This 2-hour workshop, utilizing Search Insitute's Developmental Relationships and Developmental Assets Frameworks, is designed to help adults in the community understand and focus on five elements crucial to developing meaningful relationships with youth while building essential assets that enable youth to thrive.

Search Institute's Developmental Assets Framework identifies 40 research-based, positive experiences and qualities that influence young people's development, helping them become caring, responsible, and productive adults. Their Developmental Relationships Framework defines five elements of relationships, expressed in 20 specific actions, that have a powerful, positive impact on young people. Children and youth who experience these types of relationships are more resilient in the face of stress and trauma. Unfortunately, many young people do not have enough of these strong relationships with adults. According to Search Institute surveys, about 1 in 5 young people do not have any strong Developmental Relationships present in their lives.

We have the opportunity to be asset-builders for youth when we develop strong, meaningful relationships as outlined in the Developmental Relationships Framework.

This workshop will introduce participants to ideas on how each of us can contribute to the health and well-being of all children and youth in Bartholomew County. During this workshop, participants will:

• Review local data on the well-being of youth in Bartholomew County and examine what our county’s youth are telling us they need from adults.

• Identify and describe factors that contribute to the healthy development of young people and discover the critical role that relationships with adults play in that development.

• Identify the five elements of strong relationships with youth as outlined in Search Institute’s Developmental Relationships Framework.

• Share ideas for strengthening relationships with youth and begin planning one's own strategies for strengthening their interactions with youth.

This workshop has been approved as 2 face-to-face training hours for Foster Parents licensed through the State of Indiana and is facilitated by a Search Institute-Trained Facilitator.