Search Institute
Search Institute® is the leading global innovator in discovering what children and adolescents need to become caring, healthy, and responsible adults. Drawing on extensive research, Search Institute brings hopeful solutions to pressing challenges in the lives of young people and their communities. As an independent nonprofit organization for over 50 years, Search Institute strives to provide leadership, knowledge, and resources to promote healthy children, youth, and communities. Search Institute serves all sectors of society, including K–12 and higher education, faith communities, youth-serving organizations, social-service organizations, families, businesses, and the public sector. Click "read more" to read exciting book reviews.
Search Institute’s framework of Developmental Assets® is grounded in extensive research in youth development, resiliency, and prevention. Developmental Assets represent the relationships, opportunities, and personal qualities that young people need to avoid risks and to thrive. Since its creation in 1990, Search Institute’s framework of Developmental Assets has become the most widely used approach to positive youth development in the United States.
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Vision by Peter Benson, Ph.D The capacity to generate vision is among life's most beautiful and unheralded gifts. By using examples of world leaders and everyday people, Dr. Peter Benson shows us how vision is not limited to a select few. This highly esteemed author and leading authority on social change, values, and youth leads a journey that helps readers mold their vision and reach their full potential. With a warm and personal approach, readers will see that vision is a necessary ingredient in life and in times of change. |
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Sparks : How Parents Can Help Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers By Peter Benson, Ph.D In this practical book, Dr. Peter Benson, a leading authority on childhood and adolescence, describes a simple yet powerful plan for awakening the spark that lives inside each and every young person. Sparks—when illuminated and nurtured—give young people joy, energy, and direction. They have the power to change a young person's life from one of "surviving" to "thriving." Grounded in new research with thousands of teenagers and parents, Sparks offers a step-by-step approach to helping teenagers discover their unique gifts, and works for all families, no matter their economic status, parenting situation, or ethnic background. |
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New Directions for Youth Development Edited by Peter Benson, Ph.D., Eugene Roehlkepartain, Kathryn Hong Drawing on the global research and field-building efforts our own Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence, this volume frames a new, deeper dialogue about the intersections between youth development and spiritual development. Contributors explore ways to integrate spiritual development and youth development in order to strengthen theory, research, and practice. They ask: How do young people develop their deepest, fundamental commitments? How do they find their place in their family, community, world, and universe? How do they come to terms with issues of meaning, purpose, and identity beyond themselves? |
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The Handbook of Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence Edited by Eugene C. Roehlkepartain, Pamela Ebstyne King. Ph.D, Linda Wagener, Ph.D, and Peter Benson, Ph.D The Handbook of Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence is a key resource for academics, researchers, and students in departments of Psychology, Family Studies, and Religious Studies. It is particularly useful for courses in Developmental Psychology, Human Development (especially child and adolescent development), Psychology of Religion, and Sociology of Religion. It also will be invaluable for professionals working with young people, including educators, religious leaders, and health practitioners. |