Developmental Assets Build Strong Youth
Assets for Colorado Youth worked in partnership with others to create environments that improve the health and well-being of children and young people by building on the developmental assets framework – an approach focused on adopting positive behaviors, rather than curbing negative behaviors.
In recognition of The Colorado Trust’s 25th anniversary, we are featuring stories throughout the year noting the accomplishments of a few of the many remarkable people, organizations and communities we have had the privilege of working with over the years on our shared goal of improving the health and well-being of Coloradans.
“We’ve seen amazing youth involvement in creating their town. We love to see the youth step forward and feel like they are getting what they need.” – Pat Senecal, Assistant Town Manager, Town of Ignacio, Colorado
When the funding for Ignacio Teen Court was cut in 2005, eighth grader and Teen Court “lawyer” Anthony Porambo turned his disappointment into action. While some in this small southwestern Colorado town doubted his ability to rekindle the peer justice program that gives youth offenders a second chance, others listened and actively encouraged him.
“Growing up on the Southern Ute reservation I saw a lot of Native American and other ethnic kids that had it rough like me. I wanted to do something in the community and be a role model for others,” says Porambo, noting that irresponsible drug and alcohol use was common among his peers. A 2007 Developmental Assets Survey conducted in Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio revealed such behavior was tolerated by adults and even perceived as a social norm.
Porambo’s determination sprouted from a commitment to youth engagement that was just beginning to take root in La Plata County, partly as a result of The Colorado Trust’s early support of efforts to strengthen families and communities. Between 1996 and 2002, The Colorado Trust, in partnership with Search Institute, initiated the Assets for Colorado Youth (ACY) program to nurture the development and well-being of children and teens.
Building on the developmental assets framework—an approach focused on adopting positive behaviors, rather than curbing negative behaviors—ACY became a leader in creating practical tools and resources for individuals and families, schools and school districts, and nonprofit organizations in communities across Colorado and nationally. ACY works in partnership with others to create environments that improve the health and well-being of children and young people. It has had particular success in engaging communities of color and Spanish-language communities.
La Plata County is just one example of a place where policies and resources for youth have become more focused on strengths as the necessary building blocks for healthy development. The County’s comprehensive Children, Youth and Family Master Plan was created after community members, including educators, law enforcement authorities, city and county officials, and health and human services representatives, came together and concluded that they could do more than simply provide services to those already “in trouble.”
“The master planning process helped identify specific areas that needed to change in our communities to help our children, youth and families thrive,” says Jenny Pritchard, Durango School District 9R Health Education Coordinator. “The philosophy behind it was based on asset building.”
Today, positive youth development is perceived as a prevention strategy by the San Juan Basin Health Department and is integral to its efforts to promote health and healthy communities. “When you tell adults that only 28 percent of the kids around them think they are behaving responsibly, that was a wake-up call that mobilized people to take a hard look at this issue,” says Pritchard, referring to the 2007 survey.
After receiving numerous awards for academic, athletic and leadership achievement at Ignacio High School, Porambo is a newly minted freshman and junior varsity pitcher at Oklahoma Baptist University. “I wanted kids to think, ‘if Anthony can do it, so can I,’ and to give these kids inspiration and hope,” he says.
Among the initiatives spearheaded by Porambo is a Youth Planning Commission recently launched with in-kind support from the Southern Ute Community Action Program, the local Boys and Girls Club and a $1,000 grant from the Ballantine Family Fund. The Commission will give youth a voice in the Town’s affairs and may just lead the charge for bringing back the Teen Court.
