The Assets of the Month

• The asset of the month is an extension of the 40 Developmental Assets. The Asset of the Month Program aims to focus the community on the applicability of the 40 assets. At United Way of Inner Wisconsin, we distribute the Assets of the Month to area school districts for use in monthly newsletters to parents.Click here to have the Asset of the Month emailed to your ogranization.
• February, 2012:  Asset 1 – Family Support
  Young people who have this asset feel loved and supported in their family.
  Tell your children that you love them.  Tell them again.  Don’t assume they know how much you care – tell them over and over again.  Let your love for your children show in your eyes, your smiles, your voice and your body language.  Give them more hugs.  Eat at least one meal together every day, even when you are strapped for time.  The act of sitting down together at the table and sharing time, space, food and conversation is a powerful way to support each other.  Keep mealtimes positive  - avoid using this time to discuss bad grades, your son’s fender bender or this morning’s late start.  Try to spend time with each child individually every day.  Ten minutes at the end of the day may not seem like much, but it provides the opportunity to connect and let them know they are important.  Take care of yourself and be loving toward your spouse or partner.  Children learn to love by example.
• January, 2012:  Asset 40 – Positive View of Personal Future
  Kids who have this asset are optimistic about their future. 
  At home, you can build this asset by encouraging your children to tell you about their dreams for and fears related to the future.  Address their fears and don’t dismiss them.  Recent world events have resulted in real fears about the future.  Log onto www.redcross.org for information on making a family disaster plan.  Support your child's dreams, even when you feel they are unrealistic. Accentuate the positive: Instead of "You can't do that by yourself," try "I can help you do that."   Model a positive attitude by taking time to enjoy life: notice a beautiful sunset, appreciate a good dinner, enjoy a flower in the garden, or a song on the radio.  Encourage your child to try, whether they succeed or fail.  In the community, create a climate of optimism.  Affirm and support the positive and good things about this community. Share youthful enthusiasm by helping them make plans to realize their dreams. In all things, choose joy. 
• December, 2011:  Asset 19 - Religious Community
  Kids who have this asset spend one or more hours each week in religious services or participating in spiritual activities. 
  To develop this asset, families must choose a congregation wisely and find one that emphasizes your family values.  Include your children in the decision making process to be sure that their needs will be met and their concerns will be dealt with openly.  It helps when the whole family is involved in activities that encourage spiritual development.  Get involved in the many inter-generational opportunities that most faith based organizations offer.  Find ways to build relationships with members of your congregation who are willing to spend time with young people.  Encourage faith development by sharing your own faith experiences and religious traditions, while being open to establishing new traditions that belong to your own family.  Simple activities like breakfast together before or after church each week can build lifelong positive memories and strengthen a young person’s involvement in their religious community.  Learn about how others practice their faith and teach your children to understand and respect the diversity of different traditions. 
• November, 2011:  Asset 10 – Safety
  Kids who have this asset feel safe at home, at school and in their neighborhood.
  Let children and youth know that you value them and want them to be safe in all activities.  At home, don’t tolerate hurtful words or actions and set clear family ground rules about maintaining physical and emotional safety.  If children, even teenagers, will be home alone, establish and enforce rules about telephone use, answering the door, using appliances, and Internet use.  Get to know as many people in your neighborhood as possible so that your children feel comfortable seeking help if they need it.  Don’t tolerate bullying, disrespect or cruelty toward anyone at any time.  Teach children to avoid others who are mean, hurtful or disrespectful.  In school, support activities like peer mediation training, embracing diversity and peaceful conflict resolution.  Make sure that youth have access to services like hot-lines, counselors and others they trust for times when they feel their safety has been violated.
• October, 2011:  Asset 26 - Caring
  Youth are more likely to grow up healthy when they believe it is important to help others. 
  As a family, talk about people who could use your help.  Maybe you have an elderly neighbor who has a hard time getting to the grocery store.  Maybe your church collects food to give to the local food pantry.  Maybe your child heard about the families in Asia who survived the tsunami, but were injured or lost their homes, friends or family members. Think about things that you can do to help these people in need.  Then, take some action to make a difference.  Children and youth are often very willing to reach out to others, when they have the opportunity before them.  Adults can provide these opportunities and be role models of caring behaviors.  Let the young people in your lives know that you care about them, just as they are.  Smile at them, listen to them, speak to them with respect and love.  Remember that kids don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.  Take action:  participate in United Way of Inner Wisconsin’s Day of Caring on Oct. 22, 2011.  We will be raking yards for our local elderly and disabled neighbors.  Contact the Volunteer Center at 715-421-0390, or visit www.uwiw.org to learn more!
• September, 2011:  Asset 21 – Achievement Motivation
  Kids who have this asset are motivated to do well in school.
  Clearly communicate to children that you value learning, that you think school is their most important job and that you want and expect them to take it seriously.  Set your expectations high, according to each student’s individual and unique interests and capabilities.  Parents, get and stay connected with teachers.  Don’t wait for report cards to find out how your children are doing in school.  Encourage motivation from the inside out – tap into their interests and passions and find ways to connect them to what is being taught in school.  Avoid “paying” kids for learning with money, rewards or excessive praise – that becomes motivation from the outside in and will not encourage long-term results.  Be a lifelong learner and learn along with your children.  Plan vacations to historical sites, visit the state capitol as a family, and watch educational television together.  Read the same books and talk about them.  Brainstorm questions you are all curious about and then go to the library, or surf the web to research the answers.
• August, 2011:  Asset 4 – Caring Neighborhood
  Kids who have this asset believe that their neighbors support them, encourage them and care about them.  
  Encourage adults in the neighborhood to take the time to get to know the kids living nearby.   Learn their names and make it a point to talk to them whenever you have the chance.  Work together with your neighbors on a task, like raking leaves, caring for pets or shoveling snow.  If you are a parent, introduce your children to the adults in the neighborhood and encourage them to be polite and respectful neighbors.  Leading by example is the best way to teach any behavior – be neighborly!  Wave and say hi when you meet, and take the time to get to know one another.
• July, 2011:  Asset 36 - Peaceful Conflict Resolution
  Youth are more likely to grow up healthy when they resolve conflicts without violence. 
  When arguments occur, model non-violence at home by being respectful of others.  Confront people when a problem exists instead of waiting for a bigger problem to develop.  Use “I” statements – instead of saying, “You made me mad because you took the car without asking,” say, “I felt mad when you took the car without asking.  Next time, please ask for my permission before taking the car.”  Using polite words or phrases like, “please,” “thank you,” “excuse me,” and “I’m sorry” can prevent conflicts resulting in violence.  Keeping calm and defusing conflict is far more effective than engaging in angry power struggles with young people, and helps them learn peaceful conflict resolution skills.
• June, 2011:  Asset 25 – Reading for Pleasure
  Kids who have this asset read for pleasure three or more hours each week. 
  Parents model reading for pleasure when they talk with their children about what they're reading and explain how reading gives them pleasure. Reading aloud is a great family activity, especially for the younger children. Visit the library often and help your children obtain their own library card.   Encourage and share your child’s enthusiasm for reading by giving them books and magazine subscriptions as gifts.  Put bookshelves in their rooms and help fill them with their favorite books.  Let them choose what they want to read, within the boundaries of your family values and discuss what they learned or experienced through what they read. Explain that reading is important to be informed and knowledgeable about life and the world.  Limit TV and computer games.  It takes only 26 minutes reading per day to reach the goal of 3 hours per week.  Participate in United Way of Inner Wisconsin’s Summer Reading Program, and receive a free book!  Call 715-421-0390 or visit www.uwiw.org for more information.
• May, 2011:  Asset 20 - Time at Home
  Kids who have this asset go out with friends “with nothing special to do” two or fewer nights each week. 
  Limit kid’s evenings out so that they don’t spend more than two nights a week with friends "with nothing special to do".   Being at home in a positive family environment four nights a week is a good guideline to start with, but it’s good to be flexible by encouraging children to also participate in youth programs and activities.  Be aware that the number of nights at home is not an asset if everyone is too busy to connect with one another, or if young people are watching TV or on the computer for long periods of time.  Find ways to do things together – board games, making meals, chores, taking a walk, or anything that affords the opportunity to make positive and healthy connections with each other. 
• April, 2011:  Asset 9 – Service to Others
  Young people who have this asset serve in the community one or more hour per week.
  There are many benefits of serving others including personal satisfaction, learning to get along with people, acquiring new skills, building relationships with many different kinds of people, learning patience and making a difference in the world.  As a family, do something for someone else – shovel a neighbor’s walk, take a child to the library or pick up litter in the park.  You don’t have to commit to a large project – serving others can be as simple as baking cookies and sharing them with the bus driver or visiting someone who is homebound.  Doing things for others helps young people see beyond their own needs and desires.  It feels good, it makes a difference and it helps the whole community.  To learn how to volunteer, contact the Volunteer Center at 715-421-0390 or visit www.volunteerinnerwisc.org.  .