professionals and families build assets. The Asset-Building Toolkit
is filled with easy, online access to tools, videos, ideas and
resources to enhance work with staff, parents, children and youth.
Assets and Family Assets can be built more effectively and
efficiently when we start with Developmental Relationships.
This Asset-Building in
Halton graphic illustrates how professionals and families build assets.
Harness the power of organizations to make a difference in the lives of children and youth through asset-building.
asset-poor and asset-rich organizational characteristics and values.
Examine an organization’s asset-building ability and capacity. Use for strategic planning to identify strengths and gaps.
Stimulate discussions about assets and use for planning in an organization or on a team.
necessary preconditions to building relationships in organizations,
the barriers and ideas. Create schools and programs where
Developmental Relationships thrive.
about how St. Albert, Alberta has embedded asset-building into their
this example when grant and proposal writing.
Comprehensive information and research that are the foundation of Developmental Assets.
Use these points to support the asset-building approach.
this infographic from PREVNet illustrating Canadian statistics
related to youth and healthy relationships.
this infographic from Health Canada illustrating data collected from
the Health Behaviour of School-Aged Children in Canada study.
Information, ideas and resources to raise awareness and communicate about asset-building.
In her TED Talk, Dr. Pepler, scientific co-director of PREVNet, discusses why children need connections with caring adults now more than ever to help them feel valued, support them to learn, do not add stress to their lives, but help buffer the stresses they encounter.
Use these ready-to-go PowerPoint presentations and resources next time you are asked to present.
Use these Key Messages help to define the Asset-Building efforts of your organization.
Search Institute has identified five elements—20 specific actions—that make relationships powerful and the key ingredient to child and youth success. Once meaningful relationships exist, it’s more effective and efficient to build Developmental Assets and Family Assets.
Share this 4-minute animated video created by students, with the support of adult allies. After they had learned about Developmental Relationships (developed by the Search Institute), they talked about how relationships make a difference in their lives.
Share this 4-minute video about how adults shape the way children think, feel and act right from birth. Use this video to have conversations about the relationship strategies.
Use this example about a young girl who succeeds due to asset-building in her school and community to write your own asset-building story for a local paper.
Search Institute has identified building blocks of healthy development that help children and young children grow up healthy, caring and responsible.
This document provides a complete listing of the 40 Developmental Assets for ages 12-18.
Building blocks of healthy development that help children ages 3 to 5 grow up healthy, caring and responsible.
Building blocks of healthy development that help children ages 5 to 9 (kindergarten through grade 3).
Building blocks of healthy development that help children throughout the middle years, ages 8 to12.
Use this resource to identify future goals and objectives in your work.
Search Institute’s focus on developmental relationships highlights the vital roles that families play in young people’s development, learning, and thriving.
This document provides an overview of the Family Asset Framework – 20 actions for families to be happy and strong.
Share this infographic to inspire professionals about shifts that successful schools, organizations and coalitions are making to engage families as partners.
8-minute introductory video that illustrates important key messages about Search Institute’s internationally-recognized research on the strengths and supports that enable young people to thrive.
National Asset-Building organization. Order Search resources, access training or connect to other asset-building organizations across Canada.
11-minute introductory video that shares Developmental Asset-Building concepts for Early Years staff.
Consider catching people doing things right in your organization.... a strategy to engage children, youth, families and staff in any organization.
Use this template to write or script your Asset-Building stories for the news, a newsletter or video.
Five 2-minute videos of how Halton professionals rely on Asset-Building in their work with children, youth and families. Use them to inspire at your work.
Six short videos showcase a range of people from a young person to the Mayor of St. Albert, Alberta. Their messages demonstrate how easy asset-building really is.
3-minute TED Talk presented by Josh Shipp, a former youth in care. His powerful story illustrates how the support of one caring adult can have a profoundly positive impact on a child’s life.
1-minute video that shares how the small everyday things we do and say can make a positive impact on children's lives.
Resources for supervisors, managers, human resource professionals, and those who work with volunteers.
Examples of policy statements that can change an organization’s culture.
5-minute video hosted by Search Institute President & CEO, Dr. Kent Pekel.
Reflect on this checklist when developing or evaluating your program.
Share this table to encourage discussion and to prioritize relationships between professionals in your organization.
Consider these key shifts in approach and implementation when working with parenting adults.
Use this checklist to develop your next job posting, interview questions and considerations for follow-up.
Use an asset-building lens for your next interview.
Complete this checklist to test asset-building knowledge and understanding. Can be used for interviewees.
Use these ideas for constructive feedback, reference checks and timing.
Share this volunteer application template developed by the Boys and Girls Club, Kamloops, British Columbia
Share this volunteer intake form developed by Iroquois Ridge Secondary School, Oakville, Ontario to help identify strengths of volunteers.
Model asset-building with new employees.
Keep the conversation moving towards positive relationships by regularly using these 7 easy, phrases.
Use these relationship-building tips next time you are presenting to professionals or to parents.
The center of a large and growing movement that considers local assets as the primary building blocks of sustainable community development.
5-minute illustrated video that shows the importance of adult skills when interacting with children and youth. Inspires outside the box thinking for staff PD sessions.
2-minute TED Talk video by Rita Pearson, for professionals to reflect on the impact they can have every day.
Concrete information, ideas and resources to enhance the great work you are already doing.
Five-minute video shares every day, small actions that make a difference. Use it to set the tone for meetings, forums and events.
Incorporate these concrete ideas into your efforts of building more meaningful relationships with parents at school.
Use this tool to help you examine your programs through an asset lens.
Try this checklist to find strengths and areas of growth for your family.
Quick and easy ideas for parents to build and track assets.
Practical ideas developed by Halton professionals organized by the Developmental Assets categories.
Consider this youth-for-youth transition program that builds assets and positive school culture.
Make an even bigger difference in the life of a young person by trying these asset building ideas.
2-minute video of a young woman talking about how building assets doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. Benefits a peer mentor audience.
Research links and school-focussed asset-building resources compiled by Halton Region Public Health.
Young people ranked what is most important to them in programs. Use this tool to evaluate your approach.
Discussion starter and planning tool for people and groups working for the betterment of their neighbourhood.
Keep Connected offers all kinds of families—and organizations that support them—ideas, activities, and experiences to help build strong family relationships.
Use this template to write a letter to a child or youth that you see every day.
Consider these ideas from Halton professionals to enhance your programs through asset-building.
Discuss these actions from the YMCA approach to applying asset-building in your daily work with children.
6-minute video by Search Institute’s Dr. Kent Pekel, shares the classroom-based example of how relationships work.
Tools and resources to get you started or to go a little deeper in embedding engagement into your work.
Based on Search Institute's research from their DREAM project, this one-pager gives you all the most valuable tips from youth on building relationships, increasing motivation and achievement at school and beyond.
Developed by ROCK, this resource offers short one-liners that adults can use to show compassion, empathy and caring when others, especially children, are upset.
Use poster to inspire youth to build something for your organization. Poster created by students from Eastview Public School in Oakville, Ontario, with adult allies.
2-minute video from the Milton Community Resource Centre sharing “Our Human Rights” in children’s voices. Meeting or conversation starter related to asset-building.
2-minute video from Search Institute that shares elements of a Developmental Relationship and gives examples.
Use the resources on this website to learn how to deal with power struggles, help kids become responsible, resolve conflicts, and improve quality of our relationships.
Use this resource that was created by youth as a quick checklist to organize youth-friendly meetings.
Template to develop a comprehensive child and youth engagement policy.
5-minute video from Milton Community Resource Centre that depicts children’s voice and what is important to them.
Use this template to give children a voice in your classroom or program.
Sample policy recommendation from Halton Hills developed with input from youth.
Milton Community Resource Centre activity to help children express their thoughts and opinions through the use of digital cameras.
1-minute video of youth advocate Danny Howe talking about what he is doing to build assets in his community.
Discuss this list, developed by Halton youth, at your next meeting about youth engagement.
Resource to determine readiness for meaningful youth engagement for committees and community groups.
A compilation of the principles of youth engagement, the reason for a continuum vs a policy and the inclusion of youth ideas and thoughts.
Use this guide to engage local youth in Photovoice activity to give them voice and help bring about change in their communities.
Use this template to highlight boundaries and expectations when youth or parents are volunteering.
Five-minute video from the Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health on the importance of youth engagement at all levels.
An on-line, user-friendly, comprehensive toolkit that addresses all aspects of youth engagement.
Reflect on questions that can be used as a tool to consider children’s thoughts and feelings about your program, as well as to consider how their voices are invited and heard.
Share infographic developed by the North Oakville Youth Development Council with youth in your neighbourhood.
Share article about the North Oakville Youth Development Council as an example of how important it is to include youth in these conversations.
An infographic that shares the North Oakville Youth Development Council’s three Youth Action Plan themes.
Resources and tools to help evaluate asset-building. Keep momentum going and to find opportunities to celebrate success!
Four essential steps to designing and evaluating a community-based information and media project.
this survey in your program to gauge how you are doing.
includes details of a rural community’s asset-building initiative
and evaluation tools are a key component.
has a robust body of knowledge, resources and tools focused on
Evaluation Planning and Outcome Evaluation to help you assess your
tools for developing program logic models, a post-program survey or
for embarking on a full evaluation.
video created in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week. Great way to
video captures reactions of students when school staff told them why
they inspire them to come to school every day.
video shares the responses from elementary school students when asked
questions about what “community” means to them.
template to collect feedback about how children feel about YMCA
quotes from your children and youth in your presentations, reports
and marketing resources.
template for youth to use to share their feelings about
for youth to use to rate and reply to questions about how inclusive
their experience on a team is.
introduction to the research and evaluation platform hosted by