Need Your Ideas

Hello Ladies,

I need you to get all creative for me.  Marilyn works in the YW program, and Julia and Kelly and Kami all have daughters in YW (or close to), so you should all have brilliant ideas for me.

The YW are meeting with the RS three times in May.  Our value is education.  Here are my ideas so far:

First meeting:

Opening exercises

Have someone (probably me) talk about the importance of an education and pass out a handout with various quotes from various church leaders about how critical it is for women to get an education.

Have a panel assembled of women with various educational/career backgrounds talk about why they studied what they studied and the pros and cons of their professional choices.  My sister did this when she was YW president and she had me sit on the panel.

I thought about closing with my dad or opening with my dad as the Dean of the college of Education at Weber and have him explain just how many women apply to his program who have met with some crises (divorced, widowed) and are trying to raise kids and go to school.  But . . . too much?  He's very funny.  I don't know--it was a thought.

Second Meeting:

No idea.  I mean, I've tossed around the idea of taking some tests that give career ideas.  I've thought about having my dad come that day and then when he was done talk about different career choices and how to apply for scholarships and how to graduate early or get college credit.  Too redundant with schools already talking about that stuff??

We also have to do a service project (guess we don't have to but it counts as their camp service project and we have tried to incorporate service each time we've met with the YW).  There is a homeless shelter in our area that is trying to set up a little school room so we thought we would find out what kind of supplies they needed and have the girls do something to raise money to get some of the items plus collect items from anyone in the ward that wanted to donate.

So maybe this night could be a bake sale or service auction--or a bake/service auction where the girls bring the items and then use the proceeds to help with the homeless shelter??  Could we do that as a ward activity on a Saturday?

Third Meeting:

Opening Exercises

Go to gym and play "The Price is Right" with a few of the YW.  Ask questions about laundry, cooking, organizing, cleaning, budgeting, menu-creation, etc.  Give prizes to the winners.

Have tables set up around the gym with one RS sister at each table (or at each end of a long table) showcasing one way that woman saves her family money by knowing how to do something or adds to the beauty/peace/enjoyment of her family by knowing how to do something.

After spending time going around to the tables, gather together again for a little 10 minute pep talk about how there are all types of education and every talent that you improve or every skill that you acquire will help you be more self-reliant, help your family be more self-reliant, and help you be more useful in the kingdom.

None of this is set in stone.  Just wondered, since you all know more than I do about this age group, what would be most useful for the girls.  ANY ideas would help me out.

(While you're thinking--we're meeting with the girls again the end of October and we've got nothing by way of ideas.  I think the value is good works.)