Search: Jeremy Del Rio, Community Development

Turn the Lights on

Turning the lights on means educating oneself about the realities of a community, beyond the obvious.

• A tool for the process: Asset Mapping, a process that helps you to identify existing resources/services rather than merely looking at the negative aspects of your community.

“Just imagine how communities feel when at the end of their needs assessment project, they find themselves confronted with a laundry list of all the things that are wrong with their local area. Rather, it suggests that community development should begin with a systematic assessment of the assets that exist in the community.”

A Framework for Developing Assets

+ Asset Mapping in a youth development context:
Based on research involving over 2 million young people since 1989, the Search Institute has identified “40 Developmental Assets” as a framework for mapping assets for youth development.

The 40 assets framework is not meant to be exhaustive, but helps shine a light on the resources “in your hand” and assess how best to utilize them. The 40 Developmental Assets are:

“concrete, common sense, positive experiences and qualities essential to raising successful young people in our culture.”

“… In love, he predestined us to be adopted…” – Ephesians 1:4-5 (NIV)

Last month’s Pastors Prayer Summit made history. Not just because more pastors and ministry leaders attended the three-day retreat (293) than in any prior year, or because the 35 participating youth workers represented a 600-700% increase.