10-08-1997 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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Lutheran Brotherhood — Healthy Communities - Healthy Youth httpJ/ www .luthbro.com/youth/HCHYc...nity-Wide Asset Building in Action Yry 1 of 3 ea Wit ILKtA'V13Kt)I11L1:11t)Ul) — fin- 1 • .out : manciai internals nvestlnir, � ' ou . • of ucl: ! Iv at s eW • ome 44:34141 irsOiti40. HEALTHY YOUTH We're All in This Together: Communities Taking Action Community. That's the basis of Healthy Communities - Healthy Youth —it's even in the name! So what does an asset- building community look like? Are there flags flying and parades on Main Street and fire -works in the air? (Probably only on the Fourth of July!) But what you will notice are individual commitments from many different members of the community. HC-11Y isn't about creating a program. It is about integrating -- integrating asset building into every program that already exists. Asset building communities could be huge or small, urban or rural, liberal or conservative. They could be anywhere! Take St. Louis Park, for example. In 1994, the residents in this suburb of Minneapolis launched a community-wide initiative to promote the positive development of their young people. If you visit St. Louis Park today, you may find senior citizens waiting with little kids for the morning school bus; you may notice the police officers serving lunch in uniform at the public school cafeterias; you may hear about the 300 volunteer coaches in the coaches association who go to workshops to leam what it means to be an asset building coach; you may find the home -room period that has been implemented in the middle school and high school as a time and a place for teachers to develop relationships with kids. And these are only some of the examples of Children First, the St. Louis Park program inspired by HC-11Y. St. Louis Park shouldn't be the exception! Link up with some more information about asset- building communities and ways to inspire your community to become focused on youth! Fifteen Characteristics of Asset - Building Communities Five Things You Can Do to Mobilize Your Community for Asset Building Community -Wide Asset Building in Action How Search Institute Can Help You Get Started In Your Community Keep an eye out for these characteristics! They are sure signs of a community that cares about their youngest generation! Just knowing the characteristics will help you to develop ways to make your own community an asset builder! Fifteen Characteristics of Asset - Building Communities 1. All residents take personal responsibility for building assets in children and adolescents. 2. The community thinks and acts intergenerationally. 3. The community builds a consensus on values and boundaries, which it seeks to articulate and model. 4. All children and teenagers frequently engage in service to others. 5. Families are supported, educated, and equipped to elevate asset building to top priority. 6. All children and teenagers receive frequent expressions of support in both informal settings and in elates where youth gather. Page 62 3/1/97 9:53 AM