Announcing the closure of stake summer camps because of the pandemic in 2020

28 April 2020

Bishoprics and Branch Presidencies,

It has become apparent that our plans for a Stake Young Women's and Stake Aaronic Priesthood Camps will not be possible this summer due to size of gathering restrictions and camp availability.

Sadly, both camps have been cancelled, as has the Stake Primary Activity scheduled for June 16-19.

Will you please notify the youth, their parents and youth leaders when you feel appropriate? (BTW...the young women, their parents and YW leaders were already notified the Stake YW Camp, but we appreciate you passing this along anyway.)

We wanted to alert you to this development as quickly as possible so you and your ward youth leaders can begin to focus on planning some type of camp or outing at the ward level—or maybe even at the class and quorum level, depending on the numbers allowed to gather this summer.

The Stake YMYW presidencies can help you with this new direction in a number of ways, including:

• Provide ideas for activities (they will send you soon a list of appropriate youth outings and activities that may not require extraordinary planning or funding);

• Offer suggestions on how to use these activities to build and strengthen testimonies (they will share ideas they were planning for the stake YW and AP camps);

• Share counsel on how to engage the youth in the planning ("let them lead");

• Provide additional financing from stake funds, where needed.

In all of this, we remind you of these key principles when planning your own camps:

• Bigger is not always better;

• Be extra-sensitive to the burden extended camps and major activities can place on adult leaders, who may not have the time or resources due to the time off work during the pandemic;

• Let the youth lead out—do not try to dazzle them, but allow them to grow from the opportunity to plan and organize the activity;

• Be flexible: gathering restrictions may require activities to be held at a class or quorum level instead of even the ward level.

Financing summer activities

Fortunately, almost of the ward and branch budgets are flush with funds due to the lack of activities during the pandemic. With supplemental funds available from the stake (upon request), we hope you will not have to ask for any funding from families (i.e. no fundraising in the home or otherwise).

The Stake Primary presidency will visit soon with your ward Primary leaders to discuss alternatives to the Stake Primary activity.

We hope this is helpful as you move in this new direction. We join our faith with yours that the Lord will inspire us on how to make this not just a memorable, but uplifting and testimony-building summer for the youth of our stake.

Gratefully,

Stake Presidency