Utah national parks council supports New YM 14-18 Activities Program

Purposes of the Aaronic priesthood Young men are in a time of preparation and personal spiritual growth. Accordingly, parents and the bishopric and other Aaronic Priesthood leaders help each young man to: Become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ and live by its teachings. Serve faithfully in priesthood callings and fulfill the responsibilities of priesthood offices. Give meaningful service. Prepare and live worthily to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and temple ordinances. Prepare to serve an honorable full-time mission. Obtain as much education as possible. Prepare to become a worthy husband and father. Give proper respect to women, girls, and children. Parents and leaders help young men accomplish these objectives in family home evenings, family scripture study, meetings, activities, and interviews and by encouraging them to participate in the Duty to God program (see 8.12) Handbook 2: Administering the Church, Chapter 8 Aaronic Priesthood

Aaronic Priesthood ages 14–18 Activities And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.  Luke 2:52

Preparing a righteous generation of Young Men

The mission should NOT be the first time a young man has: been away from home for an extended period of time read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover worked from sunup to sundown walked more than 10 miles in the same day cooked his own meal bicycled more than 20 miles in the same day shopped for groceries to make that meal balanced the use of electronic devices cooked a few different meals on a stovetop (no microwave) approached strangers at the door or on the street washed dishes by hand (no dishwasher) taught a spiritual lesson from Preach My Gospel done his own laundry gotten up early (by 6:30am)

Be with them Youth and adult leaders must know and love each boy in the quorum. Take time to know them personally, including their strengths, weaknesses, interests, accomplishments and needs.

Be with them Adult advisers should give serious and continued thought on how to facilitate strong, genuine relationships between each boy and one or more adults. Being with them implies that we put time into these assignments, faithfully attending every activity. It is our love, confidence, encouragement and personal testimony that we want to expose them to as well as our experience and expertise. Adult advisors should guide young men in practicing organizational and leadership skills

“Boys need lots of heroes, like Lincoln and Washington “Boys need lots of heroes, like Lincoln and Washington. But they also need to have some heroes close by. They need to know some man of towering strength and basic integrity, personally. They need to meet them on the street, to hike and camp with them, to see them in close-to-home, everyday, down-to-earth situations; and to feel close enough to them to ask questions and to talk things over man-to-man with them.” -President Spencer W. Kimball General Conference, April 1976

Connect them with heaven

Connect them with heaven “To truly guide youth, we must connect them with heaven…. Our youth must know how to seek Heavenly Father’s guidance.” (M. Joseph Brough – Ensign 5/17)

Let them lead

Let them lead STRUCTURE Teacher & Priest Activity Program should be boy-led and adult-guided; a time to build genuine relationships with young men through adult association. Trust the young men, help them understand expectations, teach them the doctrines and train them to succeed.

Let them lead METHODS A [boy] must be called of God… (5th Article of Faith) Help our YM grow in body, character and spirit. Learning leadership and gaining confidence in a supportive environment is our purpose. Get comfortable with the idea that activities don’t have to be perfect, that a young man’s experience learning to lead is more important than a perfect adult-led activity. Exercise patience and love; make sure that every attempt to lead is rewarded with appropriate praise and gratitude.

Teacher & Priest Activity Program Building young men with strong testimonies in the Lord Jesus Christ, helping them magnify their priesthood duties and preparing to fulfill their divine roles is the purpose of the Young Men’s 14-18 activity program. Stake, ward, and quorum leaders should counsel together on how to implement this activity program. Activities should provide opportunities to: Be with them Connect them with heaven Let them lead

Principles of 14-18 Year old Activity Program should: Provide belonging and support by strengthening quorum unity and building relationships with peers, leaders, and families. Be planned and executed by Aaronic Priesthood quorum leaders, with support from adult advisers. Provide a balance of opportunities to serve others and develop spiritually, socially, physically, and intellectually. Follow all Church safety policies and guidelines and Scouting’s Guide to Safe Scouting. Provide experiences that help young men fulfill their Aaronic Priesthood duties and their divine roles: Accomplish the purposes of the Aaronic Priesthood Develop temporal and spiritual self- reliance skills: time-management, budgeting, and simple home and mechanical maintenance Engage in becoming good citizens Be attractive and challenging to the YM

Teacher & Priest Activity PROGRAM Quorum activities are planned and executed by Aaronic Priesthood quorum leaders with support from adult advisers. Develop an annual calendar to ensure a balance of purposeful spiritual, social, physical, and intellectual activities. Use Scouting’s Program Features as a resource to plan and execute activities. Keep it simple to get the best results. Ward Councils are encouraged to counsel together and consider the needs of all youth and families in their wards in applying these guidelines. Combined activities with young men and young women are particularly beneficial for youth ages 14 and older.

UTAH NATIONAL PARKS COUNCIL/UTAH SOUTH AREA STRATEGIC DIRECTION AND OUTCOMES Develop a testimony of Jesus Christ Cultivate leadership skills Become self-reliant Have away-from-home experiences Experience the value of work and doing hard things Develop Christ-like attributes as outlined by the Scout Law STRATEGIC DIRECTION The stake presidents and bishops own the outcomes* of youth. Church leaders utilize Scouting volunteers as a resource in preparing Young Men for adulthood. The District Key 3 members and other district volunteers are resource messengers and trainers of stake and ward adults and work under the direction of local priesthood leaders. BSA camp facilities can be used for any stake & ward activities. *OUTCOMES Prepare to live worthily to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and temple ordinances and serve an honorable full-time mission.

Stake adult leadership training METHOD Each adult leader is responsible to “…learn his duty and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence (D&C 107:99- 100). Be with Them, Connect Them with Heaven, Let Them Lead – the purpose of everything we do is to help a young man develop a relationship with his Heavenly Father and the Savior. Personally express love to each young man publically and privately, praise and thank as often as possible. Quorum visits by stake young men presidency, high council and stake presidency. STRUCTURE STAKES ORGANIZE ADULT YM LEADERSHIP TRAINING

RESOURCES AND ACTIONS RESOURCES Stake Young Men Presidencies are a resource to ward young men advisors. ACTIONS Stake Young Men Presidency and others visit quorums regularly to encourage monthly, quarterly, and annual planning and stress the principles of Be with Them, Connect Them with Heaven and Let them Lead.

RESOURCES AND ACTIONS RESOURCES ACTIONS STAKE YOUTH COMMITTEE ACTIONS Should play a major role in deciding and planning stake activities.

STRUCTURE AND METHODS STRUCTURE Schedule a few significant stake-organized activities. Wards plan week/month/quarter activities using the Scouting’s Program Features guide as a resource. Consider a youth conference or multiday high adventure activity. Focus on outdoor adventure activities developing leadership and character. Provide an environment for spiritual reflection. Temple and Family History involvement Service activities and mission preparation classes Personal development: careers, life skills and education. Eagle Scout advancement. YM/YW Combined Activities STRUCTURE ESTABLISH AN ANNUAL PLAN – STAKE, AND QUORUM. ESTABLISH A BALANCED ACTIVITY PLAN THAT COVERS AREAS, SUCH AS SERVICE, LEADERSHIP EDUCATION, ADVENTURE, PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT. THE OBJECTIVE IS TO HAVE GREAT ACTIVITIES THAT STRENGTHEN YOUNG MEN AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH ADULTS.

RESOURCES AND ACTIONS RESOURCES Scouting’s “PROGRAM FEATURES” provides a large inventory of activity ideas and methodology for planning and execution. Parent Engagement ACTIONS The Scout Oath and Scout Law are codes of conduct. Define training needs for stake, ward and Roundtable. Scouting’s Program Features simplify planning, foster youth-led activities and allows adults to function as advisors. Talk to parents – often. Give them a voice regarding the outcome of their young men. What experiences do you want your young men to have?

resources Handbook 2: Ch. 8 & 13 Safety.lds.org Ymactivities.lds.org   Handbook 2: Ch. 8 & 13 Safety.lds.org Ymactivities.lds.org troopleader.org/program-features/

troopleader.org/program-features Outdoor Sports Health and Safety Citizenship and Personal Development STEM Arts and Hobbies

ELEMENTS OF GOOD ANNUAL PLANNING Young men shape their calendar, select activities that they would like to do. A balanced activity plan that covers areas, such as service, leadership training, adventure, personal development and spiritual development. Use an annual plan with quarterly updates. Be flexible. Good planning sets the stage for good ministering. Establishing a great plan and a solid calendar is NOT the objective. The objective is to have great activities that strengthen the young men. A great plan is a means to that end. Consider what kind of an activity plan would garner the support of parents. Activities should be communicated to parents in advance to get their feedback. Create the plan. Execute the plan.

ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER Scouting’s Program Features will help by presenting a large inventory of options from which the young men can choose. There is something there for everyone. A path towards the rank of Eagle Scout should be provided for those young men who desire it. Establish a routine of vision, motivation and accountability with youth leaders. Focus on quorum youth and adult relationships. Keep the process simple and get the desired results. Consider what is possible with inexperienced leaders. Use quorum leadership roles and titles.

LDS CHURCH EVENT & ACTIVITY PLAN Planning Helps LDS CHURCH EVENT & ACTIVITY PLAN Located at SAFETY.LDS.ORG

QUORUM ANNUAL PLANNING CHART Planning Helps QUORUM ANNUAL PLANNING CHART Quarter Temporal/Spiritual Self Reliance Service Social Development Physical Development Intellectual Development Advancement Trail to Eagle 1st   January February March 2nd April May June 3rd July August September 4th October November December

ACTIVITY INTEREST SURVEY Planning Helps

PROGRAM CAPABILITY INVENTORY Planning Helps

ACTIVITY PLANNING WORKSHEET Planning Helps ACTIVITY PLANNING WORKSHEET

Purposes of the Aaronic priesthood Young men are in a time of preparation and personal spiritual growth. Accordingly, parents and the bishopric and other Aaronic Priesthood leaders help each young man to: Become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ and live by its teachings. Serve faithfully in priesthood callings and fulfill the responsibilities of priesthood offices. Give meaningful service. Prepare and live worthily to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and temple ordinances. Prepare to serve an honorable full-time mission. Obtain as much education as possible. Prepare to become a worthy husband and father. Give proper respect to women, girls, and children. Parents and leaders help young men accomplish these objectives in family home evenings, family scripture study, meetings, activities, and interviews and by encouraging them to participate in the Duty to God program (see 8.12) Handbook 2: Administering the Church, Chapter 8 Aaronic Priesthood