERNAL ASSETS continued

5. DEVELOPMENTAL ASSETS INTERNAL ASSETS Things a community and family nurture within youth so they can contribute to their own development COMMITMENT TO LEARNING 1.Achievement motivation–Young person is motivated to do well in school 2.School engagement– Young person is actively engaged in learning 3.Homework– Young person reports doing at least one (1) hour of homework every school day 4.Bonding to school– Young person cares about his/her school 5.Reading for pleasure– Young person reads for pleasure 3+ hours/week POSITIVE VALUES 1.Caring– Young person places high value on helping others 2.Equality & School Justice – Young person places high value on promoting equality and reducing hunger & poverty 3.Integrity – Young person acts on convictions and stands up for his/her beliefs 4.Honesty – Young person tells the truth even when it is not easy 5.Responsibility – Young person accepts and takes personal responsibility 6.Restraint – Young person believes it is important not to be sexually active or to use alcohol/other drugs

6. INTERNAL ASSETS continued SOCIAL COMPENTENCIES 1.Planning & Decision Making –Young person knows how to plan ahead & make choices 2.Interpersonal Competence – Young person has empathy, sensitivity, and friendship skills 3.Cultural Competence – Young person has knowledge of/comfort with people of different cultural/racial/ethnic backgrounds 4.Resistance skills– Young person can resist negative peer pressure & dangerous situations 5.Peaceful conflict resolution – Young person seeks to resolve conflict nonviolently POSITIVE IDENTITY 1.Personal Power– Young person feels he/she has control over “things that happen to me” 2.Self-esteem– Young person reports having a high self-esteem 3.Sense of purpose – Young person reports that “my life has a purpose” 4.Positive view of personal future – Young person is optimistic about his or her personal future

7. ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT ASSETS   Individuals do not need the entire range of assets to thrive. Combinations of assets across domains reflect equally positive adolescent development.  Having more assets is better than having a few. Having strong assets in one category can offset weak assets in another. However, life is easier to manage if one has assets in all domains.  Continued exposure to positive experiences, settings and people, as well as opportunities to gain and refine life skills, supports young people in the acquisition and growth of these assets.

8. REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS 1998~2008~2011 ASSETS Students in the greater Bridgeport region had 19.4 of 40 developmental assets on average. This is an increase from 19.1 in 2008 and 17.5 in 1998. Assets fluctuated across the board with decreases in 8 th,9 th and 11 th grade and increases in 7 th, 10 th and 12 th.

9. ASSETS 1998~2008~2011

10. ASSETS BY GRADE LEVEL

11. THRIVING INDICATORS Those assets that predict future thriving behaviors

12. THRIVING INDICATORS

13. SUPPORT

14. SUPPORT MUNICIPAL COMPARISONS

15. EMPOWERMENT

16. BOUNDARIES AND EXPECTATIONS

17. CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF TIME

18. COMMITMENT TO LEARNING

19. POSITIVE VALUES

20. POSITIVE VALUES MUNICIPAL COMPARISONS

21. SOCIAL COMPETENCIES

22. SOCIAL COMPETENCIES MUNICIPAL COMPARISONS

23. POSITIVE IDENTITY

24. POSITIVE IDENTITY MUNICIPAL COMPARISONS

25. HIGHLIGHTS 1998—2008 RISKY BEHAVIORS  Only 8% of teens in greater Bridgeport smoked tobacco in the last 30 days with less than 1% smoking more than half a pack a day or more. This represents an increase of 1% over 2005.  32% of young people drank alcohol in the last 30 days and 17% used marijuana. 19% of young people had 5 or more drinks in a row over the last two weeks, which included 33% of high school seniors and 32% of juniors. Parental and peer disapproval of substance using behavior makes a difference as indicated by disapproval being highest in Bridgeport and use of tobacco, alcohol and marijuana being the lowest.  Violent Behavior in the greater Bridgeport area represented wide differences between municipalities with all forms of violent behavior – used a weapon, carried a weapon, hurt someone, been in a group fight and bullying behavior all being much higher in Bridgeport and Stratford and being the lowest in Monroe.  29% of area youth participated in sexual intercourse.  12% of young people had attempted suicide in their lifetime and 13% reported being sad or depressed most of the time.  21% of young people skipped school 3 or more times without permission, a 4% increase over 2005.

26. YOUTH REPORTING RISKY BEHAVIORS 1998-2008

27. RISKY BEHAVIORS MUNICIPAL COMPARISONS

28. RISKY BEHAVIORS

29. PREDICTIVE DEFICITS Those behaviors that make youth most at-risk of future problems

30. PREDICTIVE DEFICITS MUNICIPAL COMPARISONS

31. TOBACCO USE AGE OF ONSET

32. ALCOHOL USE AGE OF ONSET

33. MARIJUANA USE AGE OF ONSET

34. TOBACCO, ALCOHOL & MARIJUANA 30 DAY USE

35. TOBACCO USE PARENTAL APPROVAL

36. ALCOHOL USE PARENTAL APPROVAL

37. TOBACCO USE PEER APPROVAL

38. ALCOHOL USE PEER APPROVAL

39. MARIJUANA USE PEER APPROVAL

40. CONCLUSIONS  Many natural partnerships have occurred between communities over the years. However there is a much greater need for more collaboration in Bridgeport and Stratford with the rest of the region.  Young people in Bridgeport place much higher than their suburban counterparts in the area of Positive Values and Positive Identity and yet, they perform much more poorly academically. Regional collaboration may pay strong benefits in closing the achievement gap.  Binge drinking remains a serious problem in greater Bridgeport. RYASAP should join with its municipal partners, Strategic Prevention framework grantees and with national experts to address this issue. In addition, parental and disapproval of young people’s substance using behavior make a difference as evidenced by much higher disapproval ratings from Bridgeport and much lower substance use. Peer and parental based initiatives should be implemented.

41. CONCLUSIONS  Great progress has been made in instituting strength-based approaches to dealing with youth and community problems. However, we must remain diligent in continuing to foster positive approaches to working with youth Through community conversations, focus groups and community forums.  Peer based models such as those utilized in Monroe and Fairfield for teen gambling education, PARTY for teen alcohol abuse and the Central High School substance abuse support groups have all been successful in addressing major problems among youth. These models need to be extended to other areas of concern. They increase teen’s sense of self and they successfully address social problems.  Trumbull’s TPAUD model of collaboration including all sectors of the Trumbull community to reduce underage alcohol use/abuse has had great results in the last three years of both reducing underage alcohol use/abuse and increasing developmental assets. Other communities could benefit from such an approach.