Connecting Youth

The November 12, 2011 issue of Church News has a great editorial on the importance of developing relationships with youth.


"Connecting Youth"

Online Resources for Young Women Leaders

A new Church News article published on November 12, 2011 shares new internet resources in Personal Progress, the Youth Website, and in the Worldwide Training Library.

"Many Resources to help Young Women leaders accomplish their goals"

Sheet Music Downloads

Did you know that you can download sheet music for some of the Youth website songs?

Here are the ones that are available:

• "Today" by Liz Draper
• "Drop by Drop" by Jenny Frogley and Ron Williams
• "Shout for Joy" by Greg, Beverly, and Barry Hansen
• "Strong and Courageous" by Jenny Phillips
• "Guardians of Virtue" from Strength of Youth Media
• "We Believe" from Strength of Youth Media
• "Priesthood Men" from Strength of Youth Media

To download go to the youth website music library and click on the sheet music download icon at the far right

Music Video

This Jenny Phillips music video, "Live Like You Believe" was shared on the Church News website:

Special Personal Progress New Era

This is actually a "flip" issue of the New Era with Personal Progress on one side and Duty to God on the other.

It's fantastic!

You can link to a pdf here and text here.

Be sure to get a copy and share it with the youth!

Here's a fun section - "Notes to the Good Girls" where young men share appreciation for girls who live the standards.

There are stories and Personal Progress ideas for every value.

And I love Elder Bowen's Personal Progress message and story about precious jewels.


Enjoy!

The Song of the Heart

Young Women love music, don't they? 

Here's a video about a beautiful young woman from Hawaii, Marissa, who loves music for many reasons —most of all because it has led her closer to Heavenly Father.



You can also download an MP3 of Marissa singing “Nearer, My God, to Thee,” in the youth music library.


How could you use this video?

Consider working with your young women to select a song they'd like to learn and share in sacrament meeting or New Beginnings. Be sure to coordinate this through your priesthood leader - there are guidelines for music to be used in sacrament meeting. You can see them here in the music section of Handbook 2.

Or you could show this video and then invite the young women to plan an activity for sharing talents.

or other ideas - you can share how you plan to use this video by commenting below.

Here's a video link to share:  https://lds.org/youth/video/the-song-of-the-heart?lang=eng

New Mutual Theme - 2012

This announcement is on the homepage of the Young Women Serving in the Church website:

What’s New?

For Leaders: A notice dated August 1, 2011, announced the 2012 Mutual theme: “Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations” (Doctrine and Covenants 115:5).

Be sure to keep checking the Young Woman website - there are updates to "What's New" about once per week.

Improve Teaching and Learning

Here's a new video and link to a Church News and Events article about the Teaching the Gospel section of LDS.org.

Video: I Choose to Be Pure

You will love this new youth website video!

Six youth from six different religions talk about their decisions to stay sexually pure.

They answer these questions:

Why do you choose to be sexually pure?
Some people say they can't control themselves. What do you say to that?
How do you feel about your choice to stay sexually pure?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if all young women could answer these questions articulately?

Link to share: https://lds.org/youth/video/i-choose-to-be-pure?lang=eng

(be sure to read the comments below the video)

Leadership and Class Presidencies

Do you understand the responsibilities of class presidencies?

Are you concerned about unity?

Would you like to know more about the process of counseling together?

Mary Cook, 1st counselor in the General Young Women Presidency answers these questions and more in a recent Church News article "Unity: 'For the power is in them.'" 

She refers to a story in her 2011 General Young Women Meeting talk comparing people to the variety of crayon colors - each contributing to a "color wheel of spiritual unity." Young women in San Antonio, Texas applied her talk and learned about leadership and unity.

Here are a few excerpts:

As a Young Women leader, you are called to serve as a guide. You help class presidencies access this "power [that] is in them" as you teach them their responsibilities and how to counsel together to strengthen individuals."

"As they brainstormed ideas, the Laurels reminded the leaders about the "crayon box" lesson and taught the concept to the other class presidencies who were in attendance. They talked about how each girl is a unique individual and needs love."

"Young women have the ability to solve problems often better than we do. Teach them how to counsel together effectively by making observations, concerns and recommendations."

Languages

LDS.org is now available in many languages.

Look at the far upper right corner of most pages on the website and you will see the word "Languages" with a pull down menu to select your language.  You will be able to choose from

Deutsch
English
Español
Français
Italiano
Português

or

"see other languages" for an extensive list that has partial translation.


This is great -  spread the word!

Teaching the Gospel

This is exciting!

For quite a while, there's been a menu item in lds.org called "Teaching the Gospel" - but whenever I clicked on it, it said "Coming Soon."

I just discovered that it's now live! What a great resources for parents and teachers. Be sure to explore the video library. I found inspiring and helpful counsel.

Click here to see these new resources - and share this link with your friends:  http://lds.org/service/teaching-the-gospel?lang=eng

There's a special page on teaching youth.

On the topic of teaching....

Here are a few of my favorite talks:

"The Power of Teaching Doctrine" by President Henry B. Eyring

"Seek Learning by Faith" by Elder David A. Bednar

"To Learn and to Teach More Effectively" by Elder Richard G. Scott

"The Ordinary Classroom" by Virginia Pearce

You can find lots more by searching "teaching" on lds.org

Chastity: What are the limits? video

This is a great video to foster a discussion about the value of virtue and the standard of sexual purity.



Shareable link:  https://lds.org/youth/video/chastity-what-are-the-limits?lang=eng

Ideas on how to use this video:

• Show it during an activity followed by a discussion.
• Ask questions such as: When is the best time to decide on your limits? How do you know what is right and what is wrong? Why would a young man push you to do things that are not right? Why is it important to remain virtuous? How will your virtue affect your happiness? How will your virtue affect your future husband and children? Why do you think God gave us this standard?
• Listen to or read Sister Dalton's talk - "Guardians of Virtue" and have each young woman follow this counsel: "Making decisions in advance will help you be guardians of virtue. I hope each of you will write a list of things you will always do and things you will never do. Then live your list." 

More on this topic:

• For the Strength of Youth - Sexual Purity
• Personal Progress - Virtue
• "Guardians of Virtue" Elaine S. Dalton, 2011 General Young Women Meeting

Young Women Camp

It's the season - for girls camp!

What a difference you make in the lives of young women.

And Elder Holland understands your sacrifice:
"I am grateful for Young Women leaders who go to girls camp and, without shampoo, showers, or mascara, turn smoky, campfire testimony meetings into some of the most riveting spiritual experiences those girls—or those leaders—will experience in their lifetime."(October 2010 General Conference)

Here's a wonderful gift - a message from Sister Dalton all about girl's camp in the June 18 Church News - "Young Women camp provides powerful mountaintop experiences" 

A few quotes:

"Summer signals the time for Young Women camp. For many young women, they look forward to this time all year. And, if you ask a young woman what she likes best about camp, inevitably she will reply, "All of it!" But specifically, she will reply that she loves the testimony meeting.

"Young Women camp is an opportunity for leaders to plant the gospel deep into hearts. It provides an opportunity to develop trusting relationships, provide spiritual experiences, teach skills, develop leadership and have fun....


"Young women camp is not optional. It is an essential part of a well-rounded program for young women ages 12 to 18. Camp is a catalyst for growth spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally."    read the complete article

Training a Class Presidency

Sister Williamson left a comment asking if there is a video on training class presidencies.

The only information I can find right now on leadership training for young women is on the lds.org classic site. You can find the page here. 

If you scroll halfway down the page you will find a list of videos. Sadly, I couldn't get them to work. There is good text information on this page and in the links. Hopefully the video section will be updated soon.

Mobile version

There is a new mobile version of this blog - check it out on your iPad or smartphone.

When you use the regular URL ( http://blessingyw.blogspot.com/ ) on a mobile device, a less data-hungry mobile version should automatically appear or be offered as an option.

Let me know if it works!

I'm back

and I'll  posting again very soon

Let me know what kind of help you would like by leaving a comment.

Away for a few weeks

I'll be away from internet for a few weeks.

Check for new posts after June 7th.

Mormonads

Do you know where to find Mormonads posters?

There are available on lds.org  here organized by topic.

There are also Mormonad videos on the Youth website.

International Video Contest Winners

Members from all over the world entered the Church’s first International Video Contest to create their own Mormon Message. The winners have been announced and you can view their videos here. 

Some of the videos were created by youth ages 13-17.

I think "Life" is very creative and I enjoyed hearing a young woman talk about her values and the music industry in "Staying in Tune." There are many others - so take a look!

"Senior" Prom

Youth of the Las Vegas Nevada stake held a special "Senior" prom during their March 26 youth conference. The held a dance for residents of a local rehabilitation center, complete with decorations and corsages for all.

You can read more about it in the online Church News.

Young Women Materials

Have you ever wished for a list of all Young Women materials - complete with pictures, prices, and item numbers?

It's now available!



You can find the complete document on the Young Women: Serving in the Church website. It's in the right sidebar of the Getting Started page - or just click this link.

The New Era on Facebook

The New Era magazine has a great facebook page.

Here are a few of my favorite recent posts:

 Girls and guys:

The New Era Magazine

Here are five things guys wish girls did more often. Can you think of some more?
• Show self-confidence.
• Show that they have high expectations for guys.
• Speak up against gossiping when other girls are doing it.
• Compliment guys on the good things they do, especially in the Church.
• Bake cookies and share them with guys.

The New Era Magazine

Here are five things girls wish guys did more often. Can you think of some more?
• Participate in church, especially singing and bearing testimony.
• Say kind things to girls when it’s not expected (and when it’s expected, too).
• Ask girls to dance at Church dances.
• Speak up against inappropriate jokes.
• Take more care with personal appearance (to avoid that, um, “lived-in” look).


Friendship scriptures:

The New Era Magazine

Here are five scriptures about friendship. Can you find some more?
• Proverbs 17:17
• 1 Samuel 18:1
• Alma 17:2
• John 15:12–15
• Exodus 33:11
 

Dating:

The New Era Magazine

“It is better, my friends, to date a variety of companions until you are ready to marry. Have a wonderful time, but stay away from familiarity. Keep your hands to yourself. It may not be easy, but it is possible.”
—President Gordon B. Hinckley
http://lds.org/new-era/2001/01/a-prophets-counsel-and-prayer-for-youth?lang=eng

A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth - New Era Jan. 2001

lds.org

Text of a talk given to youth and young single adults on November 12, 2000, at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City and broadcast by satellite throughout the Church. I make you a promise that God will not forsake you if you walk in His paths with the guidance of His commandments.

He Showed Us the Way to Return Home - Elaine S Dalton

This quote was in the April 2011 Ensign:

“The Savior came to the earth to show us how to live the plan that was authored
in heaven—a plan that, if lived, will make us happy. His example showed us the way to return home to our Heavenly Father. No other who has ever lived has been so ‘steadfast and immovable’ (Mosiah 5:15). He was never distracted. He was focused on carrying out the will of the Father, and He
remained true to His divine mission. . . .

“You are a part of that wondrous plan that was presented in the premortal realms. Your coming to the earth now has been anticipated since the plan was accepted. Your position in time and place is no accident. Your ‘exceeding faith and good works’ (Alma 13:3) then has laid the foundation for what you may accomplish now if you are faithful and obedient. . . . You have a great work to do. In order to accomplish your divine mission and live the plan of happiness, you too
must be steadfast and immovable.”

He Showed Us the Way to Return Home


Originally from “At All Times, in All
Things, and in All Places,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2008, 116.

Young Women Leaders Website

The Young Women leaders website had been updated. This is the place to access the latest messages from leaders, get help and resources for your calling, and find out what's new.

You can get to the Young Women leaders website from the lds.org hompage menu - click "Serving in the Church" and then "Young Women." You can also type youngwomen.lds.org into your browser window.

There are three main sections in the site:

Getting Started



This where you can go for help in your calling or for training ideas. You will find important leadership principles with many links to the Handbook. In the right sidebar are links to an Initial Training and Orientation document and to a list of Young Women materials.

Messages From Leaders



This page is divided into three sections.

1. Words of the Prophets is where you will find Key messages from prophets, apostles and other priesthood leaders. 
2. Messages from General Young Women Leaders contains recent messages from Elaine Dalton, Mary Cook, and Ann Dibb. 
3. News and Announcements is an exciting addition. This is where you will find the latest news on what's happening in the Young Women organization. The latest messages right now are about the online Resource Guide and the new Youth App.

Leader Resources



This section is not quite finished (there are still links to the classic site). You will find links to:

• Welcoming New Young Women
• Standards
• Sunday Gospel Instruction
• Personal Progress
• Mutual and Other Activities
• Young Women Camp
• Teaching Leadership Skills and Qualities
• Young Women with Disabilities
• and more

A Prophet's Voice: Following the Lord's anointed

How can you bring the blessings of General Conference to the young women you serve?

There's an extremely important article in today's Church News by Sister Elaine Dalton on that topic: "A Prophet's Voice: Following the Lord's Anointed."

Here are a few quotes:

"I believe, in a world increasing in media messages each young woman must be riveted on their words and know how to apply them in their lives. Prophets speak for God. They are a voice of warning. They can guide, direct, admonish correct and teach. They can provide personal answers to life's questions and challenges. They can also prepare each of us for what is to come.


"In Young Women, the curriculum has been updated with current messages from the prophets, seers, revelators and other Church leaders. This is being done through the use of the online Resource Guide, which updates the lessons in the Young Women Lesson Manual 3. These inspired general conference addresses can now become part of our Sunday lessons, and could also become a part of family discussions, youth talks, seminary sharing, and family home evening lessons....


"The Resource Guide for Leaders will continually update the lessons with the current words of the prophets, visual resources and relevant questions. These teachings will bless and guide the young women and all of us as we focus not only on what they have said but what we will do to live the doctrine they have taught....


"I believe that in order for our precious young women to be able to navigate in the world in which they now live, they will need to be riveted on the words of the prophets, seers and revelators. They will need to hear them in general conference, in their homes and in their young women classes. They will need to not only know what was taught but how to accept and act on these prophetic words. They will need to be shown how to relate the doctrine to their everyday lives and the situations they face. They will need to be mentored on how it connects with Personal Progress. It is so important that what they learn on Sunday, translates into action on Monday.

YW Manual 3: Lessons 16-18 on the Temple

Young Women Manual 3: Lessons 16-18 on the temple should be coming up soon.

This is an extremely important topic. Note the vision statement at top of the Getting Started section of the Young Women website:



Take care to prepare spiritually as you plan these critical lessons.

This is from Handbook 2 section 3.2.1
Leaders prepare themselves spiritually as they keep the commandments, study the scriptures and the teachings of latter-day prophets, pray, fast, and humble themselves before the Lord. With this preparation, they are able to receive inspiration to guide them in their personal lives, their family responsibilities, and their callings.


Lesson Resources - from the manual

There are wonderfully current resources included in the online lessons. Here are links - look in the right sidebar for the Resource Guide plus additional current materials.

Lesson 16: Temple Endowment

Lesson 17: Preparing to attend the Temple

Lesson 18: Temple Marriage

Look how current some of the materials are - Elder Scott's April 2011 General Conference talk and Sister Dalton's March General Young Women Meeting "Guardians of Virtue" talk are included in Lesson 18.




Lesson 17 suggests these two very current videos - "Temple Blessings - Worth Every Sacrifice" is a video excerpt, created for youth, from President Monson's April 2011 Conference talk. The Kyiv Ukraine Temple video has been surprisingly popular. Youth from the Ukraine share their excitement for the blessings of the temple.




Remember - there are suggested discussion questions and ideas to help young women apply what they learn.

From lesson 17






Other Resources

This is a difficult section to create - because there are so many! Just about any talk by Sister Dalton focuses on the temple. I'll include a few things here, but please know, there are many many more. The key is to prepare spiritually, pray hard, seek inspiration and teach your young women what their Heavenly Father wants them to learn and become.

This would be a great month to learn and sing "Guardians of Virtue"! See my earlier post on how to download mp3 and sheet music,

"The Holy Temple - a Beacon to the World" - April 2011 General Conference talk by President Thomas S. Monson

"Look to the Temple" - 2009 BYU Woman's Conference address by Elaine S. Dalton

"Latter-day Saint Young Women: 'In the strength of the Lord, I can do hard things'" - Church News Article by Sister Dalton about a group of young women walk 22 miles from Draper temple to Salt Lake temple

Lds.org topic page on Temples

Temple Preparation Seminar lesson manual

The entire October 2010 Liahona and Ensign magazines are full of articles about the temple and gorgeous pictures.



There's a special article for youth: "Making the Temple a Part of Your Life"

Here are a few of the pictures:



San Antonio, Texas Celestial Room

Blog translation

Thanks to a suggestion in a comment, I have added translation functionality to this blog. Just use the Google Website Translation Gadget in the right sidebar to select a language. I'm sure the translation will not be perfect, but I hope this helps.

YW Manual 3: Lesson 15 - Blessings of the House of Israel

The online version of lesson 15 includes excellent current resources (see the right sidebar) including words of the prophets, additional scriptures, pictures and media.

Here are the suggested discussion questions from the resources:

• What does it mean to be a member of the house of Israel? How did you become a member of the house of Israel?
• What blessings of the house of Israel are given to those who go to the temple?

 And a suggested application:

• Read Abraham 1:2 and select one of the traits in Abraham’s life that qualified him for the blessings he received. How can you develop these characteristics?

Additional Resources

Here's a New Era article that might be helpful: "Articles of Faith: What Abraham's Covenant Means to You" bu Shanna Butler

And here are a few pictures and a wonderful genealogy chart from "Abraham: Father of the Faithful" in the Feb 2006 New Era:

The Abrahamic Covenant


Abraham and Isaac


Abraham and Isaac


The Family of Abraham

Article: "The Mediator Jesus Christ"

I mentioned this current New Era article in my collection of Easter Resources. I love this story written by Elder Boyd K. Packer. It has deepened my understanding of the Atonement. I just noticed that it's featured on the youth website.  This makes it easy to share - I hope you will do that.

Sharing

Here are some ways to share this article:

Click the small "Share" button just below the article.

This opens up four choices, email, twitter, facebook, delicious.

The most commonly used are email and facebook.

To email, you can click on "Email" and work through lds.org to send a link. This requires signing in. Or you can just copy the URL and paste it into emails you send to your young women and others. To make it easy - here's the URL:
https://lds.org/youth/article/the-mediator-jesus-christ?lang=eng

You also have two facebook sharing choices. If you have a facebook account, you can click the little thumbs up icon in the right corner of the window - this will show up on your "wall" telling friends you "like" this article. Or you can click "Share" and then "Facebook."  This will open up a window where you can write a few words and automatically share the link.

Video 



Here's a little hidden gem - If you scroll to the bottom of the article, you will see this:

To see a video about this parable, watch “The Mediator.”

You can view a video of this story online and also download it - right click on the words "The Mediator," (either here or in the article) select "save as." The video should download to your computer.

It is also  available on the DVD "Book of Mormon Video Presentations" (53911).

News to share: Fasting

Fasting can change your life - both spiritually and physically.

Results of a very recent study suggest that people who fast regularly have a 58% lower risk of coronary disease.

The researchers also found that fasting may promote fat burning.

"... 30 patients were asked to fast for 24 hours with water only. The scientists used blood tests before and after the fasting period to look at a number of different metabolic markers. Among other changes, they found that levels of human growth hormone, or HGH, surged after fasting — increasing 20 times in men and 13 times in women. The hormone is released by the body in times of starvation to protect lean muscle mass and trigger the body to start burning fat stores" (New York Times).

You can read more in the New York Times and at KSL.com.


More on fasting:

The Law of the Fast, Joseph B. Wirthlin (April 2001 General Conference)

Fasting with Power, by Shayne M. Bowen (April 2009 Ensign)

What the Scripture Say About Fasting by Robert J. Matthews (Sept 1972 New Era)

The Blessings of a Proper Fast by Elder Carl B. Pratt (Oct 2004 Ensigh)

Kissing?

It's a bit odd to change topics from General Conference to Easter to kissing - but a new Mormon Times article on kissing might be an interesting discussion starter for young women. It's titled "Counsel for Latter-day Saint singles on kissing." If we can help young women be virtuous in every aspect of their lives, they will be prepared to enter the temple, make and keep sacred covenants, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.

Here are a few excerpts from the article:

President Spencer W. Kimball said: “Kissing has been prostituted and has degenerated to develop and express lust instead of affection, honor and admiration. To kiss in casual dating is asking for trouble. What do kisses mean when handed out like pretzels and robbed of sacredness?”

How is one to avoid prostituting kisses or using them to express lust rather than affection? LDS.org uses the term “passionate kissing” to describe kissing that crosses the line. But, like President Kimball’s kissing quote, I’m not sure we all know what “passionate kissing” means. After much Googling, I mainly came up with revealed definitions for what passionate kissing is not....

More information on this topic:

For the Strength of Youth online: Sexual Purity

The April 2010 New Era focuses on dating - a great resource

"Serious Questions, Serious Answers" - a talk by Elder Richard G. Scott that addresses questions about sexual purity. These might be helpful questions to go over with your young women.

"Speaking of Kissing" - New Era article by Bruce Monson

"What Do Kisses Mean?" - New Era article by John Bytheway

Mormonads - here's a link to the one shown above: Look Forward


Ideas for using these resources

Young Women Manual 3 Lessons 15, 16, 17, and 18 on the temple should be coming up. You could plan an activity on dating standards that lead to the temple. You could assign young women various resources to review and share or organized a dating standards panel.

How would you use these resources? (leave a comment)

Easter

Easter is coming in less than 2 weeks!

This is an ideal time to help young women focus on the Savior.

What Easter resources are available?

Take a look at the LDS Media Talk blog post "Preparing for Easter." The author did a wonderful job assembling a list of resources.

I'll embed the videos here for you:

His Sacred Name - An Easter Declaration - new Mormon Message on Easter



You can find all the scriptures from this video in Church News and Events.

He Lives: Testimonies of Jesus Christ - last year's Easter video



An Apostle's Easter Thoughts on Christ, by Elder Jeffery Rr Holland



A few more things:

I can't think of anything better than "The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles" - perhaps you could challenge young women to read it, or better yet, encourage them to start their Personal Progress Faith value project. One possibility is to memorize "The Living Christ."

April 2011 1st Presidency Message by President Thomas S. Monson - "He is not here, but is risen" 

Special Witnesses of Christ - testimonies from each member of the First Presidency (text)

President Monson's April 2010 General Conference address - "He is Risen"

Classic talk by Bruce R. McConkie from the April 2011 Ensign - "The Purifying Power of Gethsemene"

My favorite story for understanding the atonement is "The Mediator Jesus Christ" by Boyd K. Packer, shared in the April 2011 New Era. There is a video of this story called "The Mediator" available on the DVD "Book of Mormon Video Presentations" (53911). This video is not on any official LDS sites but it is on YouTube in poor quality and I'll embed it (slightly guiltily) here:

General Conference Resources

General Conference was a marvelous time of renewing and revelation. Let's not let go. Young Women need to make General Conference messages the walk and talk of their lives for the next 6 months. That's why the latest messages will be integrated into the new online Resource Guide (found in sidebar of YW Manual 3 lessons).

Here are some General Conference materials:

April 2011 General Conference - text, audio, and video of each talk, including the General Young Women Meeting

From Church Leaders on the youth website - youth focused video clips of talks from General Conference and the General Young Women Meeting

Video Highlights - an 18 minute overview of key themes and announcements

General Conference Summary - from Church News and Events

First Presidency Addresses - text summary

Availability of Conference Materials - schedule for release of text, video, and audio in the 11 internet languages.

Stories from General Conference - a Mormon Channel audio program. I don't know how recent the materials are, but this is a source for good stories.


LDS General Conference Podcast - downloads talks directly into iTunes and any connected device (this is what I use and the day after conference, I was listening in my car and during walks - even the Priesthood session which was fantastic). I can't share a link because it's only available in the iTunes store. If you have iTunes, go into the store link and search LDS General Conference mp3 - if you want it by speaker. That's what I use. If you don't have iTunes you can get the free program here.

195 Dresses video

Modest prom dresses, a personal progress project, and a creative young woman:




Here's a link you can share:

https://lds.org/youth/video/195-dresses?lang=eng


Ideas on how to use this video

Share or view it with your young women to encourage creative thinking about Personal Progress projects. Invite them to plan and begin working on one of their own projects.

Plan an activity night to learn how to modify dresses to make them modest. Invite young women to view the video before coming, or show it during the activity.

Share it as a follow up to the Sunday lessons on the temple with a reminder to prepare for the temple by dressing modestly.

What are your ideas? Share them in a comment.


For more resources on modesty, see the "Dress and Appearance" page in the online For the Strength of Youth.

Mormon Channel

Mormon Channel has a new home page.

This is a great resource for audio and video media.

Young Women Auxiliary Training Summary

Here's a summary of the March 2011 Auxiliary Training for Young Women:
(from my sadly incomplete notes.

As far as I know, it's not online anywhere right now. I will certainly blog about anything available in the future.

Presentation #1 - websites



The YW Serving in the Church website will be updated soon. Here are the changes that were shared:

• "Getting Started" will remain the same.
• "Messages from Leaders" will have 3 new sections: "Words of the Prophets," "Messages from General Young Women Leaders," and "News and Announcements." These sections will be updated frequently - especially "News and Announcements." Check that page frequently to see what's new on the Serving in the Church site and the Youth website.
• "Leader Resources" will have new links to key resources.
• Here's how to know when the new version is available - the yellow tulips will magically turn to pink!

Youth.lds.org has been redesigned. Here are some highlights:

• The homepage has windows showing featured content. The top two windows will be updated at least every Friday. At the time of training, "The Miracle of Personal Progress" and "I'm a Young Woman, and I Believe" were featured.
• Almost all content on the site is downloadable and  shareable via email, facebook, twitter, and delicious.
• Youth Menu item - "For the Strength of Youth" has pages for each standard with links to additional scriptures, articles, talks, music, video, and other media.
• Youth Menu item - "From Church Leaders" has video and text excerpts from recent messages. General Conference video clips were available almost immediately after the talks were given.
• Youth Menu item - "Youth Theme 2011" is where the Strength of Youth Media DVD videos are hosted. This is valuable because now the youth can view them.
• Personal Progress is the most clicked link in the entire site - YAY!
• Music is the second most clicked link. The music library has a growing collection of songs that can be streamed and downloaded. Some of them have links to lyrics or sheet music (click on the icons to the far right of each title). Current LDS artist are sharing their music. The most recent is "Strong and Courageous" by Jenny Phillips.
• How to use the videos? If internet is freely available, they can be streamed. They can also be downloaded to a laptop, ipad, or phone and played in the classroom. It's possible to purchase a cable that will allow video on some phones to play on a TV. Consider expanding your influence by inviting young women to view a video as preparation before class or suggest a video as 'homework' after class. When sharing videos, it's useful to invite young women to look for something or have a question in mind.
• Mobile App for the Youth website - provides easy access to featured content via iphone, ipad, and some ipods (for now - more  is coming).This is where the youth live - on their phones!
• Use these resources and share them with your young women. They will be strengthened as they see youth all over the world sharing testimony and living standards, plus, they will have the most current words of the prophets at their fingertips.

Presentation #2 - the online Resource Guide



The 2011 Resource Guide is online. You will find it to right of  lessons in the online Young Women Manuel 3.  It includes content found in the paper version PLUS more resources, including current videos, articles, and words of the prophets.  At this time content have only been added to lessons 1-19. They plan to stay only a few lessons ahead in order to include the most recent resources, including the April 2011 General Conference addresses.

Presentation #3 - Handbook 2 and the Leadership Training Library

Sister Ann Dibb emphasized the value of Handbook 2. Of course, we have chapter 10 on the Young Women program. But many more chapters are valuable to leaders. Chapter 1 on the family lays the foundation for all we do. Chapter 2 on the Priesthood is critical to understanding how to function in a ward or stake. Chapter 3 on leadership and 4 on the Ward Council are also essential. Sister Dibb suggests we become familiar with the entire handbook so we will understand how the Young Women program fits into the organization of the Church.

Sister Mary Cook shared the upcoming Leadership Training Library. This will be a collection of over 100 videos available online to train leaders in the Church. There will be videos on general leadership principles (prepare spiritually, participate in councils, etc) and some on administering the Young Women Program. She shared two videos: one on welcoming a new beehive and one on living the standards. The library should be available this summer.

Presentation #5 - Sister Elaine Dalton

Sister Dalton encouraged leaders and helped them connect with the Spirit. She shared many useful and uplifting thoughts. Here are a few:

• You were reserved for this time. You are talented women, ready to serve during this critical time.
• If you are tired, you are trying to do this alone. You have many people to help you including the young women. Most importantly you can rely on the Savior to help you fulfill your calling.
• Help young women receive and feel the Spirit every time they are with you.
• Take care of your home and family.
• Testify at every opportunity and help young women share their testimonies.
• Counsel with Priesthood when you have question. They have keys that guide the work.
• The Spirit will guide and guard you. Do all you can to receive the Holy Ghost.
• A young woman said to her grandfather, "I hear words and see videos at Church, but I want to leave with fire in my heart!" Asl yourself, how can we give the young women fire in their hearts?
• We all have spiritual gifts. Pray for the gifts you need (see Moroni 10).
• You can do it! We love and pray for you.

Sister Dalton shared 2 videos. First, a darling little girl saying the 13th article of faith (not online so I can't link it).  Second, "The Miracle of Personal Progress."

It was a great training!!!!!!

Guardians of Virtue sheet music

"Guardians of Virtue" - what a powerful song!

Sheet music and mp3 versions are available to download from the youth.lds.org music library.

Just right click (then select save as) on the icons to the right of the song and collection title. This is the version from the For Strength of Youth Media DVD.

You can also download the version from the General Young Women Meeting choir. Just go to April General Conference. Be sure to click "Show Music" at the top.



Scroll down to the General Young Women Meeting content.



Click on the download button opposite "Guardians of Virtue" music, right click on the audio icon and "save as."

Highlights of the General Young Women Meeting

The Church News captured highlights of last Saturday's meeting




And here are links to Church News articles on each of the addresses:

President Henry B. Eyring - A Living Testimony

Sister Elaine S. Dalton - Guardians of Virtue

Sister Mary N. Cook - Kindness Begins with Me

Sister Ann M. Dibb - I Believe in Being Honest and True

General Conference - youth video excerpts

Can you believe that video excerpts from Saturday sessions of conference are already on the Youth website?!

Thank you to all those who worked to make this happen.

Here are the first four posted:

Remembering the Sacrament, L. Tom Perry

The Parable of the Purse, Quentin L. Cook (I love this!)

What is a Latter-day Saint?, Boyd K. Packer

Face the Future with Faith,  Russel M. Nelson

Achieve Your Eternal Destiny, Dallin H. Oaks


As conference continues, watch for messages that will lift your young women. I put a little "YW" by the special notes I take.

Update - more excerpts have been added - go to From Church Leaders on the youth website to see the latest.

Here's more on General Conference:

"Why Conference Matters" - thoughts from President Monson

Why participate in conference?

Behind the Scenes at Conference

Church News & Events on General Conference

Three new temples announced!

Statistical report shared Saturday afternoon

Watch General Conference live

on facebook!

The Miracle of Personal Progress video

You will love this!




Youth website link

It was a great meeting!

The General Young Women Meeting ended a few hours ago and already there are video excerpts available on the LDS youth website here.

Here's the video shown at the meeting, "I'm a Young Woman, and I Believe."



Youth Website link here.

What fun - to have the resources so quickly! Wouldn't it be wonderful to talk about the meeting and review the highlights with your young women?

If you missed the meeting it will be rebroadcast on BYUtv Sunday at 5 pm MT - read more

Here is news coverage on the meeting:

 KSL article and video

Salt Lake Tribune article

Praise for the Youth Website

The Deseret News calls the new Youth Website a wonder!

You can read about it here

Vote for your favorite video!

Visitor's choice voting for the church's International Video Contest began yesterday.

You can view videos in professional, amateur, and youth categories.

VOTE HERE

Be sure to share this fun project with your young women.

Read more

More on the General Young Women Meeting

From Church News article: "YW meeting an opportunity to say thanks:
Young women around the world making a difference"
(March 19, 2011)

"For members of the Young Women general presidency, the 2011 General Young Women Meeting will be almost celebratory.

"It will be our way of saying, 'Thank you, young women,'" said Sister Elaine S. Dalton, Young Women general president. " 'You are making a difference; every single one of you all over the world is a glowing light to the world because you are reflecting the Savior's light'...

"Our messages will create a platform that will open up conversations between mothers and daughters," she said. "We hope mothers will take advantage of this opportunity to talk about gospel principles and standards with their daughters."

Read more

Details on the satellite feed

General Young Women Meeting

It's coming up this Saturday!

Here are highlights from last year's meeting:



Send a link to your young women to help them get ready for the broadcast - https://lds.org/youth/video/general-yw-meeting-highlights?lang=eng

(or link them to this blog post :)

When to watch:

LIVE BROADCAST	REBROADCAST
8 p.m. Eastern time	10 p.m. Eastern time
7 p.m. Central time	9 p.m. Central time
6 p.m. Mountain time	8 p.m. Mountain time
5 p.m. Pacific time	7 p.m. Pacific time

Broadcast information here

Read more

Kyiv Ukraine Temple Celebration Video

This video is a little longer than normal (6:13) and it may not seem like a topic that will rivet the youth, but be sure to give it a try. It's the second most viewed Mormon Messages for Youth video right now. There's something powerful about hearing youth around the world share their experiences with the Gospel.



How to use this video?

Looking forward in Young Women Manual 3: Lessons 15-19 are about family history and temple work. This video might be a good resource to prepare young women for the unit. You could send them this link:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MormonMessagesYouth#p/c/E395F43BA88AEEB6/1/6WQA2Mc7qqU

Questions to consider:

What experiences did the youth in this video have with the temple?
What experiences have you had with the temple?
What do you think their challenges might be?
What challenges do youth in your community face?
How do you stay strong?

RSS Feeds and Podcasts

Did you know that finding this blog and reading it is the old fashioned way to use the internet?

When you do that, you are "pulling" content by working to find it.

Instead, most youth live in a "push" internet environment.

They sign up or indicate what kind of content they want and then it's delivered or "pushed" to them. Facebook is an example. Friends, photos, "liked" pages, are all pushed onto their wall. The new Youth iPhone app pushes the latest youth content to phones.  This is a good thing!

The LDS Church has embraced "push" technology. To learn more, read this post from LDS Media Talk (an excellent blog I follow): RSS Feeds from the LDS Church. You will learn all the ways you can have Church content pushed to you. The post includes a list of podcasts, but here are two that weren't included. They are particularly useful for youth and their leaders:

• Mormon Messages Video Podcast
• Mormon Messages for Youth Video Podcast

These podcasts are the simplest way to get good youth videos onto your computer, iPad, iPhone, iPod so that you can share them.

And guess what?

You can have content from this blog "pushed" to you.  Read about RSS feeds from the blog post I shared and then sign up for the RSS feed from Blessing Young Women (scroll down a little ways on the right sidebar).



Or you can "like" the Blessing Young Women facebook page and updates will appear on your wall.

Auxiliary Training - Spring 2011

Auxiliary training workshops are held for Young Women, Primary, Relief Society, Sunday School, and Young Men each spring, between the General Young Women Meeting and General Conference.

Click here to see this year's complete schedule.

Young Women leadership training will be held:

Tuesday, March 29 
10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Assembly Hall
6:30–9:00 p.m. Assembly Hall

Thursday, March 31 
10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Conference Center Theater
6:30–9:00 p.m.* Conference Center Theater
(Spanish translation will be provided during the Thursday sessions)

Personal Progress Resources




Personal Progress is a self directed, goal setting, spiritual achievement program program for young women ages 12 to 18. Its purpose is to help each young woman draw closer to Jesus Christ and prepare to make and keep sacred temple covenants.

I thought it might be helpful to search for and share some of the current LDS.org resources on the Young Women Personal Progress program. (sorry about the crazy spacing - Blogger is being difficult today)


Official LDS.org Personal Progress websites:

Handbook 2: Administering the Church - 10.7 Personal Progress

Personal Progress information for leaders

Personal Progress online

Personal Progress Book (full text)

Implementation instructions and materials list (pdf)

Frequently asked questions (pdf)

Young Women Manual 3 - suggestions for personal progress integration into Sunday instruction is included in some of the lessons. For example see Lessons 12 (scroll to bottom of the right sidebar)

The Honor Bee




"Bee a Mentor - Righteous influence," Elaine S. Dalton, Church News, June 19, 2010
Earning the Honor Bee in Young Women encourages every young woman to become a mentor. After a young woman finishes her Personal Progress and receives her Young Womanhood award and medallion, she can become a mentor to another young woman and, in the process, she can earn an Honor Bee. The Honor Bee is a symbol of someone who has gone the extra mile and beyond the requirements. read more


"Idea List: After Personal Progress," New Era, Oct 2010
If you’ve already received your Young Womanhood Recognition, one way to keep progressing is by helping other young women with their Personal Progress. This is called mentoring, and it’s easy. First, be a friend. Second, show and teach. Remember to work under the direction of your leaders, and you can be eligible to earn an Honor Bee. read more

Personal Progress Messages in General Conference

"Help Them on Their Way Home," Henry B. Eyring, Apri 2010 General Conference
Personal Progress helps young women prepare to receive the ordinances of the temple. They are helped by the examples of mothers, grandmothers, and every righteous woman around them in the Church. I have seen how parents helped a daughter achieve her goals and dreams by noticing and appreciating all the good things she does. read more

"Our Duty to God: The Mission of Parents and Leaders to the Rising Generation," Robert D. Hales, April 2010 General Conference
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. read more

Articles on Personal Progress

"Helping Youth Track Their Progress or Their Duty—Online," Ensign, March 2011
As parents, leaders, or teachers, we can help teens use the interactive, online versions of Duty to God and Personal Progress. read more

"Ribbons, recognition and relationships," Elaine S. Dalton, Church News, July 17, 2030
On a recent auxiliary training assignment to Africa, I met a new young bishop who shared his enthusiasm for the Personal Progress and Duty to God programs for the youth. He felt that since he was asking the youth to participate in these programs, he needed to become familiar with them as their bishop. Consequently, he started to work on both his Personal Progress and his Duty to God. read more

"What's New in Personal Progress," Elaine S. Dalton, New Era, Jan 2010
Personal Progress is not a program that is separate and apart from your life. It is a tool that you can use to draw closer to the Savior, serve others, be anxiously engaged in good works, learn leadership skills, develop relationships with others, and prepare for temple covenants. Personal Progress helps each young woman who participates develop daily righteous routines. When you do small things consistently, they become part of who you are and they change you. It really is “by small and simple things” that “great things [are] brought to pass” read more

"Young Women: Personal Progress," Church News, Dec 26, 2009
As part of the revised Personal Progress program, Latter-day Saint young women worldwide will receive specific items. Following is a list of the new items and their purpose: read more


"Fostering Spiritual Growth among Latter-day Saint Young Women," Church News, Dec 26, 2009
The Church's Personal Progress program — which now includes a revised booklet, a redesigned Young Women medallion, and other tools — will help young women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints grow in faith and testimony of their Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ, said Sister Elaine S. Dalton. read more

"Five Reasons to Love Personal Progress: Why Personal Progress just might be one of the most important things you choose to do as a teenager," New Era, Nov 2006
You’re sitting in your bishop’s office for your birthday interview, and you’ve already talked about how things are at home and in school. Now your bishop asks how your Personal Progress is going. Are you (a) excited to tell him about the experiences and projects you’ve worked on this year, (b) embarrassed because you haven’t worked on it that much lately, or (c) blushing because you don’t even know where your Personal Progress book is? read more

Young Women's Stories about Personal Progress

"The Challenge That Changed My Life: I thought I was up to the task, but I found there was more to it than memorization," New Era, Nov 2010
The lump in my throat continued to grow as I slowly walked to the front of the room. I was a senior in high school, and this was my last Young Women in Excellence presentation. As I faced the audience of young women, parents, and leaders, I realized that my years of theater and speech experience were not going to help that night. read more


"Learning from Personal Progress: One little book helped lead me to joy and guide me through trials," New Era, Jan 2010
I remember my first Mutual activity. I went as a guest or investigator a couple of days after my 12th birthday, before I was even a member.


To be honest, I really didn’t want to be there. My excuse was that I didn’t know anyone who claimed they went to this Church. At the time, I was attending a different Christian program that was just mainly fun. I really liked my friends there and the competitive games provided by the youth directors. So technically I was comparing the two church programs to see which one I liked best, and I was sure that I already knew which one I preferred and didn’t need to prove it by going to Mutual.  Or so I thought. read more

"Prayerful Personal Progress," Liahona, March 2009
One day while I was working on Personal Progress, I started to work on an experience that included praying regularly for two weeks. One of the things I decided to pray for was that my friend would respect me and understand that the Church was very important to me. Two weeks later, when the experience was completed, I kept praying for the same thing. read more

"The Point," New Era, March 2008
What’s the reason for Personal Progress? These young women in North and South Carolina know it’s to help both you and those around you. “Make it work for you.” That’s how Mia Maid Megan Ross sums up her advice about participating in Personal Progress. But her mother, Deborah, the Young Women president of the Colfax Ward, Greensboro North Carolina Stake, adds this additional suggestion, which makes Personal Progress even more meaningful: “Use it to help those around you.”
read more

"Making Progress Personal in Panama," Liahona, Aug 2006
“I always thought the worst of myself,” says Melissa, 17, who is about to complete the Young Women program in the Cincuentenario Ward, Panama City Panama Stake. “But the Personal Progress program has helped me realize that I am worth something.” read more


Special Needs Personal Progress


"Personal Progress by Proxy:The service was sweet as these Young Women did something for their friend that she couldn’t do for herself," New Era, August 2009
A group of young women came to the Jordan River Utah Temple to do baptisms for the dead. As they were waiting, their leader started thinking. That day they were doing baptisms by proxy for people who could not do them for themselves. She starting thinking about a Laurel in her ward who, because of a terrible traffic accident, was not able to earn her Young Womanhood medallion for herself.
Could they all help? Could they do something like Personal Progress by proxy?
read more

"Skating with Jennifer: Young women in California find that it’s easy to adapt when you care enough to make progress personal," New Era, May 2008
It’s not unusual to see two girls giggling as they try to stay up on ice skates. But how often do they do it while working on Personal Progress? In this case, it’s one of many things young women in the Centerville Ward of the Fremont Stake in northern California have done to help one of their own. The skating activity was tailor-made to fit the needs of Jennifer Beck, who has Down syndrome. read more