The children's services council: Mobilizing leaders to help meet the needs of adolescents in the 21st century

This was a two-part study with the first part being an action inquiry to determine whether or not the local chapter of the Children's Services Council (CSC), in Dutchess County, New York helped young people acquire the assets they needed to grow into healthy and successful adults. The agendas and minutes of the CSC were coded and analyzed from 2005-2010 across the dimensions of what was talked about, what was decided, and what was monitored. This information was compared with the Search Institute's framework of 40 Developmental Assets. While completing the study, the CSC was compelled to close its doors because of financial constraints and budget cuts. Despite the closing of the CSC, important lessons were learned about the organization, mobilization, and capacity. The second part of the study utilized an original interview protocol, the Search Institute's framework of 40 Developmental Assets and survey data from student self-reports. Information from the survey results was shared with 12 leaders from the Dutchess County community to determine if this information mobilized community leaders to act and build capacity, the barriers to mobilization, and the social capital available to gain results. The analysis of the CSC and community leader responses resulted in a set of recommendations leaders should follow in order to support adolescent development.