Discussion Guide 1: Guiding Principles (40 minutes)

The recent changes to institute, as well as the changes the Priesthood and Family Department is making to stake YSA programs worldwide, are based on three guiding principles. Experience has shown that these principles are essential to the successful implementation of the strategic changes to institute.

Instructions: Read and discuss the description of each principle below. As you do, consider which scriptural passages or prophetic quotes can help you understand and apply the principle in your individual circumstances. A few scriptures are embedded in the text to spark discussion.

Principle 1: Young Adult Empowerment

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.

Read 2 Nephi 31:3. Discuss what it means to “[speak] unto men according to their language, unto their understanding.” How can empowering YSAs help your institute offerings better speak to them according to their language?

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 giving them the following:

• Structure: In campus programs, the institute council provides structure that allows rotating groups of YSAs to lead out in identifying and developing solutions to bless the campus community and other young adults who choose to attend. In stake YSA programs, the newly reorganized 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: The following process has proven effective in pilot studies. Invite institute councils to:

  • 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.

  • Counsel together to build and adapt institute programs and offerings.

  • Implement solutions that meet local needs.

  • 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, authorization 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 analyze what worked and what did not and then to counsel together and make plans on how to improve next time. Remember, institute experiences should:

  • Increase feelings of connection to Jesus Christ.

  • Increase belonging and relationships.

  • Meet local needs in relevant ways.

  • 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.

Discuss how you can better empower the YSAs with whom you work. What specific changes or improvements could you make?

Principle 2: Collaboration

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.

• Coordinating institute student involvement in campus- or community-sponsored activities or events. For example, the institute may need to collaborate with the adjacent campus through the Latter-day Saint Student Association (LDSSA) in arranging for the institute to sponsor an on-campus service project.

• 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.

In the space below, list the specific individuals or groups with whom you will need to collaborate to implement your institute program. The Lord has said, “If ye are not one ye are not mine” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:27). How can that statement apply to your work with the individuals you listed?

Principle 3: Local Adaptation

Our YSAs face a wide variety of circumstances and challenges around the world. Economic conditions, educational opportunities, spiritual concerns, social contexts, and temporal needs vary greatly from culture to culture and place to place.

As a result, we cannot design a one-size-fits-all institute program from Church headquarters. Meeting the needs of young adults around the world will require our workforce to adapt the institute program to fit local circumstances. For example, students in South America may be more motivated by working toward an institute graduation diploma than students in the United States. Students in areas where the Church is relatively new may need more cornerstone courses, while students in areas where the Church is more established may benefit from a more diverse curriculum. Adaptations may vary from region to region or from city to city.

The Lord taught that we should “[suit our] mercies according to the conditions of the children of men” (Doctrine and Covenants 46:15). How might this phrase apply to the way we teach, the curriculum we offer, the activities we plan, and the needs to which we seek to respond?

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. Leaders at the central office have a deep trust and faith in the ability of local leaders and teachers to understand and implement local adaptations in ways that are consistent with the objective of S&I.

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.

Discuss: In what ways are the young adults in our area unique? What adaptations do we need to consider in our program?