Coalition for Bedford Youth (CBY) Benefit from Asset 7: Community Values Youth

CBY teens were involved in the community this past summer as they showed their leadership skills helping out at events such as the “Friends of Aine Kids’ Try-athlon” event and the Town of Bedford Summer Cultural Series. More recently, CBY youth have been busy with Olde Town Day hosting their annual “Dodgeball “ tournament, helping the Town of Bedford with its Halloween Spooktacular event, fall clean up at Camp Allen and volunteering with the Kids’ Cafe, a Salvation Army program.

CBY teens are a positive influence in the community, always willing to volunteer their time in serving others. They find it very rewarding to work in a community that values its youth. This attribute of community support for CBY is a motivating factor for the members to help out in their local community. A Community that Values Youth is Asset 7 of Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets, the qualities, experiences, and relationships that help young people grow up healthy, caring, and responsible. CBY supports the well being of Bedford youth by promoting community strategies that develop such assets in children. Assets are the protective characteristics that have been linked by extensive research to enhancing resistance to at-risk behaviors.

Young people need to have opportunities to participate, serve, lead, and make decisions within the community. These same young people need to feel that the community supports children and youth. Everyone deserves a voice! CBY members from 7th to 12th grade have the opportunity to express this voice because CBY is a youth organization that is run entirely by its members, with the support of adult members for guidance if needed. These teens are responsible for initiating & organizing community service events and learning from their experiences to improve the quality of service they offer to help out in the community. This empowers them to be confident and to develop great leadership skills as well as forming a close bond with the community.

Research shows that young people who perceive that adults in the community value young people are more likely to grow up healthy, exhibit leadership, value diversity, and succeed in school. Only 22 percent of young people, ages 11–18, perceive that adults in the community value their opinions and input, according to Search Institute surveys. Recommendations to build this asset are acknowledging young people’s opinions, even if you don’t agree. At home this could be about something in the news. Additionally, engage the young people in your school or program as leaders and decision makers. Get their input on school board or program directors’ decisions.

To learn more about CBY visit our website, www.cbynh.org. To learn more about Search Institute, the 40 Developmental Assets and acquire ideas for helping young people build these assets, visit www.search-institute.org.