The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced one of the ways it will replace the Scouting program: It will expand its For the Strength of Youth conferences (FSY) to the United States and Canada.
FSY conferences are based on the Especially for Youth conferences that have been operated by church-owned Brigham Young University for more than 40 years. The five-day conferences will include “activities, devotionals, and classes designed to provide opportunities to grow spiritually, socially, physically and intellectually,” according to the church.
Latter-day Saint youths can participate beginning the year they turn 14 and continuing until they graduate from high school.
The church announced in May 2018 that it was severing its more-than-century-old ties with the Boy Scouts of America in favor of creating its own program, a move it had been working on for a number of years.
Every American and Canadian stake will sponsor an FSY conference every other year, beginning in 2021 and 2022, More than 140 stakes in Utah are scheduled to participate as part of a pilot program in 2020 “to prepare for full implementation” the following year.
Apostle Gerrit W. Gong is scheduled to announce more details about the FSY program during a broadcast scheduled for Nov. 17.
