The adjustments in 2019 to the Young Women theme, classes, and leadership practices were made to better serve “the one.”
Photo by Michael Denning
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been actively updating its policies to help its members better meet the needs of “the one.” As a result of the Church’s focus on individuals, Bonnie H. Cordon discusses some modifications to the Young Women program in her October 2019 General Conference talk, “Beloved Daughters”:
- A revised theme to help young women better understand their identity and purpose.
- A more flexible class organization to help foster close relationships among young women.
- The removal of class names so that all young women will feel unified under the title of “Young Women.”
- A greater emphasis on class presidencies to give young women leadership opportunities and the chance to support their peers.
The revisions to the Young Women theme include transferring the focus from “we” to “I” in order to help young women understand that the divine truths in the theme apply to them individually. The other three changes emphasize the importance of meeting the personal needs of individual young women on a ward level.
Sister Cordon is emphatic that these inspired modifications will help young women understand their divine potential as children of God and be a positive influence on others. These outcomes have always been among the core ambitions of the church. Changes to policy, such as these updates to the Young Women program, are intended to help members of the Church on an individual level, even as the Church grows.
Source: General Conference
—Tori Hamilton, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY PRISCILLA DU PREEZ
Find more insights
Read President Russell M. Nelson’s announcement initiating changes to the Young Men and Young Women programs in 2019 in his talk “Witnesses, Aaronic Priesthood Quorums, and Young Women Classes.”
Learn more about the youth program on the Children and Youth webpage.