No one person can ensure that all young people have the resources, opportunities, and relationships needed to thrive. But together we can.
Practical solutions to help all young people thrive.
By co-creating research-informed solutions with those who work directly with young people, the youth themselves and other adults in their lives, we ensure that our frameworks, experiences and tools resonate deeply and drive lasting impact.
Professional Learning
High-quality learning experiences that will inspire and equip you to help young people thrive:
Workshops to build and strengthen relationships with young people
Tailored learning experiences to fit your organization’s needs
Practical tools and resources to use in your classroom, program, or organization
Measurements
Surveys to help you understand your young people and support their development:
Give youth a voice with valid and reliable indicators of young people’s experiences
Gather actionable data and insights on developmental relationships, social and emotional competencies, and equitable practices
Measure growth and impact over time
Young people’s development is rooted in relationships.
Visit our Resources Hub for tools to build strong relationships with young people:
- Build developmental relationships in a class, group, or other setting.
- Discover how to create relationship-rich organizations.
- Ground your practice in trusted evidence and applied research.
World-renowned research that inspires and empowers change across the youth support ecosystem.
We seek to discover what young people need to succeed—and how they contribute to their communities and the world. We want to understand the people and places that shape who they are and the opportunities they have to learn, grow, and thrive.
Current Research
Explore current research
Developmental Relationships
Young people are more likely to succeed when they experience developmental relationships with important people in their lives. Our research-based resources and insights help build these relationships.
Youth Development
Over six decades, we’ve built a wide array of applied research to support positive youth development, including Developmental Assets®, student motivation and achievement, and more.
Our Impact
60 Years Promoting Positive Youth Development
Youth surveyed
Organizations served
Professionals trained
Developmental Relationships In Action
Download the Developmental Relationships Framework"Search Institute provides an evidence-based foundation about how kids thrive and succeed. If we build these assets around them, we know we’re making an impact."
Scott Matthew
Executive Director, Williamson County (TX) Juvenile Services
"The ability to intentionally help young people to develop strong relationships with adults and their peers is singularly important to the way that we do our work."
Stephanie Wu
Program Development and Impact Services, City Year, Boston
"Society depends on the collaboration of folks in neighborhoods working together to solve community problems. That can’t happen without developmental relationships."
Sarah Andes
Senior Director Of Programming, Generation Citizen, New York
"Search Institute is a national treasure. It provides the new ideas and the research America needs to grow healthy and successful youth."
Our work has been featured in
