NCJ Number
147046
Date Published
1993
Length
76 pages
Annotation
Using data from 112 communities, this report examines the way in which youth experience their community's strengths and how these factors contribute to youth development.
Abstract
The 245 schools, communities, or both conducted a systematic study of student perspectives, values, and behaviors using a 152-item survey instrument from the Search Institute between September 1989 and September 1991. Almost 90,000 youths between grades 6 and 12 completed the surveys. Findings revealed that 79 percent of the 112 communities had fewer than 5,000 residents. The communities varied considerably in their success in protecting youth from at- risk behavior and in providing a nurturing, healthy environment. Community strengths included family strengths, school strengths, community-involvement strengths, and peer strengths. In a typical community, only four of the 13 community strengths were experienced by a majority of youth. At-risk behaviors included alcohol or other drug use, sexual activity, depression or suicide, antisocial behavior, and school problems. Community-led institutions, including schools, religious institutions, youth organizations, and the general support of structured activities, are clearly influential in shaping a healthy community youth. A healthy community benefits both youth with many assets and vulnerable youth who have fewer personal assets, such as strong families, in their lives. Although caring and supportive families make a major difference in the lives of their own youth, family factors do not differ much between the healthiest and least healthy communities. Finally, while individual community strengths may not have a dramatic impact, they become powerful when drawn together. Even more important, communities can add strengths one by one to create a gradual decline in at-risk behaviors. Figures, tables, chapter notes, and appended methodological information