Developmental Assets One of the Essay

These activities are co-dependent on each other, and ultimately lead to school problems -- in effect creating also a challenge for the educator. Using the DA framework, these high-risk behaviors can be alleviated by developing an action plan that shall focus on harnessing the individual's social skills and personal development, through the external and internal assets, as well as increased thriving factors. Thriving behaviors can be any of the following interventions: school success (achieving high grades), valuing diversity (puts high value on interacting with people of different ethnic or racial background), leadership, and maintaining good health. Each of these interventions can help supplement recommended external and internal assets to be developed by the educator, parents/guardians or mentors, and young individuals.

In addressing and resolving high-risk behaviors such as violence, alcohol abuse and sexual activity, recommended assets to be developed are the following: (1) Support- most importantly, family support; (2) Constructive use of time- youth programs such as sports, clubs and community organizations; and (3) Positive Identity- young person's 'life has a purpose.' These three core developmental assets are gauged to have a significant impact to the escalation or de-escalation of the adolescent individual's high-risk behaviors. Family support is critical and highly influential to an adolescent's personal development, as the family provides the foundation for the eventual behavior, values and beliefs the adolescent individual. The social environment is also highly influential in reinforcing or radically changing the individual's behavior during his/her adolescence stage. Thus, it is critical that a young individual is exposed to the right kind of social influence in order to develop a healthy personality and mentality in life. Lastly, the self balances the two assets in developing a healthy personality, as having a positive identity and recognizing that the individual has a purpose gives the individual more motivation to pursue what s/he thinks as his/her goal or purpose in life. Integrating and developing these assets within the individual will help curtail or at least prevent the adolescent's tendency to succumb to social influence, which often triggers subsistence to high-risk behaviors such as violence, alcohol abuse, and sexual activity.An individual's strong sense of purpose in life combined with strong and positive social and family support systems, shall help prevent these risk factors from escalating and leading to the development of highly deviant, dysfunctional adolescent behavior.

One's recognition of his/her purpose in life and a strong social support system are strong developmental assets that will further motivate the individual to succeed not only personally, but most importantly, in the fields that s/he would like to learn from and specialize on. These assets are critical and aligned with my personal philosophy of education, since I believe that a highly-motivated individual, coupled with strong social (environmental) support, will most likely succeed in his/her endeavors in life, which includes education. An individual who has the right attitude in life and supported constructively by his/her community are perfect conditions that sets a strong foundation to succeeding in learning and excelling in education.

References

"40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents." (2010). Search Institute Official Website. Available at: http://www.search-institute.org/content/40-developmental-assets-adolescents-ages-12-18.

"About us." (2010). Dallas YMCA Official Website. Available at: http://dallasymca.org/Index.cfm?FuseAction=Page&PageID=1002364

Scales, P. And E. Roehlkepartain. (2007). "Developmental assets: A framework for enriching service-learning." The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse Website. Available at: http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/cb_facts/developmental_assets/.....