An Ounce of Prevention

An Ounce of Prevention

A Column by Will Michael

Prevention Specialist for

Lewis & Clark County

Assets that Benefit Everyone

Howdy folks!  My name is Will Michael and I am the prevention specialist for Lewis & Clark County.  In this column I plan to share with you what I know about the kind of assets that benefit not only the holder of these assets but the entire community in which that person lives. 

The kind of assets I’m talking about here are called Developmental Asset, which are basically positive experiences and qualities that each of us can bring into the lives of children.   Search Institute out of Minnesota has identified 40 Developmental Assets which clearly benefit the lives of young people and the entire community in which they live.  From the point of view of prevention of high risk behaviors (drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex, aggression) that threaten the health and well-being of our youngsters, the research shows that the more of these 40 assets that exist for a young person the fewer high risk behaviors occur. 

The key here is that providing these types of assets takes a community, or as they say, “takes a village.”  In years past many of these assets were naturally present and didn’t need to be pointed out.  They were simply part of our small town America value system.  For example, it used to be common place for neighbors to look after and feel a sense of responsibility for each others’ children, pets and/or property.  Nowadays, with technology being what it is, we can be focused on a machine (TV, computer, video games, etc.) first thing in the morning, get into our cars in the garage, open the door with an electronic opener, drive to work or school, sit at another machine all day and then return home insulated in the car, enter the garage with the door opener and go back to another machine for the rest of the evening.  While this may seem exaggerated and isn’t likely happening in Lincoln so much yet, it is happening more and more in many people’s lives.  The point is that we can come and go day by day and never get to know or to interact with our neighbors or our neighbor’s children.  Search Institute points out that this is a serious trend and it represents an important loss of more than one of the important assets for the entire community.  These assets are:  Community Values Youth.  Caring Neighborhoods.  Neighborhood Boundaries. Safety.

So what I’d like to do in this column in future editions is to point out and explain each of these 40 assets and also offer ways the entire community can help ensure that these assets are available for the benefit of everyone.  If you can’t wait to learn week to week about the assets, contact me and I will be glad to send you the entire list:  wmichael@rmdc.net or 406-461-9240.  See you next time.