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Saturday 28 September 2013

Advice for a New Youth leader

I found this fabulous blog post today, a letter of encouragement and wise words from someone who had worked with youth, and now sharing advice with a friend just put into a youth leadership position.  The letter is specific to YM but the advice is great for either YM or YW.  The link to the blog is here....

Copied from :http://www.middleagedmormonman.com/2012/01/ym-epistle-to-my-friend.html
(I copy it here for my own personal reference)

Sunday, January 29, 2012

A YM Epistle to My Friend

One of my best friends was recently called to be a Young Men President. I have been thinking about him a lot, and we haven't had much time to talk, so I am writing down some thoughts to share with him that are based on my past experience as YM President, and as Bishop. Feel free to eavesdrop - hopefully my friend won't mind.
Dear "Jay":

Congratulations on the new calling. It is one that will impact your life forever. Over the next few years you will let a bunch of boys into your heart, and for the rest of your life you will worry about them, and hope for them. And that's a good thing. I've been blessed with the opportunities to serve with the Young Men - three times in Scouting, once as a YM President, and as a Bishop. I figure I've spent well more than a decade serving in the YM program. That gives me a long list of things I have learned. Sadly, the list contains as many things that I think I did poorly, as things I did well. I will share both.

Before you get started - these are just my unsolicited thoughts. I am not your Bishop. I am also not the Holy Ghost. I am not one of the young men holding Aaronic Priesthood keys. I am not one of your counselors. That select group are they who need to help guide and direct you in the work you are undertaking.  But I know you know that...

1) You were called to be the YM President because the Lord and the Bishop trust you implicitly. Be careful - when I was bishop sometimes the level of trust I had in my YM President caused me to withdraw and leave it in his hands. Even though we had one of the best YM presidents I have ever seen, I should have been more involved. The Bishop holds the keys to the Aaronic Priesthood, and has charge over those young men. When I was involved in things like presidency meetings and planning meetings, good things happened. If you don't get frequent PPI's - request them.

2) Serve more with the boys. It is easy to have service opportunities when there are a lot of Eagle projects going on, but I wish that I had dragged more boys out of bed at 6:00am to go do hard, sweaty, blister-making work for the benefit of others. We are raising a generation where many don't know how to work hard.

3) I used to think that there were two extremes in leadership styles: On one end you have those who love the boys with all their hearts and focus on those relationships to the detriment of the program, and on the other end you have those who focus on the quality of the program instead of the relationships. I had come to the conclusion that the place to be was somewhere in the middle. Since then, I have decided that I was describing a flawed spectrum. Of course you have to love the boys with all your heart - but one of the ways you show that love is by running a well-planned program. I would be hard-pressed to make the claim that I love the boys completely if I can't be bothered to plan and prepare for them.

4) Spend personal time with the "one" - let others worry about the 99. Do this as prompted, and in counsel with the key holders in the quorums.

5) Take advantage of the newness of the moment.  Everyone in your ward loves you. You have a tremendous amount of goodwill. You are also new in your calling. A new guy can sit down in a home with a boy or a family and ask ANYTHING. If it is too personal, they will think - "oh, he's just new."  Your "ignorance" gives opportunity to ask questions that would appear meddlesome in 6-8 months. Now is the time to make changes, ask hard questions, extend invitations and challenges, etc.

6) Don't worry about FUN. Fun happens - you don't need to plan for it. A bunch of boys can have as much fun building a fence for a widow as they can playing basketball. Plan activities that are of worth, and fun will follow. (Read this)

7) The mission is not the only goal of an Aaronic priesthood holder. Melchizedek Priesthood comes first, then the temple endowment, then the mission. Don't scrimp on the first two and focus solely on the mission.

8) As we have talked about, Helaman didn't raise the boys in his army. Their mothers did - probably with some help from their fathers. You have your own army of boys, and you can help them and lead them, but ultimately it is the parents job to raise them. However, it is OK for you to be involved. It is OK - if you feel so inspired - to go into the home of a struggling boy and talk to the parents about it. It is also appropriate for you to shout from the mountaintops the importance of FHE, family prayers and scripture study. If you can help the families - you can help the boys. Ward Council is a perfect place to bring these issues up and to enlist the help of the HP, EQ and RS. Be vocal.

9) Always take consecrated oil with you when you go on an activity - you never know.

10) Be tight with the stake YM president. One of the strangest things that I encountered when serving as bishop is that the Stake Youth leaders never consulted with me about what I felt the youth needed from them. Remember, the bishop holds the keys - the stake youth leadership is there to support. Work to be on the same page with the same goals. If they conflict, speak up.

11) Develop and teach shadow leadership skills with the other adult leaders. Yes, I'm sure that all of you could do a better job of planning and executing things than a 13 or 15 year-old boy, but that doesn't make it right. Respect their authority as key-holders. We can talk later about shadow leadership, and it will take hours. (But I have a few tricks...)

12) Ignore anything an everything I've just said if it conflicts with counsel you have received from the Bishop or the Holy Ghost.

13) Enjoy. These boys will be "yours" forever. Twenty years form now you will get a thank-you-note from one of your goofy deacons who lets you know that he is still true to the faith, and you will weep with joy.

My best to you - I know of no other man on the earth who has a better heart, or is better prepared for this than you are.

-MMM-

PS: If you ever need me on Wednesday night, I'll be home. (Hehehe)

Friday 27 September 2013

Cute handout ideas

Be the Chocolate Chip

"The Chocolate Chip became famous for its ability to stand firm against the heat of the oven. Be the Chocolate Chip helps to bring to life the qualities that help us as followers of Christ and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints stand strong and firm in a world of ever-increasing heat. Jen and Amy outline four steps that we can follow each and every day to stay firm and strong, and to be the chocolate chips in the cookies of life."


Planning with a Purpose




Planning with a Purpose - Guidelines for preparing class/quorum activities


Step 1. Gather information from all the members of your class or
quorum. Find out what their interests are, what skills they need to
learn, and how they would like to serve. Make a special effort to
include those who do not attend regularly.
Step 2. Using the information from Step 1, plan Mutual activities,
remembering that Mutual activities should:
• Strengthen testimonies of Jesus Christ.
• Invite the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22–23).
• Include youth in planning and responsibility.
• Have a specific purpose.
• Be fun!
Mutual activities should begin with opening exercises


FOR CLASS PRESIDENCIES
Use Steps 1 and 2 in  your presidency  meetings and with your Young Men or Young Women leaders to plan activities for the coming months.
• Prayerfully consider the interests and needs of each member
of the class or quorum before you fill out the monthly
calendar in Step 2.
• As you make assignments, think about how you can involve
all class or quorum members in the activity: set-up,
refreshments, clean-up, phone calls, and so on.
• Remember the important details of cost, transportation,
and safety.
3. Take the planning sheets to bishopric youth committee
meetings to report on coming activities.


FOR YW PRESIDENCY/ADVISORS


1. Assist the youth leaders in assessing the needs of the class or
quorum. In addition to the questions in Step 1, you might ask:
• Do we have class or quorum members with special needs?
How can we meet those needs?
• How can we help those who are not attending?
• How can we reinforce the Sunday lesson topics?
2. Assist the youth leaders in planning activities that fulfill specific
purposes, such as achieving an Aaronic Priesthood or Scouting
purpose, living a Young Women value, reaching out to new
class or quorum members, developing a skill, and so on.
3. As a part of Mutual planning, see that opening exercises are
planned and assigned.




MUTUAL MEETINGS:
1ST WEEK: COMBINED YM/YW ACTIVITIES - turn about YM/YW organizing activity.
2nd WEEK: COMBINED YOUNG WOMEN ACTIVITY
3rd WEEK: INDIVIDUAL CLASS ACTIVITIES
4TH WEEK: COMBINED YOUNG WOMEN ACTiVITY (Camp craft/ Sevice)
5TH WEEK: INDIVIDUAL CLASS ACTIVITY -



The Lord has called His followers to “strengthen [our] brethren … in all [our] doings” (see D&C 108:7). Therefore, it is essential to plan activities with gospel purposes in mind. Meaningful activities give you opportunities to put into practice gospel principles, strengthen testimonies, develop talents and leadership skills, give service, and foster friendships with others who are committed to living gospel standards. These are gospel purposes.


Instead of  “What do we want to do?” Instead, ask what does the  Lord want to have happen in the lives of those we serve?”
Commit to planning the next activity with gospel purposes in mind. After the activity, discuss as a presidency specific ways lives were strengthened and gospel principles applied.

Roles and resposibilities

Would love to give credit for this handout but the link on Pinterest leads to the image only.


Most ref taken directly from lds.org - 


Purpose and Objectives of the Young Women Organization

The purpose of the Young Women organization is to help each young woman be worthy to make and keep sacred covenants and receive the ordinances of the temple. To accomplish this purpose, Young Women leaders guide each young woman in accomplishing the following objectives:
1: Strengthen her faith in and testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
2 Understand her identity as a daughter of God.
3. Be worthy by obeying the commandments and living gospel standards.
4. Receive, recognize, and rely on the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
5. Prepare for her divine roles as a daughter, wife, mother, and leader.
6. Understand and keep her baptismal covenants.





Getting Started

Help prepare each young woman to be worthy to make and keep sacred covenants and receive the ordinances of the temple.

Your Purpose and Objectives as a Young Women Leader
Young women all over the world need a vision of who they are, where they are going, and what they are to achieve in this life.
As a young women leader, you are called to serve as a guide. It's like consulting a map before a hike. You have to know the destination in order to choose the path. If you can't see the end, you won't get there.
The scriptures teach this simple but profound doctrine: "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18). Handbook 2: Administering the Church provides you as a leader with an inspiring vision of the destination for each young woman. It also gives you an overview of the pathway that will get her there.
As you read Handbook 2, consider the landmarks (the objectives) along the way:
  • Is she developing faith?
  • Is she understanding her identity?
  • Is she keeping the commandments and standards?
  • Is she receiving, recognizing, and qualifying for the Holy Ghost?
  • Is she preparing for her divine role as a wife and mother?
  • Is she preparing to keep the covenants of temple?
  • These are the basic steps along the path. They reflect the pure doctrine of Christ-faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. As you help young women take these steps, you will help them to the destination of the temple and back to our Heavenly Father-proven, pure, and sealed. Learn more about the purpose and objectives of Young Women in Handbook 2: Administering the Church, 10.1.



What Am I Called to Do?

As a Young Women leader you are called to assist parents and priesthood leaders in guiding a young woman on the path to the temple.
In order to help the young women grow, you must be on the path-converted and growing spiritually yourself. As you do, you will be able to teach, influence, and lead young women to the temple by your righteous example.
As a Young Women leader, you will need to:
Prepare Spiritually
  • Study the scriptures with young women in mind.
  • Pray, ponder, be worthy, attend the temple, and listen for revelation.
  • Be strictly obedient to the commandments and exemplify the standards in behavior, language, dress, and so on.
  • Rejoice in the privilege to serve.
  • Learn more about preparing yourself spiritually in Handbook 2: 3.2.1.

Participate in Councils

Psalm 55:14: "We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company."
As a member of a Young Women presidency, you participate in several councils. Young Women presidency meeting is a council. You teach class presidencies to counsel together in their meetings. As Young Women president, you are also called as a member of the ward council. When you participate in ward council, go having counseled together with your presidency so you may:
Represent the needs of individual young women and their families to the council.
  • Offer observations, concerns, and recommendations for consideration.
  • Follow the direction of priesthood leaders.
  • Learn more about counseling with others inHandbook 2: 3.2.2.
  • Learn more about the ward council in Handbook 2:section 4.


Minister to Each Young Woman

3 Nephi 17:21: "And he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them."
Just as the Savior ministered one by one to His children, your leadership should be focused on helping each young woman progress from wherever she is on the path. As President Gordon B. Hinckley taught, "When you save a girl, you save generations" ("Our Responsibility to Our Young Women," Ensign, Sept. 1988, 8).
  • Strive to retain each young woman; know, love, and recognize her individually.
  • Strengthen each young woman's faith in Jesus Christ. Strengthen her in her family.
  • Prepare each young woman for her future roles as wife, mother, homemaker, and leader.
  • Gather young women to learn, lead, serve, and live gospel principles.


  • Learn more about ministering to others in Handbook 2: 3.2.3.

Teach Young Women

D&C 109:7: "Seek learning even by study and also by faith."
Every leader is a teacher. Don't forget that the majority of a young woman's learning may be caught rather than taught. A Young Women leader is a role model and an example to those she serves. As young women watch you and how you live the gospel, they will learn what it means to be a faithful woman, wife, and mother.


  • Learn more about teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in Handbook 2: 3.2.4.
  • Learn more about improving learning and teaching in the ward in 4Handbook 2: 12.5.
  • President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Influence of Righteous Women"




In addition to informal teaching by example, you will have the opportunity and responsibility to facilitate more formal learning through Sunday lessons. Engage young women in learning. Young women gather each Sunday to increase their gospel understanding, to recognize how the gospel answers their daily questions, to have opportunities to feel the Spirit, and to strengthen and share their testimonies. This happens as you invite young women to participate in the learning process and act upon that learning in their daily lives.
  • Help each young woman know and apply the first principles and ordinances of the gospel: faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.
  • Use the Book of Mormon and the words of latter-day prophets.
  • Emphasize virtue, purity, worthiness, and the standards outlined in For the Strength of Youth.
  • Teach the young women to receive, recognize, and rely on the Holy Ghost.
  • See Elder David A. Bednar, "Watching with All Perseverance."
As you help young women take these steps, you will help them to the destination of the temple and back to our Heavenly Father—proven, pure, and sealed.

Administer the Young Women Program (See Handbook 2:3.2.5)

There are several program tools available to assist you. Remember that your focus is the spiritual life of every young woman and her progress on the path to the temple. These programs and materials are your hiking equipment, the means by which you can help a young woman on her journey.







ROBERT D. HALES

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles



It is our imperative duty to help youth understand and believe the gospel in a deeply personal way.
This afternoon I desire to encourage parents and all who are called to lead and serve the youth of this world. The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that we have “an imperative duty that we owe to all the rising generation” (D&C 123:11).
Throughout my life as a father and grandfather, I have pondered the question, what is my duty to God in relation to the youth? May I share some of what I have learned by way of personal reflection and testimony.
For all of us, doing our duty to God as parents and leaders begins with leading by example—consistently and diligently living gospel principles at home. This takes daily determination and diligence.
For youth, there is no substitute for seeing the gospel lived in our daily lives. The stripling warriors did not have to wonder what their parents believed. They said, “We do not doubt our mothers knew it” (see Alma 56:47–48). Do our children know what we know?
I have a grandson who once asked me to go with him to a popular but inappropriate movie. I told him I wasn’t old enough to see that film. He was puzzled until his grandmother explained to him that the rating system by age didn’t apply to Grandpa. He came back to me and said, “I get it now, Grandpa. You’re never going to be old enough to see that movie, are you?” And he was right!
Besides showing youth the way by example, we lead them by understanding their hearts and walking alongside them on the gospel path. To truly understand their hearts, we must do more than just be in the same room or attend the same family and Church activities. We must plan and take advantage of teaching moments that make a deep and lasting impression upon their minds and hearts.
For example, Church leaders regularly plan priesthood activities and Scouting pow wows and encampments—but do those activities always accomplish their most important purpose? I have learned that what makes a priesthood or Scout activity most meaningful to a boy is not just getting a merit badge but having the opportunity to sit and talk with a leader who is interested in him and his life.
Similarly, mothers and fathers, as you drive or walk children to school or their various activities, do you use the time to talk with them about their hopes and dreams and fears and joys? Do you take the time to have them take the earplugs from their MP3 players and all the other devices so that they can hear you and feel of your love? The more I live, the more I recognize that the teaching moments in my youth, especially those provided by my parents, have shaped my life and made me who I am.
It is impossible to overestimate the influence of parents who understand the hearts of their children. Research shows that during the most important transitions of life—including those periods when youth are most likely to drift away from the Church—the greatest influence does not come from an interview with the bishop or some other leader but from the regular, warm, friendly, caring interaction with parents.
With that in mind, when we sit down at the dinner table, is our whole family there? I remember as a young man asking permission to play baseball through dinnertime. “Just put my meal in the oven,” I said to my mother. She responded, “Robert, I really want you to take a break, come home, be with the family for dinner, and then you can go out and play baseball until dark.” She taught all of us that where family meals are concerned, it’s not the food but the family interaction that nourishes the soul. My mother taught that the greatest love we give is within our homes.
For our interactions with youth to truly touch their hearts, we have to pay attention to them just as we would pay attention to a trusted adult colleague or close friend. Most important is asking them questions, letting them talk, and then being willing to listen—yes, listen and listen some more—even hearken with spiritual ears! Several years ago I was reading the newspaper when one of my young grandsons snuggled up to me. As I read, I was delighted to hear his sweet voice chattering on in the background. Imagine my surprise when, a few moments later, he pushed himself between me and the paper. Taking my face in his hands and pressing his nose up to mine, he asked, “Grandpa! Are you in there?”
Mother, Father, are you in there? Grandpa, Grandma, are you there? Beingthere means understanding the hearts of our youth and connecting with them. And connecting with them means not just conversing with them but doing things with them too.
Recently I heard a mother recount how she had helped her first three daughters complete their Personal Progress requirements by doing what was expected—staying informed and signing off projects. Then she tenderly explained, tears flowing down her cheek, “Recently I have been working with my fourth daughter by actually doing her projects with her. It has made all the difference in our lives and our relationship. But oh, what sadness I feel when I realize what I lost by not doing this with my other three daughters.” The saddest words of tongue and pen are those that say, “It might have been!” 1
Adult members of the Church should understand that Personal Progress and Duty to God requirements are not just lengthy lists of items to check off. They are personal goals set by each young man and young woman to help them become worthy to receive temple ordinances, serve missions, enter into eternal marriage, and enjoy exaltation. But let it be understood: for young men and young women to try to accomplish these goals alone would be a great loss and tragedy!
Fathers, mothers, and leaders of youth, we urge you to participate in Personal Progress and Duty to God with your children and with the youth. Not only will they grow; you will grow too. And just as importantly, you will grow together in a bond of faith and friendship that will allow you to strengthen each other and stay on the gospel path forever, to indeed be an eternal family.
An equally important part of fulfilling our parental duty to God is teaching our children the gospel and preparing them to participate fully in the Savior’s restored Church. Remember the lesson of King Benjamin’s people. As a result of his teachings, many of the adults had a mighty change of heart (see Mosiah 5:2). But then it says that “there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of King Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe. … And their hearts were hardened” (Mosiah 26:1, 3).
It is our imperative duty to help youth understand and believe the gospel in a deeply personal way. We can teach them to walk in the light, but that light cannot be borrowed. They must earn it for themselves. They must obtain their own light of testimony directly from the source of spiritual light—God Himself—through prayer and study and pondering. They must understand who they are and who Heavenly Father wants them to become. How do we help them?
When we have a family home evening, a family council, or a meaningful gospel conversation with our children, we have the opportunity to look into their eyes and tell them that we love them and that Heavenly Father loves them. In these sacred settings, we can also help them understand, deep in their hearts, who they are and how fortunate they are to have come to this earth and to our home and to participate in the covenants we have taken in the temple to be a family forever. In every interaction we share, we demonstrate the principles and blessings of the gospel.
In these perilous times it is not enough for our youth to merely know.They must do. Wholehearted participation in ordinances, quorums and auxiliaries, inspired programs, and fortifying activities helps youth put on the whole armor of God. Will we help them put on that armor so they can withstand the fiery darts of the adversary? To truly choose the Lord’s way, they must know His way. And to truly know His way, we must teach and lead them to act, to participate, to do.
The greatest missionary work we will ever do will be in our homes. Our homes, quorums, and classes are part of the mission field. Our children and grandchildren are our most important investigators.
The greatest family history work that we will do will be within our own homes. It is the spiritual preparation of our children in the rising generation that will, through their obedience, ensure the eternal preservation and perpetuation of our families for the coming generations.
The greatest rescue, the greatest activation will be in our homes. If someone in your family is wandering in strange paths, you are a rescuer, engaged in the greatest rescue effort the Church has ever known. I testify from personal experience: There is no failure except in giving up. It is never too early or too late to begin. Do not worry about what has happened in the past. Pick up the phone. Write a note. Make a visit. Extend the invitation to come home. Don’t be afraid or embarrassed. Your child is Heavenly Father’s child. You are about His work. He has promised to gather His children, and He is with you.
The greatest faith we have will be within our homes as we remain strong in the trials and tribulations of parenthood. To a small group of mothers, President Monson recently said, “Sometimes we are too quick to judge the effect of our successes and failures.” May I add, don’t look at today’s trials as eternal. Heavenly Father does His work in the long term. “There is much which lieth in futurity,” the Prophet Joseph Smith said. “Therefore, … let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed” (D&C 123:15, 17).
On this Easter Sunday I would hope that we would have the opportunity of bearing our testimonies that we know that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ. I would hope that we would bear our testimonies so that our children will know where our hearts are and that we love them. The greatest love and the greatest teachings should be in our homes.
I ask the Lord’s blessings to be with the parents and with the youth who are brought up in faithful homes, that they will understand the joy it is to be in a home and family where they can be loved, directed, and guided. It is my prayer that we may have eternal families and be together forever in the presence of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
I bear my special witness that Jesus Christ lives. He is the shepherd of the lost sheep, the rescuer of the stranded soul, the healer of the wounded heart, the hope of all mankind. With Him as our Master, let us fulfill our duty to God with faith in Him and His eternal love for each of us, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.