Why Annual Planning Is Vital to Youth Participation

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This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.

By Mark J. Wiest, for the Church News

One of my wonderful high school science teachers taught our class a lifelong lesson with three simple jars.

One jar was full of seven or eight large pebbles. One was half full of sand. The last one was empty. The teacher asked, “How many pebbles can I fit in the jar half full of sand?”

Considering the space left in the jar, only three pebbles fit in the jar half full of sand.

“Now,” she said, “what if you place the large pebbles in the empty jar with the larger ones at the bottom and smaller pebbles at the top? Let’s now fill this jar with all the sand we have.”

To our astonishment, by strategically placing the larger pebbles in first, followed by lesser-sized pebbles and then filling in the open spaces with sand, we were able to fill the jar to the brim with all the large pebbles and finally the sand.

What does this teach us today? If we plan the big things first, then fill in with the smaller things, everything fits.

Leaders of the Church’s Puerto Stake in Veracruz, Mexico, met with all adult and youth council leaders at the end of September. The youth organized the 2025 calendar year beginning with the big events: an Aaronic Priesthood campout and stake young women campout; a mini-missionary training center activity; a large-scale service project; two stake temple days; a self-sufficiency camp; and a stake road-rally.

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The stake leaders encouraged their bishops to outline ward campouts, monthly temple days, a “New Year” recognition meeting in January to introduce the new youth members, and a celebration meeting in October 2025. Their goal is to fill in the weekly activities and have them planned three months prior to the date.

Stake Young Men President Esaú Abi Ramirez López testified: “It was amazing to see all the youth leaders as well as the adults coming together to create an exciting year in 2025. We turned it over to the youth, and they really lead.”

He continued: “We know our stake and ward participation will increase as well as the personal connections our bishops and adult leaders will have with our youth. These connections will pay great dividends in the very near future.”

The Church’s youth programs are blessing the young people, said President Miguel Angel Garcia Almazán, who serves as stake president.

“As the stake president, I have experienced the spiritual feeling of seeing the youth having love for each other and our Savior Jesus Christ through our youth programs,” he said.

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Much like the jar of large pebbles and sand, the Veracruz Puerto Mexico Stake is going to maximize every possibility to reach more of their youth through a well-organized and strategically placed annual calendar. The youth — and more importantly the parents — will know when For the Strength of Youth conferences and campouts are scheduled for so they can support and plan their own family activities around those of the Church. The youth know in advance what is planned in their weekly activities, and they know it will be fun and thought out.

The outcome is a year where the youth can not only anticipate the coming year, but it creates a spiritual framework to build a stronger testimony and a better understanding of our Savior Jesus Christ.

— Mark J. Weist is a member of the Young Men General Advisory Council.

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