Young people are remarkable. Just think about what today’s youth have lived through: a global pandemic, a fractured democracy, racism and violence, a mental health crisis, and worldwide climate emergencies. 

Yet despite all the obstacles the world throws up, young people survive, persist, and thrive when given the supports they need and a foundation for growth. 

They are able to thrive because of their Developmental Assets, the strong foundation of internal and external strengths that helps them cope with present challenges while discovering their promising futures.

However, success in schools, workplaces, and communities is not guaranteed—and racial and economic disparities have an impact on youth outcomes. Adults play a key role in identifying and supporting the Developmental Assets of young people. 

Search Institute’s research and practice show that the implementation of measurement tools aligned to research-informed frameworks like the Developmental Assets empower organizations and staff to better support young people in their developmental journey.

The Importance of Developmental Assets

The Developmental Assets Framework^® is founded on our decades of research on the supports and strengths that young people need to succeed. Half of the assets are external: the relationships and opportunities they experience in their families, schools, and communities. The internal assets are the social-emotional strengths, values, and commitment that are nurtured within young people.

When young people have more Developmental Assets, they are more likely to thrive in the present and in the future. They are also less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors and more likely to be resilient in the face of challenges. 

Taking Stock: The Developmental Assets Profile (DAP)

We don’t need to guess which Developmental Assets young people have or the ones they seek; we can ask them. The Developmental Assets Profile (DAP) is a research-based survey that helps organizations understand the strengths, supports, and social-emotional factors that shape young people’s development. Since 2005, nearly a million young people have taken the DAP; it is one of the most commonly used measurement tools to guide and inform our partners’ work with young people. 

The first step in engaging with young people is listening to their concerns and understanding their challenges. The DAP explores questions about young people’s experiences of care, safety, boundaries, opportunities, empowerment, and their abilities to learn and grow. Once we have the answers to these powerful questions, the possibilities are limitless. 

Partnering for Student Success

Search Institute’s partnership with United Way of Delaware provides a shining example of using the DAP as a launching point for discovery about young people’s needs and growth. 

A conversation with Dr. Shaniqua Johnson-Pierce, Director of Student Success at United Way of Delaware, and Erin Brenner, Senior Director, Student Success at United Way of Delaware shows how using the Developmental Assets Framework^® and Developmental Assets Profile (DAP) can begin to address equity issues and further students’ goals and dreams for the future.

United Way of Delaware is using the DAP with partner organizations to identify young people’s strengths and needs. It is building on that work by creating focus groups to better understand how schools and community-based organizations can provide support. 

Their work shows the importance of recognizing and leveraging the assets of young people, starting in the elementary years, to build a foundation for future success. The partners also note that an assets-based lens helps address systemic equity issues and provides opportunities and resources to help level the playing field for all young people.

What United Way of Delaware Learned from the DAP

The results of the DAP showed a number of areas where Delaware educators and leaders could improve the experiences and assets of young people. Some of their takeaways include

• Consistent adult relationships are important for students, particularly in schools with high teacher turnover.
• There are significant financial barriers to participation in extracurricular activities, and this gap may be leveraged for partnerships and funding.
• Youth programs need financial support.
• Young people, in particular those from economically disadvantaged groups, need access to mental health resources.

Student Engagement and Purpose

United Way of Delaware used the data and insights from the DAP to focus on the needs and experiences of young people. Based on the insights provided, they hosted a follow-up focus group in partnership with another local organization, the Center for Structural Equity, with a goal of further understanding the types of support young people need in the communities they serve. After taking the DAP, young people discussed which types of support, extracurricular activities, and relationships could help further their goals, as well as their mental and emotional wellness.

“I’m big on making sure that the students know what they’re filling out and how their voice is going to be heard,” Johnson-Pierce says of the DAP. “They’re taking surveys throughout their life, and they’re not just doing it to do it—it definitely has a purpose.”

Achieving Goals: Relationships and Resources 

With the Center for Structural Equity, Johnson-Pierce worked with students to create life maps, identifying current or past life events and future events or goals that they have post-high school. “A lot of what we do at United Way of Delaware is trying to connect them with people that can help get them there,” says Johnson-Pierce. “We may have some young people who want to go to college and some who want to pick up a trade, and we have people in our organization who can help support that.”

Erin Brenner of United Way of Delaware says that a pilot program with the Delaware Department of Education helped build a database of out-of-school-time opportunities for K-12 students. The database helps parents understand the costs of programs and points them to financial aid opportunities. 

Additionally, United Way of Delaware partners with a mentorship program called GUIDES, which connects young people with mentors in their communities who can help them explore career options.

Advancing Equity

Taking the exercise even further, students showcased their life maps at United Way of Delaware’s  Black Student Summit, which Johnson-Pierce co-led. With Johnson-Pierce, students who took the DAP co-facilitated a workshop to teach other young people about Developmental Assets, how they can be assets to their communities, and how they can build assets. “Young people got involved, got their voices, and also led a project, which is really big,” says Johnson-Pierce. “Because I think our young people are so talented. There is so much hidden talent.”

United Way of Delaware is also using the Developmental Assets Framework and DAP to shape equity work with partners such as the Green Beret Project, which provides out-of-school-time programming at multiple sites. At Towne Point Elementary School, which serves many low-income students, Johnson-Pierce hopes to leverage data on student assets to partner with nonprofits and other organizations to help fund extracurricular resources like sports and performing arts. 

Positive Identity through Poetry

One of the lowest-scoring asset categories in the DAP surveys that Johnson-Pierce administers is a positive sense of self. She finds that Black and Latino students, in particular, face challenges in developing a positive identity. “We want to figure out how we can support them in loving themselves and their culture and being proud of it and celebrating it in a world that may not always be so inviting,” she says. 

One exercise she uses with students is called the “I Am…” poem, where students use words to explore their lives and identity. The poems spark conversations about culture, insecurities, and assets. It helps them reflect on their own identity. 

The Big Picture

Understanding and leveraging young people’s Developmental Assets is the first step in a lifelong journey of discovering what it is that they need to overcome challenges and thrive in their schools, communities, and workplaces.

The approach to Developmental Assets used by the United Way of Delaware demonstrates the flexibility and possibility that exists when we view young people not as problems to be solved but as vibrant, empowered leaders who have much to offer the world. 

To learn more about United Way of Delaware’s model use of the DAP, please reach out to Dr. Shaniqua Johnson-Pierce, sjpierce@uwde.org.