Tags
40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents, ACE, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Encampment for Citizenship, PCE, Positive Childhood Experiences, Search Institute
Two days ago I posted: “His community was later involved in a study named 40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents, which sounded like an exact reverse of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study.” “I was unaware of the 40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents when I created the Positive Childhood Experiences test (PCE test) which is a simple flip of the ACE test.” My PCE was a polar opposite of the ACE on how to raise children and it would be appropriate to do a flip on the 40 Assets as I did on the ACE test, but I am hesitant to do that because it would be giving more detail on how to raise physically, mentally, and morally sick children on how to become discontented people.
We need to create charts similar to the 40 Assets but aimed at adults, middle adults, old adults, and elderly adults. Perhaps the Search Institute already is exploring that need but their present website doesn’t list it. They are working to discover what kids need to succeed and promoting that. Its goals seem similar to the Encampment for Citizenship which I attended in 1957 at the Fieldstone School in New York. My point is that adults and old people need the supports mentioned in the 40 Assets program.
As I scan through the 40 Assets list aimed at kids age 12-18 it appears that just replacing the words “young person” with “old person” would give real help in how a fully functioning person of any age could and should relate to old people. Basically, that comes down to respect, but that word doesn’t convey the details of how respect is given by the giver and received by the receiver. People need more exact instructions on how to demonstrate respect. For example, the last part of “#40 – Positive View of Personal Future (TAKE ACTION) = Ask your kids about their goals and dreams. Help them think about the resources (financial and otherwise) they will need to make these goals a reality.” The only thing that needs to be changed to make it apply to old people as opposed to adolescent ones is to change the words kids to old people. That simple change would guide another person on how to relate to old people. The other 39 developmental assets could be similarly adapted to old people, and for adults too.
Make a poster with specific suggestions for how to help old people.
