EFY for LDS Youth - Best Week of Summer for Mormon Teens!

UPDATE: Registration for Especially for Youth 2011 "BELIEVE. HOPE. ENDURE." is currently taking place. If you are interested in attending EFY this Summer, then you had better get on it NOW!

EFY REGISTRATION

Especially For Youth, is an LDS Youth Program, that is run by the Church Educational System, (CES) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints, for Mormon teenagers. These extraordinary LDS teens gather for multiple one-week sessions, scheduled to run throughout the Summer each year. What began originally on the BYU Provo, Utah campus, and which still plays host to the largest EFY groups week after week - has now spread to College Campuses across the United States and Canada. LDS youth who are able to register and get into a session, live on these campuses beginning Monday and check-out on Saturday morning. Mormon teens spend a great week away from home, their normal lives and routines and get to know other LDS youth. They are placed, according to age, in "companies" or groups with a balanced mix of both guys and girls. Experienced youth counselors are assigned to oversee these groups throughout the week and ensure a great experience for everyone attending. The focus of EFY is to strengthen LDS youth in their faith and understanding of that which has been taught to them in the Mormon Church.

The successful growth of the now very popular EFY for LDS youth, is due to the overwhelming response of these amazing young people, choosing repeatedly to attend each Summer. The EFY cirriculum of positive experiences that are planned for these LDS teens to enjoy -- will almost always assure that those LDS teens attending a session of EFY, will considered this one week of their Summer, a major highlight of their entire teenage years. This only adds to the appeal for more LDS teens to want to be a part of EFY! Teenagers know how to get information out fast these days. Can you say text? Since they love EFY and many consider EFY the "Best Week of the Summer" - Summer is not Summer if EFY is not on the schedule!

The registration process to try and get into a session of EFY begins in mid January. Due to the popularity of EFY, sessions on many campus locations can literally fill up within hours of open registration. Unfortunately, the next process to try and find a session to attend for a Mormon teenager who really wants to go to EFY, is to wait for a second registration that opens approximately two weeks later.

If that doesn't work, going to the EFY website repeatedly and checking to see if another applicant has dropped out, leaving a single opening. If you are fortunate to check on a day when that happens... you can go to EFY! This can be very frustrating to many LDS teenager who really really want to go to EFY. Girls in particular have a difficult time getting into EFY, due to the fact that more girls than boys apply. Obviously, the boys that attend EFY don't seem to be bothered by the ratio whatsoever!

It is almost without fail, that upon returning from a week at EFY, these LDS teenagers will consider their experience to have been - the "Best Week of Summer"! The EFY program provides a variety of different types of experiences and activities that these Mormon youth participate in - - along with the many new friendships that they develop during the week. This is a powerful combination in helping LDS Youth to choose the right when they return home each Summer.

These facts, are the reason that so many LDS parents are willing to fork out the hundreds of dollars each year, that it cost to send their children to EFY -- and not get too freaked out because of the money involved. I have sent all five of my children to EFY multiple times over the years. My 16 year-old son, the last of five - just returned from attending his third session of EFY over the past three consecutive years!

He had a blast... as you can see in some of these pictures that I have posted. These show him and a few of the other LDS teens that he became friends with during the week... they even have a group on facebook so that they can keep in touch with each other, share pictures and strengthen one another! Very Cool:-)

While attending EFY, these LDS youth are kept so busy that there is very little time for sleep! Youth are expected to start their day early and join their group company for a brief morning devotional to set the tone for the day ahead. As soon as they finish, they grab some quick breakfast - and then head off for the long day of planned classes, games, speakers, field activities, etc.... This goes on everyday and into the evening, until these youth collapse with exhaustion! Well, some of them... Each day ends, by meeting back up with their "company" for family prayer, etc.

The energy of LDS teens is something that is palpable to all of them, when they are together in such large numbers. The youth learn throughout the week, through these various activities, how to work together and serve one another. Spending time with other LDS youth and discussing the gospel, helps these young people develop their testimonies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. These LDS youth are taught with power, the importance of following a prophet of God and the many blessings that come into their lives as they do so.

The best of LDS instructors and speakers are recruited for EFY at all of the sessions. These excellent teachers focus on gospel principles and inspire the youth to better understand the importance of staying strong and keeping the commandments.

Our youth today are faced with constant pressure to engage in those things that will ultimately cause unhappiness in life. LDS standards are emphasized throughout the entire week through every means possible to strengthen these LDS teens. Music is a powerful facet of EFY. Each youth returns home with a CD of the music that is used during EFY to teach and inspire them.

Uniting with other like LDS youth is powerful for these teens, as they go back to their "normal" lives - to face the constant pressures of the world that teenagers today, are exposed to daily - and must make choices in how they personally will respond to these pressures.

As these LDS teens have now been strengthened with a new resolve to stay strong and committed to living standards of; moral chastity, modesty, following the teachings of Jesus Christ, daily scripture study, personal prayer, serving others, etc... together with new friendships forged - they have increased a powerful support system, to now go forward in their own life with greater faith in Jesus Christ and His Plan.

These LDS teens are really good at keeping in touch throughout the year, through the use of texting and the Internet. The strong and powerful experiences of bonding at EFY, are relationships that these youth can now draw strength. These treasured friendships and memories that are created tend to last from year to year. Many teens after creating these bonds with other LDS teens, try to schedule future EFY sessions together again.

The pictures that I have posted here, show my son Alton, and a few of the other LDS teens that he became friends with during the week... they even have a group on Facebook so that they can keep in touch with each other, share pictures and strengthen one another! Very Cool:-)

Setting up a company "group" online is a very popular thing to do for LDS teens that have attended EFY. It helps them keep in touch, find each other online more easily and do what they refer to as... "taking it home" with them.

Update: This video C.O.W. Provo EFY is doing really well over on YouTube - please come on over and rate these guys and leave a comment, bookmark their video on Facebook or MySpace... whatever -- they love hearing from all of you and what you think about their EFY talent show debut. C.O.W. Lyrics are posted on YouTube as well. Oh, and the C.O.W. video also has annotations which is kind of fun too...

As a parent, who throughout these ongoing years of raising teenagers, I consider EFY to be, if possible - a definite must to have my own children attend each Summer. All five of my own children, as they attended the EFY programs of the Church, have benefited from those experiences greatly!

When we consider the many activities that youth today are involved with, and could engage in... it is a joy to know that so many youth would and do consider attending an EFY session and gaining strength to choose good in their lives... a cool thing. Truly these LDS teens, are extraordinary youth in the world today.

tDMg

LdsNana-AskMormon

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Thanks to my son Alton, for enduring his mother posting his EFY pictures and video here on Hubpages:-)

tDMg

LdsNana-AskMormon