For my church I am able to work with the youth, specifically girls
ages 12-18. One of the most wonderful programs we have is called
Personal Progress (read more about it
HERE).
It's a great program, and something I hold very dear to my heart as it
was something I was able to participate in and complete as a youth. I
really feel like it makes each girl so well rounded and prepares them
for the future roles they will take on in life- whether it be during
college years or in a career, but especially that of a mother and wife.
Twice a year we celebrate this program with parents and the young
women, the first of the year being New Beginnings. We also have the
opportunity to welcome in the new girls that will be joining us
throughout the coming year when they turn 12.
Our ward held New
Beginnings this past week and it was such a great time. Because it was
so close to Valentine's Day we went with the theme "Put Your Heart Into
Personal Progress". These were the invitations I came up with that we
mailed to all of the parents:
I
was also in charge of the decorating for the night, and I'll be
honest... if I never have to cut out another heart I would be happy! Ha!
Our budget wasn't much, but I was pretty happy with the results. It's
amazing what you can come up with by using things you already have on
hand! Here is what the focal point of the room looked like:
Because
it was for personal progress, there are eight values associated with
the program- we had eight girls come up and read what the value was, the
scripture associated with it and talk about what it meant. After they
read that they added the heart value to the board... here's what it
looked like with all the values added.
The
program was really neat- we talked about each class in Young Women's
(split into three- Beehives, Mia Maids, and Laurels) and we introduced
the new young women that would be joining us this year! Can I just say,
I'm so excited for these girls to turn 12! We are going to have so
much fun with them! At this point we split up- all of the youth went on
a scavenger hunt, looking for clues that were associated with each
value, and the parents got to sit and hear about the new curriculum the
church has put out for this year, the theme for the year (Stand Ye In
Holy Places) and the Personal Progress Program. I think the girls
probably had the most fun! Ha ha! But it went off without a hitch, and
everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Once all back together we heard
from our awesome YW President and got to watch a beautiful slideshow she
put together of all of our girls. I can't even express how neat the
slideshow was- she had a vision before hand and the pictures went
EXACTLY with the words of the song- it was incredible! And watching the
girls' faces scroll across the screen and seeing the fun we have
together made me realize how awesome of a group we have and made me
thankful to be part of their lives!
We ended the night with a milk and cookies bar, where we served 5 different delicious cookies and milk or water.
The last clue of the scavenger hunt led them back to the room where we had these gifts waiting for them.
Each
girl had told us what her favorite temple was prior to the date, so I
was able to make these blocks to fit each girl and her personality and
likes. It was a lot of work, but really a lot of fun. I hope they
enjoy them for years to come!
I am so thankful I had the opportunity to help decorate for this event and to celebrate an awesome program with some really wonderful people!
