The YHP uses 40 assets from the Search Institute as building blocks for youth development.

In honor of National Mentoring Month, community leaders from across Delaware met today for the fourth annual “Mentoring Works” Summit. By encouraging potential mentors to become involved in young people’s lives, the summit is strengthening a statewide support system to help young people succeed in school, work and life.

“You don’t know who you’re going to touch. You don’t know who you’re going to impact. You don’t know who you’re going to develop unless you reach out to our young people,” Ty Jones, AstraZeneca’s Director External Affairs, told the group.

This week, the Delaware News Journal profiled two such young people – brothers growing up on the East Side of Wilmington. A target area for the Young Health Program, the East Side of Wilmington is a dangerous environment with limited recreational opportunities for youths like Quinton Dorsey and Zaiair Miller Johnson. Quinton and Zaiair are being raised by their grandmother Deborah Cleveland.

Nearly 15 percent of the 26,000 children living on the East Side are between 10 and 19 years old, and most are being cared for by single mothers or grandparents.

From the News Journal story:

One-third of East Side families live below the poverty line, and more than two-thirds are on food stamps. Unemployment has reached 19 percent there, and most of the kids, like Quinton and Zaiair, are on free or reduced lunch at school; some rarely, if ever, eat a healthy meal at home.

And even school can be a challenge. Zaiair is a fifth-grader at Stubbs Elementary School, where he said fights routinely break out. Quinton said he and the rest of his class at Moyer Academy, where he is in the eighth grade, are failing English because they can’t do their work. The teacher spends more time trying to gain control of the chaotic classroom than she does teaching.

Both schools are predominantly low-income and minority.

Shawn Allen is a community activist who serves as a mentor for Quinton and Zaiair. Allen says the community no longer is involved in helping to raise neighborhood children. There’s no longer the sense of village on the East Side that there once was.

The Young Health Program is developing a way to train more mentors, like Allen, throughout the state, including such places as schools and community centers.

For more on Quinton and Zaiair’s story, you can access an app on the News Journal’s site that hosts videos of youths including Quinton and Zaiair, read their stories, view an interactive map of the state of Delaware and take the “40 Assets” test.

Photos from today’s event can be viewed on the Young Health Program’s IM:40 Facebook page.

The Del. News Journal has launched an app where you can follow the stories of young people throughout the state of Delaware.

The Delaware News Journal recently launched a five-part series on the implementation of the AstraZeneca Young Health Program: IM40 throughout the state of Delaware. In partnership with the United Way of Delaware, the initiative promotes positive youth development and healthy behaviors for at-risk adolescents.

The News Journal introduced the series by noting:

• AstraZeneca has partnered with the United Way to start a movement in Delaware it hopes will serve as a national model to help young people prosper by filling in the gaps of their development, whether it be social, health or educational.
• Over the next two years, The News Journal and delawareonline.com will follow these youth and others like them as the program blossoms and the community learns to provide the support they need to fulfill their potential.

In the coming days, we will be highlighting some of the News Journal’s stories, including the profiles of young people from Wilmington, Kent and Sussex counties.

On the News Journal’s website, you can access an app that hosts videos of profiles on young participants, read their stories, view an interactive map of the state of Delaware and take the “40 Assets” test.

To learn about YHP: IM40, take a moment and visit www.im40.org. The recently launched site allows youth, parents, teachers and community leaders to navigate the site separately so each group receives the information that is most relevant to them.

You also can get updates by liking YHP: IM40 on Facebook and Twitter.

Sarah Kenney, Assistant Director, Marketing and Integration, United Way of Delaware; Ty Jones, Director, Delaware External Affairs, AstraZeneca; Renee Roberts, Director of Strategic Initiatives, United Way of Delaware; and Tywanda Howie, Marketing and Communications Associate, United Way of Delaware, played a key role in yesterday’s 24^th Annual Youth Empowerment Conference in Dover, Delaware.

The United Way of Delaware has announced the selection of four organizations responsible for advancing the AstraZeneca Young Health Program: IM40, an initiative that promotes positive youth development and healthy behaviors for at-risk adolescents.

The four organizations will engage youth through community resource mapping, partnership and capacity building, and adolescent health promotion:

• Children and Families First in New Castle County, specifically targeting the East Side of Wilmington.
• The Delaware 4-H Foundation in Kent County, specifically targeting North Dover.
• Sussex County Health Promotion Coalition in Sussex County, specifically targeting Seaford.

The YMCA of Delaware, working together with these organizations, has been a long-time advocate of the importance of building developmental assets – those qualities and experiences that help protect and promote the health and well-being of young people.

The 24^th Annual Youth Empowerment Conference, hosted by the YMCA in Dover this week, drew more than 200 young people from across the state. The conference was focused on empowering youth to use their personal assets to become the agents of positive change within their schools and communities. Youth participated in a number of workshops, such as asset building and community issues forums, that supplied them with the means necessary to sustain a culture of making healthy choices. They also heard from Aaron Davis, retired medical policeman and current leader at Chaos Theory, who presented on the dangers of falsehoods portrayed in the media.

“With the selection of these four organizations, the YHP: IM40 initiative begins to implement a range of activities that will engage and unify community leaders, educators, parents, youth and others across the state toward a common purpose – to help young Delawareans become healthier and be successful in school and in life,” said Tyrone Jones, Director, Delaware External Affairs at AstraZeneca.

To learn about YHP: IM40, take a moment and visit the newly updated website at www.im40.org. These recent renovations allow youth, parents, teachers and community leaders to navigate the site separately so each group receives the information that is most relevant to them.

You also can get updates by liking YHP: IM40 on Facebook and Twitter.

AstraZeneca employees fill backpacks for Warner Elementary.

AstraZeneca employees spent the morning packing school bags with Children and Families First of Delaware for Warner Elementary School in Wilmington, Delaware. Children and Families First of Delaware has recently been named one of the Young Health Program Community Mobilizer Organizations, responsible for advancing the implementation of the YHP program in a specific geographical area of Delaware.

Volunteers filled approximately 50 backpacks with various school supplies gathered from donations by AstraZeneca employees. The backpacks will be given to children in grades K-5 and the leftover supplies will be distributed to teachers for use in various classrooms.

“AstraZeneca continues to support the efforts of Delaware Valley nonprofit organizations working to improve health in communities across the U.S.,” said Roianne Ross, Director, External Affairs. “Our contributions work to connect people and communities with resources that improve their health and well-being.”

AstraZeneca recognizes the importance of contributing to nonprofit organizations to help meet the growing challenges they face each and every day. For more information on the communities AZ supports, visit our Responsibility page on www.AstraZeneca-US.com.

Duffy’s Hope 10th Annual Field Day in Wilmington.

On Friday, approximately 50 AstraZeneca employees will head to Rockford Park in Wilmington, Del., for the 10^th Annual Duffy’s Hope Celebrity Softball Game and Let’s Move! Delaware Field Day in support of the Let’s Move! initiative.

Let’s Move!, First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to raise a healthier generation of kids, is dedicated to putting children on the path to a healthy future during their earliest months and years. The goal is to give parents helpful information about fostering environments that support healthy choices.

This two-day event is hosted by Duffy’s Hope, Inc., an organization that strives to enrich the Delaware community by working with at risk youth to strengthen their academic achievement and social surroundings through advocacy, education, mentoring and community outreach. In partnership with AstraZeneca and Nemours, the weekend with Duffy’s Hope will feature a Let’s Move! flash dance, healthy lunch and obstacle course. AstraZeneca employees will help distribute lunch and water to the 1,200 children expected to attend the event.

“AstraZeneca strongly believes in providing the community with the right education and tools needed to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle,” Roianne Ross, Director, Political Action Committee and Grassroots said. “We are happy to honor our commitment to effective collaboration with partners who share our passion for making a meaningful difference to patient health.”

By joining forces with Duffy’s Hope and Let’s Move!, AstraZeneca is able to further support its Young Health Program: IM40, a five year initiative committed to improving the health and academic success of all children, especially those ages 12 to 15, in vulnerable communities in Delaware.

IM40, based on the 40 Developmental Assets^® model, strives to enable youth to increase their inventory of developmental assets with the help of caring adults and community asset building programs. The events this weekend support the eighteenth developmental asset known as “Youth Programs.” These programs are meant to encourage young people to spend one or more hours per week in sports, clubs or organizations at school and/or in the community.

This is the eighth in a series of posts that take a closer look at the developmental assets that are at the foundation of the AstraZeneca Young Health Program: IM40.  The three most recent posts may be found here, here and here.

Today’s post explores “positive identity” as a category of internal assets or those personal values, competencies and experiences that come from within.

What is a positive identity?

“Who am I” is a hallmark question of adolescence, and solidifying identity is a primary task of adolescents says Minneapolis-based Search Institute. When young people sense their own power, purpose, worth, and promise, they can do just about anything they decide to do.

The “positive identity” assets tie in closely with the “support” assets. Young people who feel loved, supported, and nurtured are more apt to feel good about themselves and have a positive view of their future. Young people who have families, neighbors, friends, teachers and others who see the best in them are more likely to bring out the best in themselves and those around them.

The four positive identity assets

The developmental assets framework includes four positive identity assets that indicate how young people feel about who they are and who they are becoming:

1. Personal Power – Young person feels he or she has control over “things that happen to me.”
2. Self-Esteem – Young person reports having a high self-esteem.
3. Sense of Purpose – Young person reports that “my life has a purpose.”
4. Positive View of Personal Future – Young person is optimistic about her or his personal future.

 Assets in action: Michelle’s story

Through her work directing the youth auxiliary for Zeta Phi Beta Sorority’s Wilmington chapter, AstraZeneca’s Michelle Mack-Williams is helping young women see their potential and empowering them to pursue their dreams.

Ideas for building positive identity

The following tips are courtesy of Search Institute:

• Notice a young person’s individual talents or sparks and appreciate them.
• Never pass up an opportunity to be encouraging.
• Talk about plans for the future: ask a young person where they see themselves in five years and in ten years.
• Talk about the things that give your life a sense of purpose. Ask a young person what gives his or her life a sense of purpose.
• When a young person faces a challenge, help her or him think through and act on solutions.
• Use positive language to influence young people’s perceptions of themselves.

For more information about the Young Health Program: IM40, visit www.im40.org. To connect with other asset builders on Twitter, use #YHP40 or visit us on Facebook.

Values become an inner compass that young people can use to guide them.

This is the seventh in a series of posts that take a closer look at the developmental assets that are at the foundation of the AstraZeneca Young Health Program: IM40.  The three most recent posts may be found here, here and here.

Today’s post explores “positive values” as a category of internal assets or those personal values, competencies and experiences that come from within.

What are positive values?

Values are those worthwhile principles, standards, and qualities in children and young people that help make them strong. According to Search Institute, values become an inner compass that young people can use to guide them in making choices in a confusing world.

The six positive values assets

The developmental assets framework includes six positive values assets that are one way of naming a set of positive principles, standard, and qualities:

1. Caring – Young person places high value on helping other people.
2. Equality and Social Justice – Young person places high values on promoting equality and reducing hunger and poverty.
3. Integrity – Young person acts on convictions and stands up for her or his beliefs.
4. Honesty – Young person “tells the truth even when it is not easy.”
5. Responsibility – Young person accepts and takes personal responsibility.
6. Restraint – Young person believes it is important not to be sexually active or to use alcohol or other drugs.

Assets in action: Tamy’s story

AstraZeneca’s Tamy Raina says “you can’t keep me away” from the Ronald McDonald House. Here Tamy shares how in caring for others, she gains great personal fulfillment and strength from the families she spends time with who stay there.

Ideas for building positive values

The following tips are courtesy of Search Institute:

• Model the positive values assets.
• Talk to people – young and old – in respectful ways.
• Discuss equality and social justice issues on a regular basis.
• Choose a cause that you and a young person both care about. Select a project you can do together to further your cause.
• Notice and comment when a young person’s behaviors reflect these positive values.
• Take responsibility for your own actions. Apologize to young people when your actions don’t quite measure up to these values.
• Coach and role-play communication skills that support using restraint and making healthy choices.

For more information about the Young Health Program: IM40, visit www.im40.org. To connect with other asset builders on Twitter, use #YHP40 or visit us on Facebook.

Members of the Cadence Cycling Foundation before the Wilmington Grand Prix Cadence Youth Races.

Twenty-five Wilmington-area youth are pairing up with members of the AstraZeneca Cycling Club to participate in the Wilmington Grand Prix Cadence Youth Races today.

The young cyclists are part of the Cadence Cycling Foundation, which was expanded in 2011 and 2012 with funding from AstraZeneca to include youth from Mt. Pleasant High School and the H. Fletcher Brown Boys and Girls Glub in Wilmington.

As mentioned in a recent post about the AstraZeneca Young Health Program, AstraZeneca employees also support the Cadence Cycling Foundation by serving as mentors to help young people improve their physical well-being and build life skills through the sport of cycling.

AstraZeneca is proud to also support the Wilmington Grand Prix Cadence Youth Races, which provides a unique opportunity for adolescents to participate in a competitive cycling event in the downtown. The Youth Races will draw more than 100 cyclists from the tri-state area (ages 10-16) who will compete in a mildly-competitive series of races on the Grand Prix course.

The afternoon’s festivities began at 2:30 p.m. with a police-escorted ride from AstraZeneca’s headquarters in Fairfax to Wilmington’s Brandywine Park. After completing the time trials at 4 p.m., the competitors will attend an awards presentation held at the Grand Opera House.

Five commitment to learning assets are a critical part of healthy youth development

This is the sixth in a series of posts that take a closer look at the developmental assets that are at the foundation of the AstraZeneca Young Health Program: IM40.  Previous posts may be found here, here, here, here and here.

Today’s post explores “commitment to learning” as a category of internal assets or those personal values, competencies and experiences that come from within.

What is commitment to learning?

A commitment to learning is a commitment to growing says Search Institute. When we learn something new, we grow, change and expand our horizons. This is true whether one is age 5, 15, or 55. Young people look to their teachers, parents, and neighbors to learn new information, ideas and perspectives.

The five commitment to learning assets

The developmental assets framework includes five commitment to learning assets that show how much young people are motivated to learn:

1. Achievement Motivation – Young person is motivated to do well in school.

2. School Engagement – Young person is actively engaged in learning.

3. Homework – Young person reports doing at least one hour of homework every school day.

4. Bonding to School – Young person cares about her or his school.

5. Reading for Pleasure – Young person reads for pleasure three or more hours per week.

Assets in action: Davida’s story

Her own love of learning and wanting to give back is why AstraZeneca’s Davida Baker volunteers with The Forum to Advance Minorities in Engineering (FAME) program. Through this program, Davida and other local professionals encourage young people to pursue careers in engineering and science.

Ideas for building a commitment to learning

The following tips are courtesy of Search Institute:

• Model curiosity and discovery. A commitment to learning is contagious.
• Read with young people and encourage them to read on their own.
• Make learning relevant. Young people benefit from seeing how learning applies to working.
• Provide a calm, pleasant atmosphere for learning and studying.
• Highlight learning beyond the classroom. Learning happens in many different places – in homes, nature, community centers, congregations, workplaces, and parks.
• Highlight for youth what others have accomplished through education.

For more information about the Young Health Program: IM40, visit www.im40.org. To connect with other asset builders on Twitter, use #YHP40 or visit us on Facebook.

This is the fifth in a series of posts that take a closer look at the developmental assets that are at the foundation of the AstraZeneca Young Health Program: IM40.  Previous posts may be found here, here, here and here.

Today’s post explores “social competencies” as a category of internal assets or those personal values, competencies and experiences that come from within.

What are social competencies?

According to Minneapolis-based Search Institute, social competencies are the skills all people need to navigate successfully through life. Young people especially need adults and peers who demonstrate, teach, and practice skills with them and give them feedback along the way.

The five social competencies assets

The developmental assets framework includes five social competencies assets:

1. Planning and decision making – young person knows how to plan ahead and make choices
2. Interpersonal competence – young person has empathy, sensitivity, and friendship skills
3. Cultural competence – young person has knowledge of and comfort with people of different cultural/racial/ethnic backgrounds
4. Resistance skills – young person can resist negative peer pressure and dangerous situations
5. Peaceful conflict resolution – young person seeks to resolve conflict nonviolently

Assets in action: Margie’s story

Margie Rivera is a senior manager of compliance and diversity at AstraZeneca who has been volunteering in her community since she was a young person herself. In sharing her story, Margie says giving even as little as one hour per week volunteering can make a big difference to someone in need.

Ideas for building social competencies

The following tips are courtesy of Search Institute:

• Encourage youth to share stories about cultural customs and rituals from their heritage with you.
• Model good manners and expect good manners from young people.
• Ask a young person about their dreams for their future, and help them plan how to achieve their dream. Check back in on this conversation periodically.
• Encourage a young person to practice healthy responses to situations where they might feel pressured or uncomfortable, such as being offered drugs by a friend, or being challenged to fight.
• Think about how well you already do with these five assets. Rate your own social competencies on a scale of 1 (not well at all) to 5 (very well.) Underneath each asset, jot down one or two things you’ll start doing to nurture it.

For more information about the Young Health Program: IM40, visit www.im40.org. To connect with other asset builders on Twitter, use #YHP40 or visit us on Facebook.