Planning Events
Coming up with ideas for events is easier than you think. You can start with the mutual theme for the year to spark some ideas. Then you can start brainstorming on general theme ideas like sports, medieval, etc. This is how the jungle theme came about for me. Another great idea is to use popular media elements – TV shows, movies, song titles, etc. Just put some gospel twists on it and watch it develop into a fun themed event! I’ve found that the girls really get excited and respond to these types of inclusions in planning things. For example, one year we did a popular movie theme for girl’s camp and everyone was so excited about it. As a leader, we were using the yearly theme of “Arise and Shine Forth” as our guiding post but we let the girls focus on the then popular Avenger movie for brainstorming. With a little guidance, absolutely anything can be taken in a spiritual direction.
New Beginnings, YWIE and Girl’s Camp Ideas
It’s A Jungle Out There
This was one of the most extensive and popular New Beginnings themes I’ve ever done. In short, we used the concept of jungle hazards, animals and survival tools to introduce the YW program and values. It was a huge success. We decorated one end of the cultural hall to look like a jungle. Leaders met the girls and their parents in the foyer and directed them to a meeting area for the “jeep ride” to the gym. They all took hold of a long rope and we led them through the hallway to the gym.
Leaders wore white shirts, safari hats and had Jungle Safari Staff Name Tags.
Our invitations incorporated animal crackers and the girls got a real kick out them:
Guests were given jungle map handouts as a program guide. On the map, we reviewed the JungleHazards. We spent time at each hazard discussing why it was so dangerous. The journey was all done with participants in their seats and me as the jungle guide leading them through a JungleOverview_Outline of jungle sounds and special effects. One hazard was insects and we had a few leaders standing at the back with handfuls of rice which they gently threw up in the air and around the audience when the sound of insects was played. Then we introduced the way we survive this jungle of life using the JungleCards of YW values. We gave the girls little safari bags (simply sewn jungle fabric, drawstring bags) with laminated copies of the hazards and values with accompanying items.
Mission Impossible
This was a theme from a popular movie at the time. We turned it into a New Beginnings program (Mission Possible ,Mission Possible Compiled) by making it an evening of gathering mission information (colored file folders and handouts for each value –Value Pages) and learning about new agents (new beehives –Beehive Name Tags).
Personal Progress Luau
In an effort to encourage our girls to work on their Personal Progress, we invited them to a special Luau. The invitation was for any girl who completed one experience or project during the summer. Several Sundays during the summer we gave the themed handouts to remind them.
The Luau consisted of a dinner and outdoor games of limbo and swimming volleyball. Each girl also received a bracelet for her completed value. The girls really loved it and worked hard.
Special Programs
One year we had our YWIE program through a Sacrament meeting. We coordinated with our bishop and stake leaders to provide the meeting program of talks and music. The program cover had artwork drawn by one of the girls for one of her projects. The program incorporated girls sharing their testimonies and experiences working on Personal Progress that year. Each young woman and her family received a special invitation to the program as well.
Excellence Buzz
Excellence Buzz Created just for beehives when they are not able to attend a youth conference, this idea is adaptable to any event or activity.
Girls Camp
Latter Day Avengers
This theme was one of the most popular and dearly loved by our girls as it was their idea. The leaders took the concept of the popular movie and put a gospel twist on it. The quote we used as the basis can be found on the T-Shirt IronOn file below. We pushed the positive qualities of the heroes and compared them to spiritual qualities the girls should strive to develop, also the theme of learning to support one another and be unified. The following file link has all the helpful information for planning a ward girl’s camp including schedules, meal preparations, grocery lists, etc. One of the first crafts was to create a duct tape purse – these were then put up on a board and used as secret sister collection boxes. It was a great hit!
These files were used to have the girls and leaders leave little notes on each other’s pillows. The concept was to catch each other doing great things and pointing them out.
Sunshine Company
A pioneer theme that had each ward camp take on a company name. One of the most successful things about this year of camp was having each girl give a compliment or positive thought to each other every day at camp. We made a little mail box for each of the girls to deliver their simple messages each day. It was a simple piece of material with levi pockets – one for each girl. We also had the Jr. Leaders work on some journal and scrapbook pages for the girls to fill out.
Safe Harbor
This theme was all nautical and the girls really enjoyed it.
We created pocket sized memory books for our girls:
Roadshow Ideas
I’ve been asked to direct two ward roadshows for youth in the past. The first year we were instructed to involve the youth in a production that was to be more like a musical. I ran with the idea of a fairy tale and simple tunes that would be easily recognized with new lyrics:
The second time we were given complete latitude to come up with a show based on a theme. I did a reader’s theatre style show to the song, “Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?”
2008 Boulder Creek Ward Cultural Arts Presentation
Activity Ideas
FOUL Ball
This was a game I created for a combined YM/YW activity. It surrounded the theme of language from For the Strength of Youth booklet.
I Know
This was a class activity generated to help identify areas the girls already possessed knowledge in. It was also a great sounding board for generating future class activities to help acquire knowledge in other areas. The concept was simple – have each girl identify their comfort level with the skills listed on the checklist. We used the traffic light colors to mark them: green meant super confident, yellow was okay with some help or supervision, red was no idea.
Jeopardy
A game for the youth centered around For the Strength of Youth topics.
Journal Jars
A simple activity of putting a years worth of questions to answer into a jar. You pick one out each day to encourage writing in your journal.
Beauty Night
An ever popular night on taking care of ourselves. The notes should be helpful for anyone who is not a cosmetologist as they were compiled by me and I am one.
Water Olympics
Our version of this fun combined activity.
Widow Valentines
A special way to remember widows on valentine’s day and a great activity for any group.
Easter Egg Decorating
Looking for ideas on a combined youth activity? This was a real hit for us.
November 9, 2006 at 12:09 pm
I am reading in “Bright Ideas for Young Women Leaders” where she references your site (which is awesome!) about a Family Feud about “For the Strength of Youth”. I am unable to locate it on your site. Could you please direct me? Thank you!
Hi Casandra – that’s fun to know about Bright Ideas! I’ll have to go check that out. I have this link on the old Sharing site for the FTSOY Jeopardy game: http://www.sharingwithyw.com/downloads/FTSOY%20Jeopardy.pdf but I don’t recall one for Family Fued.
January 21, 2007 at 9:53 pm
Holly,
We love your “It’s a jungle out there and want to use some of your ideas. I tried to print the tools cards but they are not centered on my page so I will only end up with 2 cuts how did you do yours?
March 21, 2008 at 4:45 am
Thanks! I love your ideas especially the ones for New Beginnings.
Thanks Sarah!
March 27, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Hey Holly….
Absolutely love your Safari New Beginnings….would like to see how you did it though…just for ideas…did someone video tape your night???…we are a small ward but I would like to implement some really fun stuff that the girls will be talking about and our inactive want to come to see what they’re missing….your an awesome lady….a girl after my own heart…Much Mahalos….Whitney of the Ka’u ward on the Big Island of Hawaii
Thanks so much! I don’t have a video of the entire program but would be happy to answer any questions!
January 9, 2009 at 11:14 am
Would love to have script of your evening and your different ideas on hazards in jungle relevent to our lives. If you would, could you please forward me a script of your evening so we may use for our New Beginnings program. Thanks so much!

Thanks for the comment it’s all in that Jungle link. Just click on it.
February 17, 2010 at 2:11 pm
We are doing your “It’s A Jungle Out There” program for our New Beginnings program next week. During our preparations we discovered that your program was done prior to the new “Virtue” young women value that was added last year. In case others may want to use what we came up with, we decided to use a compass for the symbol. The value for virtue states, “I will prepare to enter the temple and remain pure and worthy. My thoughts and actions will be based on high moral standards.” I found a simple compass graphic to use for the bulletin board posters, and on the survival cards for compass we added – “Compass: Provides direction to help us stay on the right path.” We are looking forward to doing the program next week and hope the added information for the virtue value may be a help to others who may be using the same program in the future.
What a fantastic add!! Thank you SO much for sharing!!
January 23, 2013 at 3:30 pm
Loved your “It’s a Jungle Out There” program, but an error occurs(error 404)whenever I tried to print the script, and both sets of cards. It says “Not Found). Could you please email me the instructions. Thanks,
Gail
May 11, 2013 at 1:14 am
Could I please get a script and the pdf for the cards we are doing it’s a jungle out there camp theme and this would be perfect thanks!
May 11, 2013 at 1:15 am
sara.2421@yahoo.com
May 15, 2013 at 1:43 am
Hope the files I sent help you out! It’s a fun theme.
May 11, 2014 at 3:12 am
We are doing a ward “adopted” grandparent night this Tuesday. I’m wondering if you have something from your “discussion night” that gives ideas of what to talk about (cars, etc) I just need a list, if you have one, of what it was that they talked about. We have visited and interviewed each assigned grandparent and are ready to “spotlight” them at the event. But I think we need a “mixer” activity and the idea you have listed here sounds great! Can you help me?
June 10, 2014 at 6:32 pm
I am so sorry! My response time hasn’t fit your need, things have been crazy. I hope it went well!
May 9, 2021 at 8:39 am
Hi, where can I find your survival kit handouts? They’re so stinking cute!!