What does it really take for young people to thrive?

For years, Search Institute’s research has explored this very question, examining the developmental assets, relationships, and conditions that support positive youth development. The Youth Ecological Strengths (YES) Project, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, builds on that legacy by centering the voices of young people and the adults who support them.

Over the past two years, we have partnered with nine organizations serving diverse communities across the country to listen to young people ages 16–24 and practitioners about what it means to thrive. Together, their experiences point to a powerful truth: thriving begins when we understand who young people are, what matters to them, and how their environments can amplify, not limit, their potential. Thriving isn’t a one-size-fits-all outcome. It’s deeply personal, shaped by each young person.

The project’s latest report, Supporting Youth Thriving: Aligning External Assets to Meet Young People’s Strengths and Needs, explores how youth-serving organizations can better support young people by aligning their unique identities, strengths, and passions with the relationships, places, and opportunities that help them thrive.

Who Am I? Centering Internal Assets

Thriving starts with opportunities to explore our identity. Young people in the study emphasized how evolving self-perceptions, family history, and cultural identity are core to understanding who they are and who they want to become. Our identities are linked to our beliefs, values, passions, and "sparks", and motivate youth to engage with the world around them and seek meaningful opportunities.

“My identity is just continuously evolving and developing. Because I think my identity is... It's a combination of things. It's my culture, it's my past, it's my parents, it's my environment, my friend group, my surroundings, so I think it's a combination of things that make me who I am.”

— Sonia, Young Person

For practitioners, these insights underscore the importance of learning who young people are to truly understand their backgrounds and motivations before designing supports or interventions.

“It’s one thing to want our students to succeed, but it’s going to be a very different task if we don’t understand what they’re bringing with them when they come into the building.”

— Nadia, Youth-Serving Practitioner

Relationships and Belonging as the Foundation

Young people made it clear: thriving doesn’t happen alone. Relationships with peers, family members, mentors, and program staff form the bedrock of their growth and confidence.

“I definitely believe that the path to success is not by one individual. It's a group of people... If you have good people around you, and people who support you, that's really important to success...”

— Javier, Young Person

Whether in schools, community programs, or workplaces, these connections give young people space to feel known, valued, and capable. As a result, they become more than safe spaces, they elevate youth voice, strengthen partnerships with families, and build bridges to schools and employers to create deeper, more lasting impact.

“I think people just need somebody to be there with you, supporting you all the way.”

— Alma, Young Person

The research affirms this. When young people are surrounded by adults who express care, challenge growth, provide support, share power, and expand possibilities—the five elements of Search Institute’s Developmental Relationships Framework—they are more likely to experience stability, belonging, and agency.

The YES Project found that youth-serving organizations play a crucial role as connectors between these systems. Practitioners shared that programs are most effective when they strengthen social capital and intentionally link youth to broader networks—schools, families, employers, and community resources—that reflect their strengths and aspirations.

From Insight to Action: Tools for Practitioners

The YES project includes brief resources that youth-serving organizations can use to align their offerings with the needs and strengths of the young people they serve. These tools help translate insight into practice, encouraging programs to move from measuring success to cultivating the conditions that make success possible.

Practitioners can start with simple but meaningful questions:

• What sparks curiosity in the youth I serve?
• Who are their biggest supporters?
• Where do they feel they belong?

By centering youth experiences and listening with intention, we create programs that not only respond to needs, but also amplify potential.

Moving Forward Together

Alongside our partners, Search Institute is committed to helping youth-serving organizations design environments where every young person can explore who they are, connect with others, and discover what thriving means to them. The YES Project reaffirms a truth we’ve long held: youth are not problems to be solved. They are partners in shaping a better future, for themselves and for all of us.

“Just feeling stable and really trusting yourself, trusting the journey that you’re on, and staying calm and peaceful.”

— CeCe, Young Person

Thriving is a collective process, one that depends on how well we listen to youth, align our systems to their strengths, and build relationships that support their whole selves. We are grateful to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, our community partners, and especially the young people and youth-serving practitioners who shared their wisdom. Together, we’re building a field where thriving is possible for every youth, on their terms, in their own voice.

Read the full report: Supporting Youth Thriving: Aligning External Assets to Meet Young People’s Strengths and Needs and learn more about the Youth Ecological Strengths (YES) Project.