Equitable Adult/Youth Relationships Cultivate Developmental Assets

Decades of research has shown that student’s development is rooted in their relationships. Having caring, positive relationships with parents, teachers, mentors, coaches, and peers, increases the likelihood that young people develop resilience in the face of adversity, promotes growth-mindset, and helps them to develop social-emotional learning skills needed to succeed at school & thrive in life.

However, the same research has been instrumental in exposing that about 40 percent of young people feel lonely. Our studies and those of others also show that socioeconomic equity gaps increase and that academic motivation declines as studen ts progress from elementary school through high school.

So what does this mean? Essentially, this means that the task of preparing our young people for the future is not just for educators. If we want to see our children thrive and grow with a positive outlook on life and the future, we all have work to do.

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We believe that relationships are developmental when they help young people:

• Learn social competence so that they can engage and contribute to the world around them.
• Focus on mental health and emotional resilliance needed to discover who they are.
• Develop academic learning with the intellect and abilities needed to shape their own lives.