First Steps

 
Write a two- to three-page analysis of your community and the existing programs for youth within this community using the following guidelines:

Using your research from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Fact Finder (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., Pew Research Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., and the National Center for Education Statistics (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., create an info-graphic picture of your community to support your written analysis. Embed the info-graphic picture into your analysis as a chart illustrating the written analysis. Your info-graphic and analysis should illustrate those statistics that have direct bearing on the 40 Developmental Assets identified by the Search Institute which can include, but are not limited to:

Population demographics, including ethnicity and special populations
Economic status
Housing and household demographics

Summarize youth-related issues that seem to be at the forefront of your community. Use specific examples to support your observations (newspaper headlines, community meetings, political platforms, etc.) and cite your text when appropriate.

In support of your written analysis, create and embed a table that identifies the resources for young people that already exist in your community. Your table should include:

The name of the program
A short description of the program’s mission
An analysis how the program engages with the youth they serve (Are they partners with adults?)
Summarize which of the 40 Developmental Assets the program focuses on or attempts to meet with their program

Conclude your analysis by brainstorming ideas on how you can plug into one or more of the existing programs using the Asset Building Framework. Focus specifically on where you can make an impact in strengthening relationships within families, among peers, within schools and other institutions, in programs and outside of programs, and across generations. Your analysis must be two to three pages in length (excluding the title and reference pages), double spaced, and be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Two references, charts, and tables should be properly cited. Your info-graphic and analysis will be used in your Final Paper and presentation.