--- title: Consistency in Relationships | Search Institute description: Young people need direction and consistency for direction and guidance. City Year provides a way to build developmental relationships through their program. image: https://blog.searchinstitute.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Direction-city-year-2.png --- Theme + Migration = $1489 (Pay for the Theme Only). [Learn More.](https://www.lpd-themes.com/migration) [![hlogo](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/hs-fs/hubfs/hlogo.webp?width=187&height=90&name=hlogo.webp "hlogo")](https://searchinstitute.org) - [BLOG](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/) - [DONATE](https://searchinstitute.org/donate) - [CONTACT](https://searchinstitute.org/contact) - [RESEARCH](https://searchinstitute.org/research) - [SOLUTIONS](https://searchinstitute.org/solutions) - [INSIGHTS](https://searchinstitute.org/insights) - [FUNDERS & PARTNERS](https://searchinstitute.org/funders-partners) - [ABOUT](https://searchinstitute.org/about) [RESOURCE HUB](https://searchinstitute.org/resources-hub) [Why Relationships Matter and How to Get Started](https://searchinstitute.org/relationships-matter-get-started) Understand the foundations of developmental relationships and the power you have to strengthen those relationships for all young people to learn and grow. [Resources Tailored to Your Role](https://searchinstitute.org/resources-hub/search?query=&page=1&configure%5BenablePersonalization%5D=true&configure%5BuserToken%5D=anonymous-2aec4746-2f17-46a7-871b-a10e30f1f2f7&configure%5BclickAnalytics%5D=true&hierarchicalMenu%5Btaxonomy.lvl0%5D=Resource%20Audience) Tools to support everyone who works with young people — educators, youth program workers, schools and youth program leaders, and community members [Resources Related to the Setting Where Relationships Take Place](https://searchinstitute.org/resources-hub/search?query=&page=1&configure%5BenablePersonalization%5D=true&configure%5BuserToken%5D=anonymous-2aec4746-2f17-46a7-871b-a10e30f1f2f7&configure%5BclickAnalytics%5D=true&hierarchicalMenu%5Btaxonomy.lvl0%5D=Setting) Young people thrive when they experience a broader web of relationships, build strong relationships in a class or program, at home, and across your organization. [Resources on Key Topics](https://searchinstitute.org/resources-hub/search?query=&page=1&configure%5BenablePersonalization%5D=true&configure%5BuserToken%5D=anonymous-2aec4746-2f17-46a7-871b-a10e30f1f2f7&configure%5BclickAnalytics%5D=true&hierarchicalMenu%5Btaxonomy.lvl0%5D=Topics) Relationships are key across several disciplines including family systems, social and emotional development, social capital, and community development. [Resources in Your Favorite Format](https://searchinstitute.org/resources-hub/search?resourceTypes=Activity,Book,Guide,Journal%20Article,Measure%20/%20Assessment%20/%20Evaluation,Relational%20Practice,Report%20/%20Brief,Tool%20/%20Playbook,Video) Explore tools, frameworks, activities, guides, measures, and other research-based resources to build strong relationships with all young people. [![hlogo](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/hs-fs/hubfs/hlogo.webp?width=187&height=90&name=hlogo.webp "hlogo")](https://searchinstitute.org) [![hlogo](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/hs-fs/hubfs/hlogo.webp?width=187&height=90&name=hlogo.webp "hlogo")](https://searchinstitute.org) - BLOG - SHOP - DONATE - CONTACT - [RESEARCH](https://searchinstitute.org/research) - [SOLUTIONS](https://searchinstitute.org/solutions) - [INSIGHTS](https://searchinstitute.org/insights) - [FUNDERS & PARTNERS](https://searchinstitute.org/funders-partners) - [ABOUT](https://searchinstitute.org/about) [![hlogo](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/hs-fs/hubfs/hlogo.webp?width=187&height=90&name=hlogo.webp "hlogo")](https://searchinstitute.org) - [RESEARCH](https://searchinstitute.org/research) - [SOLUTIONS](https://searchinstitute.org/solutions) - [INSIGHTS](https://searchinstitute.org/insights) - [FUNDERS & PARTNERS](https://searchinstitute.org/funders-partners) - [ABOUT](https://searchinstitute.org/about) - [RESOURCE HUB](https://searchinstitute.org/resources-hub) # Blog December 19, 2019 3 Minutes Read By : [searchinstitute](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/author/searchinstitute) Topics Developmental Relationships Research Developmental Assets Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Youth Programs Provide Support Family Engagement Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) SI Spotlight Social Capital Share Power Solutions Youth Thriving Education / School Expand Possibilities Student Voice Challenge Growth Summer Scholars Thriving Youth Voice Express Care Sparks Data Insights Faith Field Partner Spotlight LGBTQ+ Workshops Relationship Ready Schools Conversation Starters Sports Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) # Consistency in Relationships [![Share on twitter](https://7528302.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528302/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/x-twitter-color.png?width=24&name=x-twitter-color.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.searchinstitute.org%2Fconsistency-in-relationships%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.searchinstitute.org%2Fconsistency-in-relationships%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=) [![Share on linkedin](https://7528302.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528302/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/linkedin-color.png?width=24&name=linkedin-color.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.searchinstitute.org%2Fconsistency-in-relationships%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on facebook](https://7528309.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528309/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-web-default-modules_hubspot/img/facebook-color.png?width=24&name=facebook-color.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.searchinstitute.org%2Fconsistency-in-relationships%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) ![](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Direction-city-year-2.png) [Developmental Relationships](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/tag/developmental-relationships) [Youth Programs](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/tag/youth-programs) [Social Emotional Learning (SEL)](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/tag/social-emotional-learning-sel) # Consistency in Relationships By [searchinstitute](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/author/searchinstitute) December 18 2019 3 Minutes Read *By Eliel Gebru, Research Associate at Search Institute* A few weeks ago, I was driving with a friend to a location that confused our trusted GPS. Our blue dot was dancing all over the screen. After we got there, my friend asked, “What did we do before Google Maps? Can you imagine living without it?” I said, “I actually can—and did.”   Long before navigation apps, growing up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where half the streets did not have names or numbers, your key to the city was to ask your way around. You quickly learn the value of “consistency,” especially in landmarks to provide guidance and direction. Navigating the city was a highly social experience. If you wanted to get from point A to B, you had to ask for directions, relying first and foremost on people and their expertise. When people gave you directions, you got the most interesting descriptions with a straight face. They would say, “Go straight, turn left at the corner, and you will see a woman selling vegetables, and then you will see two roads. Take the road next to the kids playing soccer. Then ask the shopkeeper in the blue kiosk where Point B was since he lives close by.” Even this short description sounds convoluted today because we are so used to following the blue dot. Putting aside the debate about whether our lives are better or worse because of our reliance on our smartphones and navigation apps, it is worth asking what about the old method worked. As I reflect back, relying on people for directions worked smoothly. Not only did it get you where you need to go, but it helped you appreciate the larger context of the city. The woman selling vegetables would be there. The kids playing soccer would be there. The shopkeeper in the blue kiosk would be there. That knowledge of what was “constant” in the city provided points of direction, guidance, and reassurance. Today, in a world that is changing at a breakneck pace, it may appear that we don’t need neighbors and neighborhood landmarks; we can rely instead on technology to give us the necessary direction. But we still need consistency for direction, even more so the people in our lives. Fast forward to last spring, when I spoke with youth at select schools in Columbus, Ohio, where [City Year](https://www.cityyear.org/) AmeriCorps members work with youth in and outside of the classroom. I was asking them what they liked about their school experience. Time and time again, I heard them begin their descriptions of what they valued and appreciated during their school day with, “Because of my City Year. . . .” They were referencing a program in 350 U.S. schools in which AmeriCorps volunteers leverage their unique “near-peer” relationships to provide behavioral and academic interventions for students, afterschool programs and in-class support. In between, they greet students as they enter the school in the morning. They hang out in the lunchroom. And they are a consistent presence in the hallways. One thing that was clear is that beyond specific interventions, what students call their “City Years”(the AmeriCorps volunteers) were more than just their tutors. They were their friends, role models, and a consistent and familiar presence throughout the school day. Over and over again, the students referred to their City Years’ ability to provide guidance and direction to help students, metaphorically, get from Point A to B. The student comments ranged across all five elements of Search Institute’s [developmental relationships framework](https://info.searchinstitute.org/developmental-relationships-framework-download)—including specific actions that were particularly powerful in young people’s lives. AmeriCorps members consistently expressed care, challenged growth, provided support, shared power, and expanded possibilities. These youth raved about their City Years: “They say, ‘Good Morning’ to us, every time we walk off the bus, and they cheer us when we’re coming in. They clap and say your name.” “They always give positive energy, they give us hugs. Talk to us when there’s something going on, give us information that we should know.” Time and time again, they told me that their City Year was their go-to “when something was wrong;” their go-to for sharing stories about their weekend; their go-to for lunch or help on their homework. As they said to me emphatically, “They’re not just our City Years, they’re our friends.” Most of these youth who live in predominantly low-resourced neighborhoods experience undeniable challenges navigating their home, school, and social life. For most, their only positive experience on any given day may be their interaction with their City Years. These AmeriCorps members were their keys and “super guides” consistently helping them navigate from “A to B.” *City Year is one of five organizations Search Institute partnered with as part of the [Relationships for Outcomes Initiative (ROI)](https://www.search-institute.org/our-research/current-projects/relationships-outcomes-initiative/) that focuses on co-creating and testing innovative ways to strengthen developmental relationships that young people in marginalized communities experience. You can read more about [our partnership with City Year here](https://www.cityyear.org/national/stories/education/advancing-equity-and-social-emotional-learning-through-relationships/).* *[![New call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/6693290/b45ff5be-4258-4f2b-9491-6a26d9be3898.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/6693290/b45ff5be-4258-4f2b-9491-6a26d9be3898)* [Developmental Relationships, ](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/tag/developmental-relationships) [Youth Programs, ](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/tag/youth-programs) [Social Emotional Learning (SEL), ](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/tag/social-emotional-learning-sel) #### searchinstitute Author ## Recommended For You 2 Min Read ### [Building Relationships & Supporting Youth: A Positive Approach to Juvenile Justice](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/building-relationships-supporting-youth-positive-approach-juvenile-justice) [searchinstitute August 17 2015](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/author/searchinstitute) 3 Min Read ### [Have you tried a different lens? Bringing student motivation into focus for your students](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/tried-different-lens-bringing-student-motivation-focus-students) [searchinstitute March 02 2017](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/author/searchinstitute) [![](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Mentors-as-Social-Capital-Builders.jpg)](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/mentors-as-social-capital-builders) [Developmental Assets](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/tag/developmental-assets) [Social Capital](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/tag/social-capital) 3 Min Read ### [Mentors as Social Capital Builders](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/mentors-as-social-capital-builders) [Search Institute June 23 2024](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/author/search-institute) ![search-footerlogo](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/hubfs/search-footerlogo.png "search-footerlogo") ## Search Institute 2550 University Avenue West Suite 200N St. Paul, MN 55114 800.888.7828 612.376.8955 i[nfo@searchinstitute.org](mailto:info@searchinstitute.org) - [Research](https://searchinstitute.org/research) - [Solutions](https://searchinstitute.org/solutions) - [Insights](https://searchinstitute.org/insights) - [Funders & Partners](https://searchinstitute.org/funders-partners) - [About](https://searchinstitute.org/about) - [Blog](https://blog.searchinstitute.org/) - [Donate](https://searchinstitute.org/donate) - [Contact](https://searchinstitute.org/contact) - [Subscribe to our Newsletter](https://searchinstitute.org/subscribe-to-our-enewsletter) - [Cancellations, Returns & Refunds](https://searchinstitute.org/cancellations-returns-refunds) - [Public Records](https://searchinstitute.org/nonprofit-status-public-records) - [Permissions Request Form](https://survey.search-institute.org/s3/Permissions-Request-Form) - [Keep Connected](http://keepconnected.searchinstitute.org/) ©2024 Search Institute | [Terms of Use](https://www.search-institute.org/terms-of-use/) Search Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable corporation. 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