Youth Projects

Ideas for Young Men and Young Women projects that can help inspire a love for the work*

1. Plan a "Family Tradition" activity.  Discover the joy of family history through traditions such as stories, art, dance, food, and music.  Interview a grandparent, parent, uncle, aunt, or other close relative to discover how a tradition was started in their family. If they don’t have a tradition, invite them to consider one they would like to start as a family. Invite the girls in your class to share a tradition by preparing a story, food, art, dance, or song. You could also Invite family or ward members to be the audience. Take photos of the traditions. Consider creating stories about how these traditions were created and share them and the photos in Family Tree on lds.org/familyhistory.

2. Invite special guests from within the ward family to an activity.  Ask them to share life stories, their testimonies and displays of their life. You could ask questions and learn from their life experiences.

3. Plan a night where each young woman displays  memories, history, recipes with the item made up for tasting, etc.  You could wear an article of clothing from your ancestor such as a hat, apron, etc.

4. Plan and host a "Technology Night."  Help those in the ward who may be uncomfortable with technology preserve their family history.  Ask ward members to gather old family photos, newspaper articles, obituaries, etc.   Consider pairing one youth with each person. Scan photos, take digital photos of prints, or go to the local family history center to scan the photos. Upload the information you find to Photos and Stories at lds.org/familyhistory, tag the people in the photos and stories, and connect them to Family Tree.

5. You could post a map of the world outside the bishop’s office. Ask ward members to put a flag showing where their ancestors are from. Give rewards to those who participate. To get a reward they would have to:
   . Be able to trace their roots the furthest from Utah
   . Include entire family in family research and posting on the map
   . Load information into Family Tree after gathering their information

6. Request the patriarchal blessing of an ancestor (such as a great grandparent).  After reading it, write in your journal promises and warnings given to that ancestor.  Record how this could help you in your own life.

7. Create "Family History Jars" for parents or grandparents.  Encourage them to record their life stories.

8. In order to keep the Sabbath Day holy, learn how and do indexing.  See indexing.familysearch.org.

9. Read and record promises from the scriptures and modern day leaders about the blessings of family records.  Create your own plan of how you want to participate in family history.

10. Have a "Morph" night.  Each young woman and leader could take their photo and morph it into that of an ancestor.  Post the pictures around the room and have each guess who the picture is of.

11. Plan to do baptisms at the Temple with names you have researched from your own family tree, or that you have discovered through indexing.  Print the cards and plan the Temple day.  Ask endowed adults to complete the Temple work for you once the baptisms have been done.

12.  Visit with your living relatives to learn as much information about your family history as possible. Then complete a pedigree chart of your family and list the temple ordinances that have been completed for each person.

13.  Select a gospel principle you would like to understand better (for example, faith, repentance, charity, eternal families (family history), or baptismal covenants). Read scriptures and the words of latter-day prophets that relate to the principle. Prepare a five-minute talk on the subject and give the talk in a sacrament meeting, in a Young Women meeting, to your family, or to your class. Record in your journal how you can apply this gospel principle in your life.

14. Teach a lesson about service in family home evening or in another setting. Use pictures, music, examples, or demonstrations in your lesson. You may want to use the manual Teaching, No Greater Call as a resource.  (The service could include extended search for ancestors and doing their temple work as a family.  Include quotes from latter-day Apostles about the blessings and promises of doing family history.)

15.  List the issues, trends, and problems that weaken the family. Read the First Presidency message, “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”, and the section on family in For the Strength of Youth. Then research in the Church magazines the counsel of those whom we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators. Write in your journal your plan to strengthen your present family and the values and traditions you want to establish with your future family.  (Research stories from ancestors and record/discuss ways they strengthened their family.  Record stories and pictures on lds.org Family Search.)

*These projects can be incorporated into the Duty of God and Young Women's in Excellence Programs