Category: Uncategorized


  • Ask a 14-year-old what they want in five years and you’ll usually get a shrug.Ask them what they’re doing this weekend, and they’ve got details. It’s not that youth don’t care about the future—it’s that they haven’t been given a compelling vision of who they could become. As leaders in LDS youth activities, our greatest…

  • In nearly every LDS youth activity, there’s an unspoken current:Who’s cool. Who’s not. Who gets laughs. Who gets left out. These dynamics don’t always show up in obvious ways, but they shape how youth show up—whether they lead, contribute, or check out entirely. As leaders, we have an incredible opportunity (and responsibility) to rewrite that…

  • There’s a line every youth leader walks—between guidance and overreach, between mentoring and meddling. Sometimes we cross that line without even realizing it. We see a youth struggling, pulling away, or making choices that worry us. Our instinct is to jump in with advice, correction, or testimony. But too often, our urgency becomes noise—and youth…

  • “Any Youth Want to Bear Their Testimony?” Crickets.A couple of awkward glances.Then maybe one brave young woman breaks the silence…And the rest is either a flood of tears—or a total standstill. We’ve all seen youth testimony meetings go flat. Not because teens don’t believe.But because we sometimes drop them in deep water… without teaching them…

  • You can have the perfect calendar of LDS youth activities… and still have someone go home feeling like they didn’t belong. Culture isn’t what you plan. It’s what people feel. A quorum or class culture either uplifts—or it excludes. And for many youth, what determines whether they stay, engage, and grow spiritually has less to…

  • “Am I Too Old for This?” You’ve felt it.Standing in the back of the gym while they blast a remix of a remix of a song you’ve never heard.You try to be upbeat. Approachable. Maybe even toss out a slang word you picked up from a meme three years ago. But here’s the truth: Teens…

  • “Grab a Cup, a Spoon, and a Bag of Flour…” Let’s be honest—we’ve all Googled “object lesson for youth” at some point and ended up with a kitchen full of random items and a vague hope that the kids “get it.” Object lessons can be powerful.But used wrong, they can actually weaken a teen’s understanding…

  • Every youth leader has felt it: the growing silence of a name that’s no longer on the roll. At first, they miss a week. Then another. Before long, they’re a ghost in your quorum or class—someone the rest barely remember to mention. This isn’t just about attendance. It’s about belonging. And when someone starts slipping…

  • It’s 8:26 p.m. The activity just ended, snacks are half-eaten, and a leader glances at the clock before stepping forward. “Okay everyone, before we go, let’s have a quick spiritual thought…” Cue the spiritual thought dump.It’s rushed. Detached. Often disconnected from the activity that just happened. And though well-intentioned, these “add-on testimonies” rarely leave lasting…

  • “They Don’t Seem to Care If I’m There…” They don’t always make eye contact.They don’t say thank you.Sometimes, they ignore your messages or shrug through your carefully planned activity.And it’s easy to wonder: “Am I even making a difference?” Let’s be honest—leading youth can feel invisible.But what you’re doing?It’s sacred. Because even if they never…