Just a plain old pearl you should know about: The 40 Developmental Assets for Children

I am privileged to work in a community that really values its children. And when you work in that community's school district, that's no small thing to say. St. Louis Park, Minnesota is a first ring western suburb of Minneapolis. For the third straight year, it has been named one of America's 100 Best Communities for Children. This spring, St. Louis Park High School was listed as the top high school in Minnesota, just barely below the nation's top 100 high schools, in Newsweek magazine.

Of course there are many contributing factors to the accolades but I do think a significant one is an initiative which began here in the spring of 1993. St. Louis Park began transforming how the community viewed its young people. Children First was born out of a partnership among the education, faith, city, health and business communities. The continuing focus of this partnership is to encourage everyone in the community to find ways that make sense to them to help in the healthy development of our infants, children and teens.What makes Children First different is

• It's a philosophy rather than a program.
• It focuses on positive character-building attributes, not negative, at-risk behavior.
• It targets all St. Louis Park youth, birth through 18 year-olds.
• It was founded by a partnership between the business, city, education, health and faith communities.
• It calls everyone to provide support for youth.

Community members do this by championing the Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets with young people. You WILL want to click on the Search Institute to read about the assets and see how much sense this makes and how helpful it will be for you as a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, really anyone who at any time comes in contact with children.

And it's simple. All you have to do is ask yourself: How am I involved where I could make a difference in the lives of young people? And then do it. Smile at the next teenager you see in the mall. Say hello to one of the other babies you see on the playground. Spend a second to ask one of your children's friends, "How's it going?" No special equipment required.

We'd really love to hear from you how you institute this in your lives. Post a comment!

On a personal note--I had been meaning to write this plain old pearl for a while. Today I'm writing in honor of a real Asset Champion (see Children First link for more information), my dear friend and secretary, Marilyn Braaten, who passed away unexpectedly on Friday morning. She embodied absolutely everything that the philosophy of Children First stands for. All of us in St. Louis Park, and those who knew her in many places, are so much the richer for having had her build assets in our lives.