Giving Grenville youth a voice…

What matters to youth from grades 7 - 12

Developmental Assets: A Profile of Our Youth

Grenville County Schools Grades 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 Males 264 255

Breakdown by grades

• Grade 7 • Grade 8 • Grade 9 • Grade 10 • Grade 11 • Grade 12 73 79 114 105 82 68 • Total **525**

Grenville county profile

23% 4% 24 % 0-10 Assets 11-20 Assets 21-30 Assets 31-40 Assets 50%

Our community profile

4% 35% 22 % 0-10 Assets 11-20 Assets 21-30 Assets 31-40 Assets 49%

A visual comparison??

L & G Grenville 0-10 Assets 11-20 Assets 21-30 Assets 31-40 Assets 0-10 Assets 11-20 Assets 21-30 Assets 31-40 Assets Note the significant differences!!

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 #3 – Other adult relationships #4 – Caring neighbourhood #5 – Caring School climate #6 – Parent involvement in schooling 34% 31% 35% 41% 33% 36% 22% 26% 20% 20%

EMPOWER them to use their abilities to help others.

# 7 - Community Values Youth # 8 – Youth as resources # 9 – Service to others # 10 – Safety 19% 18% 20% 23% 46% 49% 53% 51%

Set reasonable BOUNDARIES AND have high EXPECTATIONS.

#11 – Family boundaries 33% 34% # 12 – School boundaries # 13 – Neighbourhood boundaries # 14 – Adult role models 36% 39% 40% 39% 24% 23% # 15 Positive peer influence # 16 – High expectations 50% 48% 42% 43%

Help them find activities that make CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF their time.

# 17 – Creative activities # 18 – Youth programs # 19 – Religious community # 20 – Time at home 15% 16% 53% 57% 22% 24% 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 motivation # 22 - School engagement # 23 - Homework # 24 – Bonding to school # 25 – Reading for pleasure 56% 58% 51% 54% 39% 36% 49% 55% 29% 28%

Guide them toward a life based on POSITIVE VALUES.

# 26 – Caring 39% 42% # 27 – Equality and social justice # 28 – Integrity 43% 45% 63% 65% # 29 – Honesty # 30 – Responsibility # 31 – Restraint 65% 65% 61% 58% 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 # 35 – Resistance skills # 36 - Peaceful conflict resolution 30% 33% 36% 35% 37% 38%

Celebrate their uniqueness and affirm their POSITIVE IDENTITY.

# 37 – Personal power # 38 – Self-esteem # 39 – Sense of purpose # 40 – Positive view of personal future 41% 40% 43% 44% 59% 59% 72% 74%

Average # assets/ community

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 17.9

17.7

L & G Grenville

Asset profiles by grade ….

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Total 17.9

Grade 7 18.9

Gr 8 17.1

Gr 9 17.1

Gr 10 16.2

Gr 11 15.0

Leeds & Grenville Counties combined data Gr 12 16.3

Why assets are important…

They do make a difference in the lives of young people They are the keys to success The 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

B e h a v i o u r s # Of The Survey shows the connection between thriving (+) behaviours and the number of assets a youth has… 7 + 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 0-10 Assets 11-20 Assets 21-30 Assets 31-40 Assets

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

i o u r s # Of High Risk B e h a v The Survey shows the connection between high risk behaviours and the number of assets a youth has… 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 0-10 Assets 11-20 Assets 21-30 Assets 31-40 Assets

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 depletion from attacking the consequences of asset • 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 ……

…movement

That 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& Grenville Survey 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 dialogue Developmental Assets: A profile of youth in Leeds& Grenville Survey Report, Search Institute