Mission X Camp YW/RS Transition Activity

Our stake called us in for a meeting and gave us the following handout with information on a plan for a transition activity involving 16-18 year old YW and RS leaders:

——START OF HANDOUT——-
MISSION X
YOUNG WOMENS STAKE ROUGH CAMP

Goals:
* To help ease transition into Relief Society by creating friendships with as many Relief Society sisters as possible.
* Let the YW see that women in Relief Society are fun and have many of the same interests and desires.
* Create a tradition that every year the Relief Society is involved with Rough Camp so that the YW look forward to the time when they are old enough to participate and that each year they make more and more friends with the sisters in their wards. Hopefully this will happen every year at ward camps and stake camps.
* Together we can follow President Hinckley’s request – “Don’t lose a single one”.

Theme for camp is “K-2 MISSION POSSIBLE”
* The YW will be learning and earning keys that will help them realize their mission here on Earth and how they can successfully complete it.

* “MISSION X” is the time when the Relief Society will have all of the young women who are 16, 17, and 18 years old. This will be the time when you will have these YW and can schedule whatever activities you would like to get to know the YW in your ward. This time will begin immediately following the fireside that should end at 7:30 p.m.. This can be a combination of stake and ward activities. Please have these activities be as much FUN as possible. We have many spiritual aspects already planned for camp and just want them to have fun with you! Please know that you are invited up anytime you can come and if your schedules allow you are invited for dinner with each of your wards before the fireside. Please let the camp directors in your ward know how many from your presidency will be able to attend so they know who and how many to expect.

* A “MISSION X” objective will be given to each YW on Wednesday afternoon directing them individually to a rendezvous point and what items may be needed to bring with them,

* This entire activity is a SURPRISE for the YW and we do not want them to know anything about it beforehand. Please do not tell them or other adults in the ward so that it will be a surprise and then it will be much more effective.

* Please have “bad weather” plans just in case they become necessary.

* While “MISSION X” is going on the other YW will be excused to go back to their camps until 9:30 when they will be watching a movie and eating popcorn. You can bring trip YW back anytime during the movie but please let your camp director in your ward know when you return the girls so that she knows that they are back in her care and can account for them.

* In August as stake and ward YW leaders we will be fasting for the success of this camp and all of the activities. If you would like, please join with us and we pray that this will help our young women as they become sisters in Relief Society.

——END OF HANDOUT——-

At our meeting we coordinated plans so that we’d all be doing the same thing (so that no unit’s activity would be “cooler” than another). We determined to have a Spa Night for Mission X. Each RS presidency was to determine the things they wanted to bring up to the rough camp (no electricity) to treat their girls to a spa treatment.

Our unit brought up a cooler filled with hot water, some disposable aluminum casserole pans, fizzing bath bombs, nail polish, nail jewels, hair brushes, and colorful rubber bands. We treated the girls to a warm foot soak with the fizzing bath bombs, then washed thier feet with spa gloves — we weren’t bold enough to rub dirty camp feet — and painted thier toenails and put on the nail jewels. So fun.

Then we braided the girls’ hair, all the time laughing and having a good time. The stake leaders brought by a bag full of things like tissue, tape, paper cups, and paper plates to make a dress for the Relief Society President for a multi-unit fashion show. Also lots of fun — the girls enjoyed cheering for “their” president.

As gifts we gave the girls pajama bottoms (awesome, were purchased very cheap at Costco) and a small bin from the dollar store filled with mini facials, loofahs, lotions and other pampering equipment.

Results
This activity was VERY successful! Transitioning YW were very touched that we RS leaders would come out to their rough camp to give them a spa treatment and just to visit with them. We leaders ended up spending the night and did the cooking and dishes the next morning as a service for the girls in our camp. The pajamas were a big hit, and so were the fizzing bath bombs, btw.

The younger YW kept sneaking to the edge of the hill to see what was going on, and afterwards, told us several times they couldn’t wait to get ready for RS like the Laurels.

We loved the activity, too — it was so fun to visit with the YW and get to know them as friends. They now feel much more comfortable with the “old women” now that they know we are just like them, with a few extra curves and wrinkles. 🙂

The stake decided the activity was also very successful, and the activity will be a yearly camp tradition to help YW ease the transition to RS.