Strengthening Faith through Inspired Activities—What to Expect in 2020

[rockpond]

This was just sent out via the "My Calling" email distribution (I'm currently serving as a ward YM president).  Not a lot of new stuff here but I thought some might be interested in taking a look:

https://www.lds.org/youth/childrenandyouth?cid=email-MC_CYD_Update_092318_CY-Site

[ksfisher]

21 minutes ago, rockpond said:

This was just sent out via the "My Calling" email distribution (I'm currently serving as a ward YM president).  Not a lot of new stuff here but I thought some might be interested in taking a look:

https://www.lds.org/youth/childrenandyouth?cid=email-MC_CYD_Update_092318_CY-Site

Also info here

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900032939/mormon-church-says-boys-girls-camps-to-stay-part-of-latter-day-saint-youth-programs-when-scouts-goes-away.html

[revelstoked]

Luckily this lines up with what I've told other parents about what Deacons will look like in 2020.  There will still be camping, playing with fire and sharp objects (safely) and Tuesday nights at the church.  What is changing is no more uniforms, no more blue cards, and no more checklist oriented activities.  I've already adopted that in my "troop" where I will sign anything they've earned that they put in front of me, but otherwise we do activities that fit under rank and merit badges and use the books as more of a lesson plan than a checklist.  None of the deacons I'm involved with care about ranks and badges, some are even vocally opposed to checklisting (for example he is one foam plat glider away from the Aviation merit badge but refuses to do it).

I hope they establish a YPT certification training like the boy scouts do.  We've been riding on their coattails to get our leaders certified and approved when it comes to boys and young men.  IMHO it should be required for all leaders and all parents of children 8yo to 18yo.  the parents because they are always the default option for two deep when one leader cannot make it.

I also hope we can get some replacement for what was merit badge clinics at the stake level.  Our stake did a good job of getting the other not-required merit badges together for classes, like robotics, electricity, and architecture.  Perhaps a "Skills and Career Day" where we would cover most of the same subjects but make it more actionable and engaging for the youth.  Probably cover the same checkbox items but don't send them home with a half filled blue card they will immediately lose.

[ksfisher]

4 minutes ago, revelstoked said:

Luckily this lines up with what I've told other parents about what Deacons will look like in 2020.  There will still be camping, playing with fire and sharp objects (safely) and Tuesday nights at the church.  What is changing is no more uniforms, no more blue cards, and no more checklist oriented activities.  I've already adopted that in my "troop" where I will sign anything they've earned that they put in front of me, but otherwise we do activities that fit under rank and merit badges and use the books as more of a lesson plan than a checklist.  None of the deacons I'm involved with care about ranks and badges, some are even vocally opposed to checklisting (for example he is one foam plat glider away from the Aviation merit badge but refuses to do it).

I hope they establish a YPT certification training like the boy scouts do.  We've been riding on their coattails to get our leaders certified and approved when it comes to boys and young men.  IMHO it should be required for all leaders and all parents of children 8yo to 18yo.  the parents because they are always the default option for two deep when one leader cannot make it.

I also hope we can get some replacement for what was merit badge clinics at the stake level.  Our stake did a good job of getting the other not-required merit badges together for classes, like robotics, electricity, and architecture.  Perhaps a "Skills and Career Day" where we would cover most of the same subjects but make it more actionable and engaging for the youth.  Probably cover the same checkbox items but don't send them home with a half filled blue card they will immediately lose.

The new program will be based on individual goal setting.

[cinepro]

8 minutes ago, revelstoked said:

  None of the deacons I'm involved with care about ranks and badges, some are even vocally opposed to checklisting (for example he is one foam plat glider away from the Aviation merit badge but refuses to do it). 

 

Obviously, doing a checklist for its own sake is pointless, but as a Scout leader I do see the huge value (and convenience) of having the program and requirements set out in that format.  There is a ton of stuff I've done with the boys that I never would have thought to do on my own. 

[rockpond]

17 minutes ago, revelstoked said:

Luckily this lines up with what I've told other parents about what Deacons will look like in 2020.  There will still be camping, playing with fire and sharp objects (safely) and Tuesday nights at the church.  What is changing is no more uniforms, no more blue cards, and no more checklist oriented activities.  I've already adopted that in my "troop" where I will sign anything they've earned that they put in front of me, but otherwise we do activities that fit under rank and merit badges and use the books as more of a lesson plan than a checklist.  None of the deacons I'm involved with care about ranks and badges, some are even vocally opposed to checklisting (for example he is one foam plat glider away from the Aviation merit badge but refuses to do it).

I hope they establish a YPT certification training like the boy scouts do.  We've been riding on their coattails to get our leaders certified and approved when it comes to boys and young men.  IMHO it should be required for all leaders and all parents of children 8yo to 18yo.  the parents because they are always the default option for two deep when one leader cannot make it.

I also hope we can get some replacement for what was merit badge clinics at the stake level.  Our stake did a good job of getting the other not-required merit badges together for classes, like robotics, electricity, and architecture.  Perhaps a "Skills and Career Day" where we would cover most of the same subjects but make it more actionable and engaging for the youth.  Probably cover the same checkbox items but don't send them home with a half filled blue card they will immediately lose.

If we can no longer collect half-filled blue cards... what will I do with that drawer in my kitchen?!

[rockpond]

18 minutes ago, revelstoked said:

Luckily this lines up with what I've told other parents about what Deacons will look like in 2020.  There will still be camping, playing with fire and sharp objects (safely) and Tuesday nights at the church.  What is changing is no more uniforms, no more blue cards, and no more checklist oriented activities.  I've already adopted that in my "troop" where I will sign anything they've earned that they put in front of me, but otherwise we do activities that fit under rank and merit badges and use the books as more of a lesson plan than a checklist.  None of the deacons I'm involved with care about ranks and badges, some are even vocally opposed to checklisting (for example he is one foam plat glider away from the Aviation merit badge but refuses to do it).

I hope they establish a YPT certification training like the boy scouts do.  We've been riding on their coattails to get our leaders certified and approved when it comes to boys and young men.  IMHO it should be required for all leaders and all parents of children 8yo to 18yo.  the parents because they are always the default option for two deep when one leader cannot make it.

I also hope we can get some replacement for what was merit badge clinics at the stake level.  Our stake did a good job of getting the other not-required merit badges together for classes, like robotics, electricity, and architecture.  Perhaps a "Skills and Career Day" where we would cover most of the same subjects but make it more actionable and engaging for the youth.  Probably cover the same checkbox items but don't send them home with a half filled blue card they will immediately lose.

Also... I agree with you on YPT and I'd love to see the stake/regional MB clinics replaced with something like you describe.

[rockpond]

11 minutes ago, ksfisher said:

The new program will be based on individual goal setting.

@ksfisher You've made several comments which indicate you've got some close involvement or knowledge of the new program.  I'm not doubting you, and I appreciate your comments, but am I allowed to ask your connection to it?

Obviously just disregard this if it is not something you want to disclose.

[ksfisher]

Just now, rockpond said:

@ksfisher You've made several comments which indicate you've got some close involvement or knowledge of the new program.  I'm not doubting you, and I appreciate your comments, but am I allowed to ask your connection to it?

Obviously just disregard this if it is not something you want to disclose.

A very close family member is working on part of the project. 

[HappyJackWagon]

13 minutes ago, rockpond said:

Also... I agree with you on YPT and I'd love to see the stake/regional MB clinics replaced with something like you describe.

It is interesting that as Scouting sunsets, so does the only program of background checks and youth protection training used by the church. That means, unless the church unveils a new safety program and requirements very soon, children/youth could become more vulnerable. In this societal climate it's hard for me to imagine they would drop protections without adding something new and improved.

[rockpond]

13 minutes ago, ksfisher said:

A very close family member is working on part of the project. 

Cool.  Thanks.  Please continue to share when appropriate.  Since this pertains to both my calling and my kids... I'm anxious to get all the info I can.

[ksfisher]

13 minutes ago, rockpond said:

Cool.  Thanks.  Please continue to share when appropriate.  Since this pertains to both my calling and my kids... I'm anxious to get all the info I can.

Same with me. 

The advice I've received is that, whatever program they are currently working on, Duty to God, Scouting, Personal Progress, if they are setting their own goals and especially if those goals are helping them come closer to and become more like Christ, then they are essentially working on the new program.  Class/quorum leaders, youth leaders, and parents should be supporting them in this.

Basically self-directed goal setting supported by peer and adult leaders.

 

[rpn]

19 minutes ago, HappyJackWagon said:

It is interesting that as Scouting sunsets, so does the only program of background checks and youth protection training used by the church. That means, unless the church unveils a new safety program and requirements very soon, children/youth could become more vulnerable. In this societal climate it's hard for me to imagine they would drop protections without adding something new and improved. 

I think this will take many people writing the young men and young women's presidency urging it.   And urging the production of training videos and setting up the verification (they could probably pay the BSA to buy use of the software set up already in place).

But I have to say that most of those who molest have done so tens of times before the first time they get on that record.   And many people on the registries  have done things that do not suggest they are at any increased risk of perping on others.   I think that the background checks done now give the appearance of making kids safer but only marginally do.  I think sending everyone home when there cannot be two deep leadership is much more useful way of protecting our kids.  (That and maybe asking in the calling interview "Is there anything you know about yourself that suggests your working with youth/children could put them at risk of any kind of harm.   What would you do if you saw an adult being too cozy with a child?  And "How committed are you to learning the signs of abuse and of adult grooming and reporting every time the question crosses your mind, and to always honoring the two deep leadership rule."  

If I were a bishop, I'd be interested in whether a prospective leader's wife and children thought they could be good with children and youth, or not.

[rongo]

I'm a ward Scoutmaster in a stake troop. This means that the seven of us meet weekly with about 20 boys (two of them are from my ward), other than the week set aside as combined ward youth. It hasn't been bad, just brutally boring (this month, the entire month, we're doing Citizenship in the World).

Wednesday was supposed to be our combined activity, but the young women asked that it be cancelled. I was able to get three of the four boys over to my house, and we did chemistry (making hydrogen from HCl, zinc, and copper; making hydrogen from NaOH and aluminum foil; blowing up said hydrogen; purifying water tainted with ammonium iron oxide and NaCl through distillation). The boys and the asst. scoutmaster loved it. I wished we could do our own thing every week. The asst. Scoutmaster is a recent BYU engineering graduate working in aeronautics. I think he could come up with some fun things, too. 

My three active boys (including my son) are great in terms of Church and testimony, but don't care for Scouting. We do the program because we've been asked to.

[revelstoked]

8 minutes ago, rongo said:

We do the program because we've been asked to.

This is what's going to led to a historic decline in Scouting in Utah.  A lot of people I've been involved with do it because they are asked to, and do a very good job.  But when it becomes scouting for scouting's sake many will be "no thank you."  There are also those who stay involved long after they are released.  Our local council won't turn anyone away who passes background checks and does good work, they will find a slot for you (and there are many open spaces).

[Hestia]

@HappyJackWagon , @rpn, and others. We've had a request that discussions about how the church handles it's youth programs, in terms of keeping kids safe, stay out of this thread. There are already enough threads where that is being discussed.  Everyone needs to stay on topic.

[bluebell]

On 9/21/2018 at 12:47 PM, rongo said:

I'm a ward Scoutmaster in a stake troop. This means that the seven of us meet weekly with about 20 boys (two of them are from my ward), other than the week set aside as combined ward youth. It hasn't been bad, just brutally boring (this month, the entire month, we're doing Citizenship in the World).

 

Our deacons are doing the exact same thing that my 13 year old refused to go this last Wednesday.  It was the third week that they've being doing citizenship and he's not working on his scout stuff at all so I can't blame him for finally balking. 

[katherine the great]

On 9/21/2018 at 11:44 AM, ksfisher said:

The new program will be based on individual goal setting.

I love this. When I joined the church as a young teen, I didn't even know what a goal was. I had literally never heard the word (outside of sports). I wish the public schools would also focus on goal setting. I see so many young people just floating along out there with no idea how to proceed with their lives. Just the habit of setting simple short term and long term goals is such a valuable skill and I love this part of our youth programs. The challenge, of course, is to keep it fun.