Building Asset Based Relationships with Youth

I, Erin Rutten had the opportunity to attend a training called Building Asset-Based Relationships with Youth on Wednesday, November, 29th, 2017. I was referred to this event by my Site Supervisor, Arica Villegas of Helix Charter High School. Previously, I had done some research on the Developmental Assets and was curious to learn more. This training took place at the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) and was sponsored by Student Attendance, Safety, and Well-Being. The presenter, Heather Nemour, held an interactive training on the Developmental Asset framework by Search Institute. This framework is used for understanding the things that help children to grow up into healthy, caring, and responsible adults. It consists of 40 building blocks of development that promote student strengths and positive relationships. One of the key assets that can be applied in schools is a positive adult relationship. Research has proven that students who have one or more caring adult in his or her life can improve academic success and resilience (H. Nemour, personal communication, November 29, 2017).

There are a number of ways in which school counselors can use the Developmental Asset framework amongst staff to promote healthy relationships with students. Some of the interventions shared by Heather Nemour include: the implementation of an invisible mentoring program, providing meaningful roles for students, and utilizing the asset development school-wide norms checklist (personal communication, November 29, 2017). Of these three tools, the invisible mentoring is one that I would like to try at my school. Invisible mentoring is a way for school staff to target students that lack connections with a caring adult in school. Invisible mentoring can be applied at any grade level and to all genders. It can be easily applied by a small group of staff or the entire school staff. Invisible mentoring can also be adapted to build relationships with staff, parents, community members, etc. However, these relationships might have different impacts culturally and this should be taken into consideration prior to implementing an invisible mentor program.

As a school counselor, it is important to share the foundation of asset-based relationships before implementing invisible mentoring. Sharing the Developmental Asset framework can increase staff buy-in through the evidence-based practices illustrated by Search Institute. Once staff has a grasp of this model, students can be identified. This process can be completed in a number of different ways. One example is for school staff to check off all students they have a connection with. Once this is completed, students can be assigned to each staff member. Next, staff will check-in with their assigned student daily, or however often is decided, to form relationships with these students. Note that the student should not be notified that they were assigned a mentor. In order to measure the effectiveness of an invisible mentorship program staff can self-report their results, CHKS data can be analyzed, or a needs assessment can be used to identify before and after results.

Resources:
Websites- Search Institute
Book- Ask Me Where I'm Going & Other Revealing Messages from Today's Teens
Additional Takeaways that can be purchased through Search Institute-