Search Institute
615 First Avenue NE Ste.125
Minneapolis MN 55413
612-376-8955 or 800-888-7828
http://www.search-institute.org

Search Institute

At the heart of the institute's work is the framework of 40 Developmental Assets, which are positive experiences and personal qualities that young people need to grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.

Areas of Work

• Research—Search Institute conducts applied scientific research on positive child and adolescent development to strengthen and deepen the scientific foundations of the Developmental Assets framework. In addition, the institute studies how communities attend to young people’s developmental needs. The survey services unit offers school districts and communities comprehensive profiles of their youth based on the framework of Developmental Assets.
• Communication—Search Institute provides a wide range of publications and practical tools to equip community and organization leaders, parents, and young people to build Developmental Assets. The resources present, interpret, and apply the institute’s research and share innovations from asset-building communities. The institute also provides information through this Web site.
• Networking—Search Institute provides opportunities for leaders and practitioners engaged in asset building to learn from each other. These include the annual Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth National Conference Healthy Communities • Healthy Youth Listserve, a network of state asset-building initiatives, alliances with national organizations, and related activities. With support from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, the institute is facilitating the formation of statewide asset-building networks in Arkansas, Nevada, and Oklahoma. The institute has also been an active partner in the formation of statewide networks in Colorado, Kansas, and Indiana.
• Community Supports—Search Institute provides limited strategic consulting and telephone technical assistance to support and learn from community asset-building initiatives. A major current initiative focuses on strengthening the capacity of school communities to build Developmental Assets.
• Training—through a partnership with Vision Training Associates, Search Institute-developed training and training of trainers is available for multiple groups in communities.