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Getting Personal with Personal Progress
In January 2002, the Young Women general presidency introduced a new Personal Progress program. To receive a Young Womanhood medallion, girls must complete six experiences in each value and then plan a ten-hour project for that particular value. The new program allows young women more freedom and creativity for creating their own ideas for projects and experiences. For each value, they are asked to complete three recommended activities and then to choose three additional projects, two of which they may design. Sister Naudald said, “We remind girls that the value projects can be part of the good things they are already doing in their lives. . . . We hope these changes in Personal Progress will help encourage girls to choose goals that will help them strengthen their homes and families, cultivate feminine virtues, grow spiritually, and reach their divine potential.” If you, as an adviser, are unfamiliar with the changes in Personal Progress, you may need some help orienting yourself and planning weekday activities to supplement the program. Here are some suggestions for mutual activities that are centered around each value. Faith These activities could fulfill a value experience for faith. Rejoice in Christ. Celebrate the life and mission of Jesus Christ by spending an evening learning more about Him. Assign specific research topics to girls in your class, such as “the Creator,” “the Man,” “the Missionary,” “the Resurrected,” “the Atoning One,” etc. The girls should study the topic in ancient and modern-day scriptures. Give each one a few minutes to share what she has found with the rest of the class. Discuss the Savior’s many roles and the qualities you admire in Him. Talk about what you can do to become more like Him. Gospel Question Panel. In preparation for this activity, ask each girl to write on a slip of paper gospel questions she has had. Give these questions to the bishopric and ask them to study and ponder them. They can answer the questions in a panel discussion during your mutual activity. Ask them to share different ways the girls can develop faith and find answers to their gospel-related questions. Divine Nature These activities could fulfill a value experience for divine nature. Family History Center. Go on a fieldtrip to the nearest family history center. Ask a volunteer to teach your youth ways to find information about their ancestors. Practice using computers, microfiche readers, and microfilm readers. You may also explore the different Internet databases available. Have a discussion on the importance of genealogy in the LDS Church and how doing family history work can help them gain an appreciation of their family and heritage. Handy Handiwork. Teach your young women how to cross stitch, crochet, or knit—arts that are coming closer and closer to disappearing to our younger sisters (though, in some areas, these arts are becoming trendy—so take advantage of the trend!). Find a wall hanging or pillowcase pattern for the words “I Am a Child of God.” Provide supplies for girls who are interested in making this one of the value experiences. Individual Worth These activities could fulfill a value experience for individual worth. Scrapbooks. Make scrapbooks together during an activity. Ask your young women to bring photographs, letters, and other special memories they would like to include. Explain that the scrapbooks should remind them or their past experiences and accomplishments and should reflect their personalities. Encourage the girls to continue to make scrapbooks for them and their posterity to look through in the future. Patriarchal Blessings Fireside. Hold a fireside where your stake patriarch will speak to the teens of your ward about the importance of patriarchal blessings. Ask him to explain what patriarchal blessings are, why they are given, and when people usually receive them. He should also discuss what the youth can do to prepare to receive their blessings. Leave time for the kids to ask the patriarch questions or testify of their blessings. Knowledge These activities could fulfill a value experience for knowledge. Creative Cooking. For this activity, divide your class into two or more groups. Provide each group with a box filled with ingredients to make a meal or dessert. You can either include the recipe or not. Have the groups prepare the meal together from their recipes. Discuss some tips to better cooking and resources they can use (such as cookbooks). Enjoy the food together as for refreshments. First Aid Kits. Invite a nurse or doctor to present the kinds of things girls would need in a home or travel first aid kit. Display various kits and suggest ways to collect and make first aid supplies at home for their own kits. If you have enough time, let the girls make supplies such as large bandages. You may even discuss different uses of products in various situations. Choice and Accountability These activities could fulfill a value experience for choice and accountability. Career Fair. Ask either your ward or stake employment specialist or a variety of professionals to give presentations at your activity. They can discuss the responsibilities of their job, what they enjoy at their work, and how their occupations contribute to the community. You may include professionals from fields such as elementary education, media, firefighting, computer science, medicine, engineering, law, sales, homemaking, and photography. The girls may ask questions or share what their future career choices are. Making a Budget. Put the girls in pairs and give them a budget worksheet and an imaginary income and financial responsibilities. Have them work out how to pay for rent, utilities, food, car payments, gasoline, tuition, insurance, and other necessities. The financial choices they make may have a large effect on their lifestyle. Explain that they must be accountable for their decisions in order to come out ahead. Good Works These activities could fulfill a value experience for good works. Adopt a Highway. As a youth group or ward, adopt a highway near your neighborhood. For a long-term project, the young women can clean up the stretch of road and serve in their community. Family Home Evening Packets. Ask the girls to come to this activity prepared with one terrific family home evening lesson. Type up the ideas and include visual aids, handouts, object lessons, and ideas for songs, scriptures, and refreshments. Each girl can compile the different lessons in her own family home evening binder to use for her immediate family and future family. Integrity These activities could fulfill a value experience for integrity. Oath of Honor. Together as a class, come up with an oath of honor and promise to live by it. Discuss certain standards that you could abide by, such as keeping the Word of Wisdom or law of chastity. Make copies of the oath for everyone and memorize it as a class. Music Lyrics. Sometimes girls are completely unaware that they listen to music with inappropriate lyrics. Remind the girls that inappropriate music makes the Holy Ghost leave us and is dangerous in a spiritual sense. Find the lyrics to several popular songs that have positive and uplifting messages to demonstrate to the girls that there is appropriate and fun music to listen to. By making Personal Progress part of your weekday activities, you can help the young women in your class fulfill their value experiences. As they develop a stronger sense of faith, divine nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works, and integrity, watch as they grow to become the amazing women you always knew they would be. LDS Living Magazine
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Today's date: September 8, 2008
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