Young Women: The Transition to Relief Society

by Miriam Caldwell | More from this Blogger

05 Jul 2006 09:33 PM

This is the time of year when the graduating young women begin to make the transition into Relief Society. This is a big change for the young women, and in some ways it is one of the first steps into adulthood. Young women are allowed to decide if they will move up to Relief Society when they turn eighteen or wait until graduation from high school in order to move up.

The welcome that the members of each ward's Relief Society can make a big difference in how welcome a young woman feels as she begins attending. It can seem intimidating for the young woman to attend classes with moms and other older sisters. Often young women worry that they will be bored during the classes or that they will not be able to relate to the older women.

There are things that we can do to ease the transition from Young Women's to Relief Society. The Enrichment committee can extend an invitation for the Young Women or at least the Laurels to attend several activities through the year. Mothers can bring their daughters to the activities so that they can get to know the other sisters in the ward. You can also set up a mentor type program where you have sisters assigned to fellowship each girl who is moving up.

I moved up before I graduated because my ward split in May and I felt like I was ready to move on. My Relief Society president made me feel very welcome. She was my visiting teacher along with a friend's mom. This helped me to feel comfortable with the older sisters in the ward. With a little effort I know that we can reach out to make all the young women feel as welcome. Relief Society is a wonderful organization and it is important that the young women grasp this and feel accepted as soon as possible.

Learn more about Miriam Caldwell

Miriam is a SAHM mom of three children. She has a daughter who is seven, and two sons, four and two. She loves being a parent and spending time with her children.

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