giving youth a voice… … what matters to children from grades 4 - 6

Giving youth a voice…

…What matters to children from grades 4 - 6

Developmental Assets: A Profile of Our Children

Leeds & Grenville SchoolsGrades 4 - 6

Me and My World Survey ReportSearch Institute

Participating schools

• Benson PS• Boundary PS• Centennial ’67 PS• Commonwealth PS• Holy Cross CS• JL Jordan CS• Linklater PS• Lyn/Tincap PS• Maynard PS

• Oxford on Rideau PS• Prince of Wales PS• South Branch ES• St. John Bosco CS• St. Joseph CS• Toniata PS• Vanier PS• Westminster PS

Who was surveyed

• Randomly selected - 27% of grades 4 – 6 student population:

891

• Gender: Females 455Males 422

Breakdown by grades

• Grade 4 299

• Grade 5 300

• Grade 6 292

• Total **891**

Our community profile

Copyright 2005 Search Institute

31- 40 Assets 28%

0 – 10 Assets 5 % 11- 20

Assets 24%

21- 30 Assets 43%

Average assets by Grade….

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Average Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6

24.725.7 23.9 24.5

Investigating our community profile

What did the survey show???

Percentage of children reporting each specific asset…

How do our youth see themselves and their world???

External assets….

• SUPPORT young people with care and attention.

• EMPOWER them to use their abilities to help others.

• Set reasonable BOUNDARIES AND have high EXPECTATIONS.

• Help them find activities that make CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF their TIME.

SUPPORT young people with care and attention.

#1 – Family support 86%

#2 – Positive family communication 58%

#3 – Other adult relationships 52%

#4 – Caring neighbourhood 55%

#5 – Caring School climate 56%

#6 – Parent involvement in schooling 42%

EMPOWER them to use their abilities to help others.

# 7 - Community Values Youth 33%

# 8 – Youth as resources 47%

# 9 – Service to others 35%

# 10 – Safety 67%

Set reasonable BOUNDARIES AND have high EXPECTATIONS.

#11 – Family boundaries 55%

# 12 – School boundaries 84%

# 13 – Neighbourhood boundaries 46%

# 14 – Adult role models 46%

# 15 Positive peer influence 85%

# 16 – High expectations 87%

Help them find activities that make CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF their

time.

# 17 – Creative activities 55%

# 18 – Youth programs 63%

# 19 – Religious community 41%

# 20 – Time at home 29%

Internal assets

• Spark their COMMITMENT TO LEARNING.

• Guide them toward a life based on POSITIVE VALUES.

• Help the develop SOCIAL COMPETENCIES and life skills.

• Celebrate their uniqueness and affirm their POSITIVE IDENTITY.

Spark their COMMITMENT TO LEARNING.

# 21 - Achievement motivation 68%

# 22 - School engagement 46%

# 23 - Homework 69%

# 24 – Bonding to school 69%

# 25 – Reading for pleasure 55%

Guide them toward a life based on POSITIVE VALUES.

# 26 – Caring 87%

# 27 – Equality and social justice 70%

# 28 – Integrity 83%

# 29 – Honesty 88%

# 30 – Responsibility 85%

# 31 – Restraint 82%

Help them develop SOCIAL COMPETENCIES and life skills.

# 32 – Planning and decision-making 44%

# 33 – Interpersonal competence 45%

# 34 – Cultural competence 65%

# 35 – Resistance skills 72%

# 36 - Peaceful conflict resolution 65%

Celebrate their uniqueness and affirm their POSITIVE IDENTITY.

# 37 – Personal power 57%

# 38 – Self-esteem 68%

# 39 – Sense of purpose 46%

# 40 – Positive view of personal future 59%

Why assets are important…

They domake a difference

in the lives of young people

They are the keys to success

Thriving behaviours

• School success A’s & B’s 76%• Helping others 1 or more days/wk 70%• Values diversity Gets along well with 81%

people who are a differentrace or culture

• Delays gratification Can wait for a reward later 52%• Coregulation Often helps parents makes 84%

decisions

• Coping Regularly uses coping skills 44%to deal with problems

• Life satisfaction 80%

The Survey shows the connection between thriving (+) behaviours and the number of assets a youth has…

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

0-10 Assets 11-20 Assets 21-30 Assets 31-40 Assets

#Of

+

Behaviours

Deficits influences that interfere with healthy development

by limiting access to external assets, orby easing the way into risky behavioural choices

• Alone at home 31%(less than one hour per day of adult supervision after school)

• TV overexposure 59%(watches TV or videos two or more hours per school day)

• Victim of violence54%( Reports yes to “In the last year, has anyone hurt you by punching, hitting , slapping or scratching you?”

Risk behaviour patterns( 6 -- Identified by the survey – two = pattern )

• Use of alcohol 9%(Has used alcohol more than once during the last year)

• Tobacco 2%( Has smoked cigarettes more than once during the last year)

• Marijuana 1%( Has used marijuana more than once during the last year)

• Anti-social behaviour 4%( Has damaged property just for fun more than once dly)

• Physical Aggression/ Violence 20%( Has hit or beat someone up more than once dly)

• Sadness 44%(Has felt sad or depressed a few or more times during the last month)

The Survey shows the connection between high risk behaviour patterns

and the number of assets a youth has…

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

0-10 Assets 11-20 Assets 21-30 Assets 31-40 Assets

#OfHighRisk

B Pe ah ta tv ei ro nu sr

1.0

%0.9

%0.5

%

0.8

%

From awareness to action…

The challenge:Since studies across time indicate that

the most typical path for students in middle and high school is for assets to decrease overall, anything we can do to build assets during the upper elementary years will aid in keeping people of developmentally healthy trajectories!!!!

What is at risK?

• If we are not intentional in our actions and behaviours to promote healthy development, we will see too many young people who are susceptible to risky behaviours and negative pressure, drawn to less desirable sources of belonging and ill-equipped to become healthy adolescents and eventually the next generation of parents , workers, and leaders.

Me and My World Survey Report, Leeds & Grenville, 2007, Search Institute