At the age of 20, Australian Torah Bright is a world champion snowboarder and Olympic competitor, finding success in the sport yet avoiding the wild lifestyle that sometimes accompanies the sport. She is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“I love the traveling and the freedom of expression, but I don’t indulge on the social side,” Bright told the Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph. “They know who I am and I just do my own thing.”
Elder Dirk Smibert, a Church leader in Australia, explained, “Most of our youth are working towards keeping high personal standards, which sets them apart.”
Although Smibert says some Mormon youth also have problems, Torah’s dedication to her faith is indicative of the millions of Mormon youth throughout the world who hold to a high moral standard. In fact, many news stories have appeared over the past few years exploring some of those behaviors that set these young people apart:
- Over 300,000 high-school-age Mormons attend a four-year scripture study course, spending one year each on the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. For many, these classes are held early in the morning before school starts, while others complete the courses in a home-study program.
- Thousands of Mormon youth find service opportunities in their communities. Recent projects include cleaning zoos and parks in Florida, preparing emergency preparedness packets then delivering them to neighbors in Houston, and cleaning and making repairs at a local hospital in Sierra Leone. Youth also assemble hygiene kits, school kits and cleaning kits to be sent to areas affected by disasters.
- In some parts of the United States, Mormon youth have opted to not participate in their high school prom — a formal school dance typically held at the end of the school year — because of immodest clothing, songs with suggestive lyrics and provocative dance moves. In California, Church leaders and parents supported the decision of such youth and organized “alternative” proms so that Mormon youth could experience the high school tradition without sacrificing their standards.
While the Church offers social and educational programs for youth to participate in, Elder Smibert admits that programs can only do so much. For Mormon youth, “personal commitment makes a difference,” he said.
In the Church, youth are given opportunities to serve and lead. It is not uncommon for a 12-year-old girl to hold the responsibility of planning and conducting Church meetings for her age-group. Young men at 14 prepare the sacrament (communion) for Sunday worship meetings. And at any given time, Mormon teens give talks and prayers during Sunday worship services.
Elder Smibert believes “the Church helps them find a personal connection to Jesus Christ.”
For Torah Bright, she is comfortable with her religion, and she is happy saying that. A reporter for Australia’s Sixty Minutes television program asked her: “You don’t drink. You don’t do drugs. What’s a Mormon doing snowboarding?” Bright responded, “I made a decision when I was 14 that this is how I was going to live my life.”