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From:Frederick V.Fox To: Maiaie Anderson Date:2128/97 Time:14:42:28 Page 3 of 3 <br /> Working with Existing Resources <br /> • The coalition intends to work with existing community members and resources rather <br /> than creating new programs. Increasing involvement with youth may be accomplished by <br /> training staffs,and by increasing cooperation between community resources and institutions. <br /> Independence of Local Government <br /> Several suburbs compose the Mounds View School District. Each local government <br /> faces individual limitations and needs, and therefore must maintain the ability to address <br /> • youth issues autonomously. Nevertheless, tacit, informal coordination with neighboring <br /> governmental units is valuable for its beneficial impact on the larger community of parents <br /> and youth.As a practical matter,it would be cumbersome at best for the school district and <br /> other trans-commuunity members to coordinate these issues with each locality separately. <br /> The Role of Assets and Search Institute <br /> The Mounds View Coalition for Healthy Youth was formed in the aftermath of Search <br /> Institute's survey of Mounds View students and report by Peter Benson in May of 1995. <br /> Increasing community assets has been the mission of the Coalition from the beginning, and <br /> the efforts to engage youth in the community described herein are completely consistent with <br /> asset-building. <br /> It is the consensus of the Coalition that the Search Institutes imagery of"assets" and <br /> 41 "asset-building" are readily understandable to a wide variety of people and can serve as the <br /> basis for shared understanding and positive community actions. Search has substantial <br /> empirical evidence that youths with more assets engage in fewer at-risk, problem, or anti- <br /> social behaviors.At this time there is no direct empirical evidence that increasing the number <br /> of assets for youth in a community will diminish problem behaviors.There is,however,good <br /> evidence of effectiveness for many specific community actions that are conceptually <br /> consistent with asset-building.The Coalition will continue to use Search's imagery as a basis <br /> for discussion and communication with the larger community, and will continue to seek ideas <br /> and information from Search. But the coalition should be receptive to other relevant <br /> information from government,business,academic,and other community coalition sources <br /> as well. <br /> fvf: rev. 2/28/97 <br /> • <br />