What is Project Cornerstone? 

Project Cornerstone seeks to empower youth, parents, and school staff to improve school climate, reduce bullying, and create vibrant, caring communities of learners. Every month, a dedicated group of parent volunteers receives training to be ABC (Asset Building Champions) in our classrooms. Our readers share stories, lead discussions, and plan activities to help all kids feel valued, respected, & known at school.

Project Cornerstone utilizes the developmental assets model to empower over 85,000 students, parents, and school staff to improve school climate, reduce bullying, and create vibrant, caring communities of learners.  In 2017 Project Cornerstone released results from a county wide survey on youth developmental assets. Developmental assets are the positive values, relationships, skills, and experiences that help youth thrive. 

The more assets that young people have, the more likely they are to thrive. Youth in Silicon Valley have told us the following: 

• Half of elementary school students don’t have adult role models. 
• Only half of youth feel their school is a caring place. 
• Less than half of youth are actively engaged in learning.

What All Adults Can Do... 

• Be a caring adult at a school to build positive connections with youth. 
• Spend more time listening to young people than talking. 
• Learn their names. 
• Say hi or smile.

Each month a new book will be read by a Santa Rita parent volunteer to your student's class. A lesson focusing on the above mentioned important building blocks of healthy youth development will be introduced.

Everyone needs to develop their own positive self-talk. This will help fill our buckets!

11 July 20024