"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.

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.

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

Run for Virtue

Elaine S. Dalton, Young Women General President, visited a youth conference in Los Angeles last month. Part of the conference was a three mile "run for virtue."

You can read all about it in the March 5, 2011 Church News.

Teaching Young Women

Today's Church News has a VERY HELPFUL article by Mary Cook (1st Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency), "Young women: Finding answers to strengthen testimonies."

It's about teaching young women and using the new resources available online.

Read it! Read it!

There are incredible resources online and I'm not sure many leaders know about them. 

I posted on this already, but I'll review:

Access the Young Women Sunday Instruction resources by going to lds.org - Serving in the Church - Young Women - Leader Resources - Young Women Manual 3  (or click the link I just gave you). Lessons do or will have the Resource Guide content plus new current resources in the right sidebar. As of now, only lessons 1-12 have resources added but lessons are in the process of being updated.




Sister Cook shared suggestions for using this content in her article. She points out
discussion questions, current words of the prophets, media, and suggestions for helping young women act upon what they learn during the week.

Her suggestions are each important:

• Relevant questions help young women engage with doctrine and principles and apply it to their lives. 
• Current prophetic word is what keeps us safe and moving in the right direction during these very challenging and confusing times.  
• Media engages youth - the love it! 
• Acting upon learning is essential.  How many times have you actually done something different after a church lesson? We need to help the young women apply and do. That is the way the will build their own firm, unshakable testimonies.

The Video, "Ask and Ye Shall Receive" is mentioned in the article. It's difficult to find online. You can find it listed on this web page.

BYU Study: Sexual abstinance until marriage leads to stability and trust

We live in a toxic world. Young women today need our help, as parents and leaders, to stay on the path of virtue.

An article, published in the Jan 8, 2011 Church News, describes research support for our standards of virtue and sexual purity. It describes a recent Brigham Young University study, published in the American Psychological Association's Journal of Family Psychology, exploring impact of sexual involvement during dating.

Here's an excerpt:

"Research shows that as couples develop their relationship while delaying or refraining from sexual intimacy they are able to form foundations on communication and other social processes."

"When couples become sexual early in the relationship … other areas do not develop as well," Brother Busby said. "Couples who wait spend time talking and sharing their life, getting to know each other in other ways, strengthening their relations and creating greater relationship satisfaction."

Elaine Dalton has consistently emphasized virtue during her years as Young Women General President.

Here are links to a few of her talks on virtue:

"Remember Who You Are!" April 2010 General Young Women Meeting

 "Come Let Us Go Up to the Mountain of the Lord," April 2009 General Young Women Meeting

"A Return to Virtue," Oct 2008 General Conference

Update:

This article is making news in far away places:

The Economist
and The Irish Times

Church News Articles

Over the past year or so, there have been regular Church News articles written by members of the Young Women General Presidency. They are excellent resources for parents and leaders.

Here are some of the recent articles:

"Young Women: New year, new you"
Elaine S. Dalton, Jan 22, 2011

Strength of Youth Media - 2011

"'The Strength of Youth Media' can act as a resource for parents, leaders of youth and priesthood leaders to supplement lessons, use in firesides, to facilitate a discussion and inspired learning in Sunday lesson settings; to use at youth conferences and in family home evening lessons. The possibilities are limitless for using this resource along with the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet, to help strengthen the rising generation" 

"Young women: 'More holiness give me'"
Elaine. S Dalton, Dec 18, 2010

100% challenge for young women.

"In the coming year, as a Young Women general presidency, we will continue to ask young women everywhere to act to increase their faith by doing three things:
1. Pray morning and evening
2. Read in the Book of Mormon each day.
3. Smile as they remember that they are beloved daughters of our Heavenly Father.
In addition to this, in 2011 we will be adding a fourth invitation. We will be asking each young woman to become familiar with and to obey and live the standards in the "For the Strength of Youth." Doing these simple things will invite the companionship and guidance of the Holy Ghost. And, as their leaders, we will be doing exactly what we are asking the young women to do."

"Latter-day Saint Young Women: 'In the strength of the Lord I can do hard things'"
Elaine S. Dalton, Oct 16, 2010

Story of a group of young women who walked from the Draper temple to the Salt Lake Temple AND read Jesus the Christ a few months earlier.

"Their ward Young Women president, Michelle Carnesecca, knew what every good leader knows: that there is no motivation in being involved in a mediocre cause. These young women were not only told that they were great, but they were given the opportunity to BE great, to ACT great, and to DO great things. 

"Many times leaders are tempted to protect the youth from experiencing and doing hard things. And yet these noble young women yearn to make a difference and to accomplish the seemingly impossible. This is one of the reasons the youth love to participate in pioneer treks, 50 mile hikes, and Young Women camp. And that is why they were gathered at the temple, ready to walk 22 miles. 

"'She Glowed!' Young woman filled with light before baptism"
Elaine S. Dalton, Sept 18, 2010

Story of Huan Wen Qian's baptism - a beehive who was introduced to Christianity and the LDS church by the Beehive class president.

"What will help this new member of the Church stay on the path back home to her Father in Heaven? What will help every young woman remain pure and clean and unspotted from the world? Baptism is the beginning. It is making and keeping sacred covenants and receiving the ordinances of salvation. It is preparing to receive all that the Father has by remaining worthy to enter holy temples and to receive the ordinances and make the covenants available there?

"Anxiously engaged in a good cause"
Elaine S. Dalton, Aug 21, 2010

The 2010 youth theme is the 13th Article of Faith.

"During the coming year, youth can build on their resolve to remain strong and courageous. It will not be enough to ask the youth not to participate in worldly things. We as their parents and leaders must help them seek after the good and be able to identify those things that are "virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy." Perhaps we could say, "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we [want to provide the youth] these things."

"Ribbons, recognition and relationships"

Elaine S. Dalton, July 17, 2010

Story of a bishop in Africa who is doing Personal Progress and has young women verify his completion of each experience and sign his book.

He "shared that whenever he completed an experience in Personal Progress, he asked a young woman to verify his completion and sign his Personal Progress book. He had recently completed one of the value experiences in Personal Progress and had asked a young woman in his ward to sign his book."

"He shared with her the things he had learned and done and then she asked to see his journal entry regarding this experience because that was part of the requirement. He replied, "Well, I did not write about this in my journal. I don't have one." The young woman replied, "Well then Bishop, I cannot sign your Personal Progress book. Come back when you have completed all the requirements."

"Bee a mentor - Righteous influences critical in life"
Elaine S. Dalton, June 19, 2010

The Honor Bee

"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."

"In the end, mentoring boils down to love — the pure love of God. Mentoring is a belief in the individual and the capacity of that individual to be or become more."

"'We can rise above' - Virtue begins in heart and mind" 
Elaine S. Dalton, May 15, 2010 

It is possible to be virtuous in today's world.

"Virtue begins in the heart and in the mind. It is nurtured in the home. Virtue is chastity and sexual purity. Virtue is obtained by developing patterns of thought and action based on high moral standards. It is a daily pursuit because patterns are formed as we do things daily that strengthen our resolve."

Sister Mary N. Cook: A call to action  
Mary N. Cook, April 17, 2010

Suggestions on how to teach young women and help them receive the counsel of our prophets.

"We want our youth to be riveted on the teachings of the living prophets. We believe as we give youth opportunities to prepare to learn, teach one another and act on these teachings, "the power of God [will work] miracles in them, they will be "converted unto the Lord and never [will] fall away." (See Alma 23:6.)"