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Parents » Asset Building
DID YOU KNOW………
Asset Initiative: Fairport-Perinton, New York
- Town of Perinton, suburb of Rochester, NY, 46,000 residents
- Village of Fairport, located in Town of Perinton, 6,000 residents
- Fairport Central School District (FCSD), Enrollment—7,059 students
Asset Resolution: Formed a partnership with the Town of Perinton, Village of Fairport, and Fairport Central School District in February 1999 to the endorse Healthy Communities-Healthy Youth Initiative. Our resolution, signed by officials at our Town Meeting on Asset Building in 1999, encourages all our citizens to participate in the healthy development of our most precious  resource, our youth.
Asset Board:
- Angel Curley, Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist, FCSD
- Jeff Meyers, Commissioner, Perinton Recreation & Parks
- Jon Hunter, Ed.D., Superintendent
Fairport Central School District - Frederick May, Mayor, Village of Fairport
- James Smith, Supervisor, Town of Perinton
- Debra Tandoi, Asset Coordinator
Key Components:
- Asset-a-Week: Completed K-12 and community awareness campaign about the 40 developmental assets and community asset building.
- Brotherhood-Sisterhood Week: Friday Family Outreach Day is now an 11-year tradition during BH-SH Week. High school students focus on Civility, Awareness, Respect, and Embrace (CARE) throughout the last week in March and then travel to elementary schools on Family Outreach Day where they model and teach values of CARE to students in grades 1-5.
- Day of Caring: For 8 years, 7th grade students have knocked on the doors of over 1,100 senior citizen homes offering a cheery hello and a personal letter with a small gift prepared by middle school students. We focus on building, strengthening, and honoring the relationships among youth, adults, and senior citizens. We reach out to show senior citizens how much they are appreciated as we focus on the theme of Connecting Generations—Strengthening Community.
- Leadership Asset Training (LAT): LAT is about developing leadership skills, being a caring person, and leading by example. After 11 years, 2,692 students have been trained by our team of 24 FHS student facilitators. This full-day training is held 7 months/year for 40 9th grade students at our community Teen Center. Fairport Police participate through Fatal Vision education; Fairport Lions fund our training.
- LEO Club: FHS students spend the school year giving back to our community as they focus on the Service to Others asset. Thousands have been reached through 11 years of LEO Club community services. Our 2008-09 project is Asset Community Building in the Pines of Perinton.
- Opening Day—Year-End Celebration: For 10 years, FCSD has added a youth participation/asset presentation piece to both the first and last day of school for staff. Opening day students perform a skit that reflects their theme for the year; the last day they make a thank you gift for all staff at an all-night asset activity then welcome and thank staff as they arrive to receive the small token of thanks.
- Perinton Recreation and Parks Summer Playground Program: Since 1998, Asset Week in the Parks enables students to go to 8 different summer play-ground locations and share the asset-building message with over 600 park participants.
- The Listening Post: Since 2003, senior citizens visit schools during lunch hours to listen to and have conversations with students while doing asset-building activities with them. Seniors build intergenerational relationships with youth while providing encouragement and developmental assets. In 2009, we had 24 trained senior citizens and 5,283 visits by students to The Listening Post during the 13-week program.
Community Asset-Building Events: Held various community events and continue to participate in events to focus on asset building: Caring Neighborhoods Asset Ambassadors (1999-2001), Asset-Building Intergenerational Prom (2000), Community Hunt for Fun (2001), Intergenerational Picnics (1999-2006), Fairport Police Bike Rodeo (2000-present), Fairport Canal Days (1999-present), Fairport Food and Music Festival (2007-present), Fairport Merchants Scarecrow Festival (2001-present), Perinton Parks Summerfest (2001-present), July 4th Parade (1999-present), FCSD Homecoming Parade (1999-present).
Also involved with: Asset Pep Rally, Asset Quilt, Asset T-Shirt Days, Beautify FHS, New Faculty Orientation, PTA Calendar, FCSD Commentator, FCSD Lunch Menus, MB Breakfast of Champions, Mix It Up Day, JP Leadership Bash, Middle School Leadership Asset Ambassadors, Elementary School Assemblies, Fairport Village Clean Sweep, Fairport Village Partnership, Fairport Village Board Youth Council, Red Ribbon Week, Fairport Library Asset Month, Friendship Circles, Chemical Prevention Advisory Council (CPAC), 5-Town Summit, Senior Computer Trainings.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
ASSETS ARE HAPPENING HERE.
NOW YOU KNOW!
Asset Building Throughout the country, in small towns and large cities, communities and individuals are focusing on positive youth development to help them grow up competent, caring, and healthy. They are building assets that will increase each child's chances of success. The Beginning in Fairport-Perinton On April 21, 1998, the Fairport Central School District held an important Town meeting attended by more than 300 parents and community members. It was important because it was the beginning of the asset-building initiative that focuses on developing youth who are healthy, caring, and responsible. The initiative is a unified effort by the Town of Perinton, Village of Fairport, and the Fairport School District to prevent violence and the use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs by youth through asset building. Asset building focuses on those factors that are critical for young people’s growth and success. The Search Institute, which is recognized nationally for its work with youth research, has identified 40 concrete, positive experiences and qualities that make a difference in the lives of young people. For the past 30 years, the Institute, which is headquartered in Minneapolis, has been advancing the well-being of youth through research and resources. Six Themes That Guide Asset Building - All children and youth need assets.
Research shows that all young people need assets regardless of gender, age, race, or ethnicity. While we must continue to pay attention to children and youth who are in crisis and those at risk, our challenge is to embrace and intentionally seek to help ALL young people. - Relationships are key.
Building assets calls upon every single person to build both formal and informal positive relationships with young people. - Everyone can build assets.
In an asset building community, everyone works at developing caring relationships with young people even if you have no children of your own or your children are grown. - Asset building is an on-going process.
Asset building begins at birth or adoption, by equipping parents-to-be with skills and knowledge to care for a baby or child. Asset building continues through childhood and adolescence and into adulthood. Young people need their assets nurtured every day. - Asset building requires consistent messages.
Young people need to receive consistent messages about what is important and what is expected from their families, schools, communities, clubs, and organizations. Asset building needs to be reinforced everywhere. - Duplication and repetition are good and important.
Young people need as many asset experiences as possible. This is one time when duplication and repetition are valuable. Through its study, the Institute developed the concept of asset building and has identified 40 Developmental Assets which are divided into external and internal groupings. External Assets are the networks of support, opportunities, and people that stimulate and nurture positive development in youth. They come from parents, neighbors, and others in the community. Internal Assets are the young person’s own commitments, values, and competencies that come from the head and heart. Research shows that the more assets youth experience, the more likely they are to engage in positive behaviors. Building Assets in Fairport Schools Today, there are many activities and programs in Fairport Schools that support and encourage the development of assets in youth at all grade levels. There are many different pieces, but they all fit together to support youth. Debra Tandoi, asset-building coordinator, has provided a PowerPoint presentation that shows the pieces. Connecting Assets. For more information, contact Debra Tandoi, asset-building coordinator. Feedback from Youth Survey After five years with a community focus on building developmental assets in youth, what are they saying about the initiative? Here are some of the student responses to a May 2003 survey about asset-building activities. - I feel a sense of unity I didn’t feel before.
- I see kids making right choices and working hard in school.
- Assets are making a difference in people’s lives and many healthy lifestyle groups are growing in members.
- I see more involvement of youth with the community and more programs being set up to get kids active and use their assets in everyday situations.
- I see people coming together and becoming friends because of assets.
- More people are respecting others.
- I see more good things at school. People always relate to the assets and are kind to other people no matter what they look like on the outside.
These statements reflect hundreds of similar comments. We are committed to continue to focus on this aspect of positive youth development in our schools and our community. Asset-Building Community Partners Together we can do so much more. You have great potential for contributing to the health and well being of all our young people. Youth excel when they are surrounded by caring adults. Help youth by getting involved with them. Know what they are about—be interested in their passions, concerns and interests. By widening their circle of caring, we share in the positive experience of a considerate community. Call Debra Tandoi at 697-1817 if you are interested in becoming involved. You are always welcome! The Listening Post: It's All About Building Relationships When you're in first grade, you need someone who'll listen to your dreams, your fears, your struggles, and your accomplishments. You need someone to hear your biggest worries, your smallest hopes, your silliest secrets, and even your newest jokes. You need someone who'll lend you a sympathetic ear when you're low, an encouraging ear when you're scared, and a friendly ear when you need a confidant. The truth is we all need these very same things in all the years ahead through elementary, middle school, high school, college, and beyond. That's why we've started The Listening Post at Martha Brown Middle School. It's a time and place for all ages, where there's unhurried conversation and no one is judged and everyone is accepted. It's a time to be heard and to talk about anything. It's a place where friendships are made and youth sit down with a caring adult with no pressure and no expectations. The proven key to the healthy development of our youth is to increase the interaction between young people and adults in our community. Our kids need adult relationships. Several senior citizens have been trained and are present every Friday during lunch periods. They listen to the kids and have conversations about things important to them.
Over 150 kids stop by The Listening Post each Friday. Adults and youth work together on an activity that focuses on one of the developmental assets. While being busy with their hands, kids are comfortable talking with the adult volunteers. If you'd like to become a listener or have questions about The Listening Post, contact Debra Tandoi, Asset Building Coordinator at 697-1817.
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