The YSAs themselves are at the heart of the recent changes to institute and to the YSA program of the Church. Young adult empowerment means viewing young adults as partners in, not just consumers of, YSA programs. Our YSAs are powerful, faithful adults with great capacity to lead and to develop and implement solutions. They benefit greatly from feeling involved, empowered, and trusted to take ownership for this work. Additionally, because of their age and peer-to-peer relationships, they often have better insight than S&I personnel into the needs, preferences, and generational differences of their peers. Their faith and voice are key to developing Church and institute experiences that will have a meaningful impact on their generation.
We can do more to empower our YSAs to lead out in crafting institute experiences that are relevant and that resonate with their generation. We do this by:
Structure: In stake YSA programs, the newly reorganised stake YSA committee, implemented and led by ecclesiastical leaders at the stake or multistake level, will provide structure that allows YSAs to take the lead in crafting solutions to meet local YSA needs.
Vision: We can inspire our YSA councils with a vision of what they are trying to accomplish. They are not just “planning fun activities” but seeking to connect people to Christ in meaningful ways, create a sense of community and belonging, and respond to needs in relevant ways.
Process: Invite institute councils to:
o Listen to their fellow YSAs (including those who are not currently participating in institute or in the Church) to better understand local preferences, circumstances, and needs.
o Counsel together to build and adapt institute programs and offerings.
o Implement solutions that meet local needs.
o Evaluate and report on the effectiveness of implemented solutions.
Permissions and tools: YSAs can accomplish much when they are given permission to do so and the tools they need. Give the YSAs with whom you work access to buildings, appropriate authority and accountability over budgets, responsibility over schedules, authorisation to represent the institute, and other permission and tools they will need.
Accountability: Help the institute council report on outcomes of activities, time and money spent, and measures of participants’ experience. Encourage them to analyse what worked and what did not and then to counsel together and make plans on how to improve next time. Remember, institute experiences should:
o Increase feelings of connection to Jesus Christ.
o Increase belonging and relationships
o Meet local needs in relevant ways.
o Focus on all YSAs, including those who do not currently participate.
YSA empowerment means supporting the institute council as they take a real role in leadership. Allow institute council leadership to lead out in running meetings and setting agendas. Support the council’s ideas, even if they are not the ones you would choose to implement. Avoid the urge to jump in and take over. While providing a set of options may be helpful, allow the YSAs to choose what activities and resources would be most helpful without pushing your ideas on them.
The implementation of all these changes should be highly collaborative and never competitive. Strive to build strong collaborative relationships with local priesthood leaders, community leaders, the campus community (where relevant), and other groups. Communicate regularly and work in harmony as you strive to accomplish the joint objective of connecting young adults to Christ and blessing their lives in ways that are meaningful and relevant.
Some things that may require collaboration include:
• Arranging calendars so that institute activities do not overlap with stake, ward, community, or campus activities.
• Announcing stake, ward, community, or campus events at the institute and vice versa.
• Deciding which institute workshops would best support the work of the local stake and ward leaders.
Unity is key. Close collaboration will help to avoid contention, frustration, and duplication of efforts and services. We are all working toward a mutual goal to bring young adults to Christ and help them meet their spiritual, social, and practical needs.
Adapting the institute program will require a deep understanding of the preferences, circumstances, and needs in the area. Listen often to your students in both formal and informal situations to better understand them. Review data, reports, and dashboards, and look for local patterns and indicators. More importantly, seek for inspiration and divine guidance.
As you discover possible local adaptations, communicate often and be open and transparent with colleagues and S&I leaders. Choose together the adaptations you will implement.