Young Women Leadership Training

Leadership Meetings

• View all leadership helps - and find lots of handouts and ideas relating to leadership meetings, even themed lessons like the F.R.O.G. (Fully Rely on God) lesson.

On the use of helps not published by the Church

Elder M. Russell Ballard counseled: "Teachers would be well advised to study carefully the scriptures and their manuals before reaching out for supplemental materials. Far too many teachers seem to stray from the approved curriculum materials without fully reviewing them. If teachers feel a need to use some good supplemental resources beyond the scriptures and manuals in presenting a lesson, they should first consider the use of the Church magazines" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1983, p. 93; or Ensign, May 1983, p. 68).

On using scriptures during the lessons

The following information is quoted from Young
Women Manual 1, Resources (emphasis added):

Encourage the young women to bring their copies of the scriptures to class each week.

Teach your lesson in such a manner that the scriptures will be used every week. If time is limited or attention lags, select only those references that will be most effective. Use scriptures wisely. Through your preparation they can become a powerful teaching tool.

The young women in your class should read individually from the scriptures during almost every lesson. Motivate them by asking a question or presenting a problem. You will probably want to write the scripture reference on the chalkboard so they will know where to look. Usually a question should be asked before a scripture is read. Otherwise, the young women will likely have to reread the scripture to be able to answer the question.

Sometimes a young woman may give the correct answer in her own words without turning to the passage of scripture. When this occurs, ask additional questions to get her to read the scripture; for example, "How did Paul say it?" or "What additional insights can we gain from this passage?" Before you can get the young women excited about searching the scriptures, you must become excited about them yourself. Prepare yourself through in-depth study, prayer, and meditation on those passages you expect class members to read and discuss.

On the correct method used when saying the Theme

The beautiful Young Women's Theme is repeated during opening exercises at each Young Women's
meeting. There are a few rules to remember when repeating the Theme:

"The Young Women theme helps each young woman understand her identity, purpose, and destiny
as a daughter of God. Young women and their leaders repeat the theme during Sunday opening
exercises and at other Young Women gatherings. The simple pattern for repeating the theme is
exemplified in the annual general Young Women meeting. Additional words or themes repeated
in conjunction with the theme are not necessary or appropriate." (Source: LDS.org - YW Theme and Logo, emphasis added)

We should avoid using phrases like "Please stand for truth and righteousness" when inviting young women to stand and say the theme. Also, do not add phrases to the end of the theme, or hold hands while saying it.

Please share your great teaching tips and ideas in the comments section below!