How to Build Assets on Halloween!

Happy Halloween, Asset Champions!!!

Halloween is darn near my favorite autumnal celebration. Why? Because where I grew up the evening of October 31st was always greeted by hordes of goblins, ghosts, princesses, and other delightfully costumed children running up and down the streets and alleys toting pillowcases laden with calorie-packed nuggets of chocolate and every other imaginable solid manifestation of sugar! How wonderful, right?

I admit that the piles and piles of empty-calories lugged home by young people of all ages on Halloween flies in the face of any and all reasonable lessons about nutrition and exercise, but I still love Halloween. In addition to filling the coffers of candy companies, Halloween offers a rare and socially acceptable alibi for going door to door and talking to one's neighbors.

Thus, Halloween is the perfect excuse to reconnect with one's neighborhood. I hesitate to suggest that we need an "excuse" to reconnect with our neighbors, but I do know (from my experience as a new resident in Moorhead) that it can be a bit intimidating to go knock on those doors. So, tonight, let's meet our neighbors and build our community by participating in one of my favorite pastimes of childhood: trick-or-treating!!!

Whether you're at the beck-and-call of the doorbell or out pounding the pavement with your kids (or your brother's kids, sister's kids, neighbor's kids, co-worker's kids, etc.) use this Halloween as an opportunity to meet your neighbors and build assets!

Jane Jacobs wrote that "eyes on the street" are a large part of what keeps neighborhood streets safe - so get out there tonight (or any other night!) and walk your local sidewalks, keep your "eyes" on the street and know that by doing so you are contirbuting to the safety of our community!

More information:
Jane Jacobs bio

Please share your asset building Halloween stories by adding your comments to this post!!!

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!

Show Your Support for Metro Youth - Help Fill the Dome!

Last May when Metro Youth Partnership teamed up with organizations throughout our community to asses how many developmental assets young people in our community report, one of the most striking results was that only 25% of students in grades 6-12 perceive that adults in the community value youth.

Strikingly, 75% of 6-12 graders in Moorhead Public Schools, Park Christian School, St. Joseph Elementary School, Fargo Public Schools, Grace Lutheran School, Oak Grove Lutheran School, Fargo Catholic Schools Network, and West Fargo Public Schools don't feel that adults in the community value them as young people.

One great way to show support for local youth is to participate in youth-organized events such as the upcoming Fill the Dome event. Fill the Dome is a youth-led food drive and is a wonderful opportunity to show young people in Moorhead, Fargo, and West Fargo that adults in our community are supportive!

Things you can do today to support Fill the Dome:

1. Attend the Fill the Dome Press Conference this morning at the Fargo Dome. It's at 10:00am.
2. Have extra canned goods ready for "Trick-or-Canning" tomorrow, Halloween night!
3. Buy one or two non-perishable food items each time you visit the grocery store and plan to donate these items by November 24 when the Fargo Dome will be filled with donated food.
4. Watch for young people wearing Fill the Dome apparel and, when you see them, ask their name and let them know you support their cause!
5. Visit the Fill the Dome website to learn about other things you can do to help: http://www.fillthedome.org
   

Member Survey!

Hello Asset Champions,

Malin and I would like to thank you in advance for participating in this survey. The survey should take no more than 5 minuets to complete. We created this survey in lieu of the December Quarterly Gathering. As coordinators, we want to better understand what we can do for you to encourage your engagement with the Asset Champion Network. We will share the results of the survey with you in the coming months.

There are only ten questions and no demographic or personal information is required, so please share your thoughts!

Click here to take the Asset Champion Network Survey

Become a Member of the Asset Champion Network

• Would you enjoy connecting with like-minded people from across the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo area who are focusing on our youth?
• Do you get fired up when you think about the young people in our community and the possibilities that exist?
• Are you familiar with the developmental assets or would you like to become more familiar with them?
• Do you like thinking proactively about what your organization can do to build support in kids?
• Are you young, old or in between?

If you said YES, to any of these questions, you may want to represent your organization in the Asset Champions Network.

Here's how it works:

• All sorts of people in the Fargo, Moorhead, West Fargo community are part of it.
• Asset champions are adults and young people.
• Asset Champions are trained on the developmental assets and, in turn, train those in their organizations, communities, neighborhoods.
• Asset Champions literally champion asset building as they make decisions, set direction, plan activities and sponsor events.
• Asset Champions attend quarterly Network gatherings where they can connect with others in the community committed to the Asset Champions Network philosophy.
• Asset Champions connect between meetings through a virtual community - this blog.
• Organizations involved in the Network can decide to do things independently or with others to build assets in youth.

What Are the 40 Developmental Assets?

Support

• Family Support- Family life provides high levels of love and support.
• Positive family communication-Young person and her or his parent(s) communicate positively, and young person is willing to seek parent(s) advice and counsel.
• Other adult relationships- Young person receives support from three or more non-parent adults.
• Caring neighborhood- Young person experiences caring neighbors.
• Caring school climate- School provides a caring, encouraging environment.
• Parent involvement in schooling- Parent(s) are actively involved in helping a young person succeed in school.

Empowerment

• Community values youth-Young person perceives that adults in the community value youth.
• Youth as resources- Young people are given useful roles in the community.
• Service to others- Young person serves in the community one hour or more per week.
• Safety- Young person feels safe at home, school, and in the neighborhood.

Boundaries & Expectations

• Family boundaries- Family has clear rules and consequences, and monitors the young person's whereabouts.
• School boundaries- School provides clear rules and consequences.
• Neighborhood boundaries- Neighbors take responsibility for monitoring young peoples behavior.
• Adult role models- Parent(s) and other adults model positive, responsible behavior.
• Positive peer influence- Young person's best friends model responsible behavior.
• High expectations- Both parent(s) and teachers encourage the young person to do well.

Constructive Use of Time

• Creative activities- Young person spends three or more hours a week in lessons or practice in music, theatre, or other arts.
• Youth programs- Young person spends three or more hours per week in sports, clubs or organizations at school and/or in community organizations.
• Religious community- Young person spends one or more hours per week in activities in a religious institution.
• Time at home- Young person is out with friends "with nothing special to do," two or fewer nights per week.

Committment to Learning

• Achievement motivation- Young person is motivated to do well in school.
• School engagement- Young person is actively engaged in learning.
• Homework- Young person reports doing at least one hour of homework every school day.
• Bonding to school- Young person cares about her or his school.
• Reading for pleasure- Young person reads for pleasure three or more hours per week.

Positive Values

• Caring- Young person places high value on helping other people.
• Equitable & social justice- Young person places high value on promoting equality and reducing hunger and poverty.
• Integrity- Young person acts on convictions and stands up for her or his beliefs.
• Honesty- Young person "tells the truth even when it is not easy."
• Responsibility- Young person accepts and takes personal responsibility.
• Restraint- Young person believes it is important not to be sexually active or use alcohol or other drugs.

Social Competencies

• Planning & decision making- Young person knows how to plan ahead and make choices.
• Interpersonal competence- Young person has empathy, sensitivity, and friendship skills.
• Cultural competence- Young person has knowledge of and comfort with people of different cultural/racial/ethnic backgrounds.
• Resistance skills- Young person can resist negative peer pressure and dangerous situations.
• Peaceful conflict resolution- Young person seeks to resolve conflict nonviolently.

Positive Identity

• Personal control- Young person feels he or she has control over "things that happen to me."
• Self-esteem- Young person reports having a high self-esteem.
• Sense of purpose- Young person reports that "my life has purpose."
• Positive view of personal future- Young person is optimistic about her or his personal future.