Overview for Young Women

Purpose of Personal Progress

Personal Progress will help you strengthen your faith in and testimony of Jesus Christ as you learn His teachings and regularly apply them in your life. It will help you strengthen both your present family and your future family. It will help you prepare to make and keep sacred covenants and receive the ordinances of the temple. And it will prepare you to be a faithful, contributing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Personal Progress program uses the eight Young Women values to help you understand more fully who you are, why you are here on the earth, and what you should be doing as a daughter of God to prepare for the day you go to the temple to make sacred covenants. It will help you prepare for your future roles as a faithful woman, wife, mother, and leader in God’s kingdom. Participating in Personal Progress teaches you to make commitments, carry them out, and report your progress to a parent or leader. The patterns you establish as you work on Personal Progress—such as prayer, scripture study, service, and journal keeping—will become personal daily habits. These habits will strengthen your testimony and help you learn and improve throughout your life.

Requirements

To complete the Personal Progress program, you will need to:

Attend sacrament meeting regularly (where possible).
Live the standards in For the Strength of Youth.
Complete the value experiences and value project for each of the eight values.
Keep a personal journal.
Attend seminary or participate in independent study (where available).
Read the Book of Mormon regularly.
Record your testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ.

After finishing these requirements, you will be eligible to receive the Young Womanhood Recognition following a worthiness interview with your bishop or branch president.

Getting Started

You may begin working on the Personal Progress program at age 12 or at the time of your baptism if you are between the ages of 12 and 18. Young women who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are also welcome to participate.

As you begin, you will receive a torch necklace with the Young Women torch logo on it. Wearing this necklace signifies your commitment to hold up your light and stand for truth and righteousness.

Invite your parents to help you in planning and completing the Personal Progress program. Sharing these experiences can strengthen your relationship with them. Your mother or another exemplary woman may work on Personal Progress with you, and you may earn your Young Womanhood Recognition together. You may adapt experiences and projects according to your personal circumstances, interests, and needs with the prior approval of a parent, a Young Women leader, or another adult.

Personal Progress can be part of the good things you are doing at home, church, school, seminary, and in the community. Use the subject index in the back of this book to find specific topics you are interested in and to learn how they can be used as part of Personal Progress. Remember to give yourself credit for all the good things you do each day. “By small and simple things are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6).

Guidelines

You will complete six experiences (three required and three elective) and one ten-hour project in each of the first seven Young Women values. For the value of virtue, you will complete four required experiences and the required project of reading the Book of Mormon. You may begin with any value and work in any order.

When you have completed a value experience or a value project, review it with a parent, a leader, or another adult. Have that person initial the completed experience in your Personal Progress book. Keep a record of your progress on the Personal Progress Record Sheet (see page 77).

Value Experiences

It is recommended that you complete the required experiences in a value before moving on to the elective experiences in that value.
With elective value experiences, you may write up to two of your own experiences in each value or adapt the provided experiences to fit your personal interests, goals, or circumstances. Have a parent, a leader, or another adult approve these before you begin.

Value Projects

Complete the required experiences in a value before starting the project in that value, with the exception of the value of virtue. You may begin reading the Book of Mormon at any time.
Have a parent, a leader, or another adult approve each value project before you begin.
You may invite others to help you with your value projects, but each project must take a minimum of ten hours of your own time.

Pacing and Recognition

You may work at your own pace, but you should always be working on at least one experience or project. The following is recommended:
- Complete at least one experience a month and one project every six months (two projects a year).
- Regularly attend sacrament meeting and participate in seminary (where possible).
- Meet with a member of your bishopric at least annually to discuss your success in Personal Progress, your efforts to live the standards in For the Strength of Youth, and any other questions you may have.
When all of the experiences and the project in a value are completed, your leader will recognize your accomplishment in a Young Women meeting and present you with an emblem to be placed on your Personal Progress Value Achievement page in this book (see page 78) and a ribbon to be placed in your scriptures.
You will have the opportunity to share your accomplishments in Personal Progress annually at Young Women in Excellence.
Your success in Personal Progress may also be noted when you receive your Beehive, Mia Maid, and Laurel certificates as you move from class to class.

Completing Personal Progress

When you have completed all of the Personal Progress value experiences and projects, record your testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ on page 79. Review the “Young Womanhood Recognition” section of this book with a parent, a leader, or another adult (page 76). Then schedule an interview with your bishop so he can sign the recommendation on page 82 and arrange for presenting your Young Womanhood Recognition certificate and medallion.
It is recommended that you work on Personal Progress throughout your time in Young Women, even after you have earned the Young Womanhood Recognition. Suggestions on how to continue progressing are in the section “What Do I Do When I Complete Personal Progress?” (page 83). Review this with a parent, a leader, or another adult. You may choose to earn an Honor Bee charm to place on your necklace with your medallion, or you may begin the entire program again. You are also encouraged to help other young women with their Personal Progress. By continuing your progress, you will stay on the path to the temple and develop qualities that will help you throughout your life.