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Developmental Assets and Asset-Building Community: Conceptual and Empirical Foundations

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Developmental Assets and Asset-Building Communities

Abstract

The issue that frames this volume is the strengthening of the human development infrastructure in American communities. This infrastructure is concerned with the patterns and rhythms of relationships, resources, opportunities, and experiences—and the programs and policies that undergird them—for raising competent, connected, and successful children and adolescents. Since 1990, my work, and that of my colleagues at Search Institute, has focused on an action research agenda designed both to understand the role of community in human development and to position communities as co-learners with Search Institute in creating sustainable strategies for unleashing their human development capacity. As of fall, 2001, nearly 700 American urban, suburban, and rural communities in more than 30 states have launched initiatives based on this work.

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Benson, P.L. (2003). Developmental Assets and Asset-Building Community: Conceptual and Empirical Foundations. In: Lerner, R.M., Benson, P.L. (eds) Developmental Assets and Asset-Building Communities. The Search Institute Series on Developmentally Attentive Community and Society, vol 1. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0091-9_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0091-9_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-4919-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-0091-9

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