Life Skills & Leadership: Unit 1, Session 1: Me and My Assets | Page 7 of 93- Ask everyone to form a circle for a discussion. Invite each person to share something about his or her
assets. Choose discussion questions for the whole group, as appropriate, from the following:
Which of your assets would you say are most important for you?
Which assets do you think might be most difficult to develop or make stronger?
What would help you to strengthen the assets you’d like to develop?
Who can help you develop one of your assets?
How can these assets help you to be successful (in school/at work/at home?)- Ask participants to identify at least two adults outside of class they can go to for suggestions about
strengthening their assets further.
a. Give participants time to write the adults’ names or roles by the assets they can help develop.b. Say,“We talked earlier about ‘helping factors.’ It’s really important to talk to an adult outside of class
about developing your assets. Not only will you get some great ideas, but you will also be
strengthening that first asset ‘I know adults who can help’ in the process! Write the adults’ names or
roles, such as teacher or clergy, next to the assets with which you believe they can be most helpful.”Note: “Speaking Up about My Assets” serves as an assessment of Objectives 1 and 2.B. Summary
Conclude the exercise by saying:
“During this Life Skills and Leadership series of classes, we will be making a comparison between how we
build our lives and how we might build a house. The images associated with building a house will help us
think creatively about our lives and the type of future we want to build for ourselves, and the kind of
people we want to be. So far we’ve been talking about the skills and assets we need to keep ourselves
strong. Just like building a house, we need materials and supplies to construct our future selves. Assets
become the building blocks that we use to create the floor, walls, and roof that will become our strong
character, our ‘house,’ for the future.”
Note: Make sure that the type of house you talk about and the building elements you emphasize are consistent with the types
of houses your participants live in. Make adaptations for urban apartment dwellings, low income areas, remote rural houses,
communal dwellings, etc. as appropriate. In addition, be sensitive to participants who may be homeless or have been displaced
from their homes. Make the distinction between a house, the building that shelters people, and a home, the people and
support systems that help us feel safe. Point out that we will be making comparisons between our lives and the elements of a
building (any building) that make it a strong shelter.Alternatively, a metaphor of a toolbox can be used in lieu of a metaphor of a house. For example, the toolbox contains
important tools for helping build up ourselves, shape our communication, and strengthen our ability to get along with others.
Or, don’t use a metaphor at all. Simply say that the course will help you become well-rounded youths who grow into adults
with strong leadership skills.