Asset #26 - Caring - Young person places high value on helping other people.

Becoming involved in service has tremendous potential for helping young people grow up in healthy ways. In a national survey, Giving and Volunteering Among American Teenagers 12 - 17 Years of Age, conducted in 1992 by Independent Sector, young people indicated having gained the benefits reported on the graph below.
(page 16, Beyond Leaf Raking, copyright Search Institute)
Did You Know?
A classic study shows that infants and toddlers are not developmentally capable of altruism (unselfish concern for the welfare of others). However, a family's commitment to helping others lays the groundwork for instilling caring in young children. Toddlers are capable of sympathy, which is an early step toward altruism. Toddlers will offer a toy to a companion, help with household chores, or demonstrate compassion by trying to cheer up a distressed playmate.
Source: H.L. Rheingold, "Little Children's Participation in the Work of Adults, an Ascent Prosocial Behavior." Child Development 53 (1982), 114-125.