Activation/Retention

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BIRTHDAY SURPRISE: -  -  For a big surprise, make a cake and card and take to  active and inactive girls.They really know you remember her and show you love for her...


STONE SOUP ACTIVITY: -   CLICK HERE TO SEE THIS IDEA


CALENDARS: - My secretary just did this today...she made calendars for each of the girls who attended no meetings during the previous month.  Then on the back of the sheet she copied a cute graphic and the words WE MISSED YOU!! in Young Women's.  Then we had each member of their class sign it and she mailed it to them!!


THE WHOLE BUNCH: - An activity our youth enjoyed was signing their names with a ball point ink pen to a large bunch of bananas and then delivering them to the inactive girls. When the inactive girl plucked a banana from the stalk she saw the individual girls names. Little did I know the impact it had on the inactive girls, but, to their families also. Some years later one of the mothers stood to bear her testimony about the bananas and how it had brought her back from inactivity.


CLASS CARD: -  Whenever a young women is not at church on Sunday we get the other girls to write in a card and each one to sign it saying how they missed them.  We send them to them if they are sick or just away.  On the front of the card it says ....'Something important was missing from Young Womens today.....YOU!'.  Each of the girls that have received a card has loved them.  Lisa


HEART ATTACKS: -  We had a night where we visited some less actives and did heart attacks in their yards and told them we wanted them to know we loved and missed them. We even got one of them to join us for the rest of the evening.   The way we did the heart attacks was to cut out hearts and write on them "You have been heart attacked by the Young Women" and glue to popsicle sticks and stick all in the yards. Tawnie


TREASURE CHEST: -  We have a box called  our "Treasure Chest".  When a girl has perfect atttendance for the month, she can select something out of the treasure chest.  My couselors and I add things to this chest whenever we find little things at the "dollar"  store or just anywhere we see something cute that is inexpensive.  We also keep several Mormon Ads on hand cause the girls like them a lot..  This really seems to give our girls incentive.  One girl told me she started to buy the package of Mormon Ads for her room, but liked the feeling of being able to earn them each month by having perfect attendance and she is trying to collect them all.  We are also planning a 100% Sunday.  Each age group and their counselor are really going to start working with the inactive girls in their age group to get them all out on this particular Sunday.  We are planning to do something special for each group that accomplishes this.


75% ATTENDANCE ACTIVITY: -  We're starting an incentive for attendance.  For three months we're keeping track of attendance at church and activities.  At the end of that every one who has 75% attendance gets to go to a  special activity, like an ice cream party. It doesn't really exclude  anyone who trys...they can make up an absence by offering to say the  prayer, conduct etc...


TEACHER REVERSE: -  Find out what their hobbies and interests are. Ask them to come and teach a class on that. Next week I have 2 inactives that are coming to teach the other girls how to play waterpolo in my pool. 

NEWSLETTER: -  My Laurel advisor mails out "Laurel Lines" every month to the inactive Laurels. But first she call everyone and gets info on each and every girl.  Then she has the active girls each write a small note to one of the girls and mails it to them. Last night one of our inactive girls went to our beach activity and she made a comment about one of the other inactive girls that she had learned from the newsletter. 

CAMP --  WISH YOU WERE HERE: -   While we were at camp I took 5 pictures of all the girls from our ward that were at camp. I developed them with double prints down the hill at a one hour photo. I mailed them home to 10 girls that didn't come to camp along with an
Airhead candy.  I had some exciting responses from this simple service.

SHARE YOUR LOVE: -  Tell each of your girls that you love them. Be honest and pray for that love and it will come.


OUT TO LUNCH:  -  I  set a goal to make face to face contact  with one of my less active YW at least once every month by taking her out to lunch.  (It did take me 10-15 calls to her house before getting hold of her each month. )  By going to lunch it gave us one on one time, the more I wanted to talk to her the better the restaurant.  I picked. Slow service is a blessing at times :) I got to know her friends and at times they have also joined us for lunch.   We have taken the Subway and ate in the park as well.....  Great place to talk and eat.  The success...  SHE called me to go out to lunch!  (Which means she trusts me) At our last meeting she hugged me and thanked me for caring enough to track her down and meet with her.
  • LESS ACTIVES: -  I wrote her a note and sent a calendar of the activities.  Also followed with a phone call to her.  On Wednesday, all the Laurels are going to see her school play.  Small steps over a period of time. 
  • LESS ACTIVES: -  Fast as a board with Class President and Parent/Parents.  Non churchy contact... sporting events/school stuff/lunch/movies....Have them baby-sit/have them over for dinner/"heart attacks"/notes in the mail (make them regular)/calls/hugs/food (a good way to a teenagers heart)/ putting their name on the Temple prayer roll/praying for them/assigning them a leader on the board whose major focus is befriending them/ get to know their friends / I have asked them for activity ideas..  Some activities are planned just for them in hopes they will come/ I ask them for input on how to teach a lesson..sneaky idea but it brings in the gospel!!!  Relying on you Laurels president ... at times I forget she to is inspired to help these girls..  And they play such an important role in making church a good experience!  Their peers..  I have talked with my class presidencies and counseled with them and asked for and followed their lead. They too feel the loss and weight of this responsibility.  They have awesome ideas as well!