Confession: My Young Women’s Medallion
It was a few weeks before my birthday and my YW leader sat me down on her front porch and we discussed all the things I’ve ever done before and when I would mention one that fit, she would sign my book until it was all completely filled out, about an hour later. My name is Bianca and I don’t think I truly earned my YW Medallion. Our activities consisted of the “Virgin Lips Club” and watching the Color Purple (Not Recommended). We had a lot of fun but I wonder if I didn’t just miss the boat. I mean as I watched the boys in Cub Scouts eyes light up at Day camp when they learned to hammer their own nails into their projects and the confidence they gained from learning something new, how something works, or how to do something better, you could almost see their self worth grow. They felt loved and every little thing they signed off gave them a new sense of accomplishment, confidence and self worth. No longer limited to what a teacher could teach them,they know they can just pick up their books and learn and do all by themselves. It is one of the many brilliant purposes behind Scouting. The self sufficiency comes with the knowledge that they can learn independently, that they can do anything because by the time they are done with the program they almost have done everything.
As I took the long walk up to the pulpit to shake the Bishops hand and receive my Medallion, I wondered what this said about me. Was I incapable of doing it on my own? Would truly earning my medallion have been too hard for me? Did my leaders not have time for working the program or investing in teaching me? Was I not worth it? As fun as the activities were, what did I really miss? My YW leaders were well liked. We had a lot of fun. We were all really good friends. Did I really need anything else? Hmmm, what ever the case, no matter how much I loved my YW Leaders, when I discuss my friends YW’s projects and see the pride in their eyes as they pull them out of their hope chests and tell of the things they learned and to see them use those skills in their homes today, it does make me feel a little left out. But luckily, for me, I have a little girl who just turned twelve, and a young boy who will turn eleven in a couple of days and a husband who is in Young Mens. Luckily for me, I can see the value of the program and I have the power to give my children the very best of it. Always something to work on.
That’s too bad. My mother made me work my little tushy off for mine. Of course she was the YW President. Thanks for the post it made me appreciate my YW experience so much more.
Kaley, Fort Worth, Texas
I think that you may short change yourself when you look back on your experience. The personal progress program is designed to help a Young Woman gain a testimony, stay active, make good life choices that lead her to the temple, and ultimately eternal life. Many of our valiant Young Women today are already living this way. It is not wrong to point out to them that the good choices they are making are exactly what they are supposed to be doing. Many times they just need to record those experiences in their journals or consider them from an eternal perspective and discuss them with a parent or leader. I know a lot of people compare the earning of the medallion to getting the Eagle Scout award, but the two programs are not the same. The Young Woman’s award is more comparable to the Duty to God award that the Young Men can earn. I had a similar experience in YW as you did, but the program back then was different too. I am grateful for my experience in YW’s as a youth. Even though I thought it was silly sometimes, it WAS fun, and I did make good friends, and that bonding and socializing kept me away from a lot of other stuff that could have called to me in those formative years. I am glad you are taking the program seriously and that you are encouraging your daughter to get the most out of it that she can. My daughter is 15 and took the program seriously. She earned her medallion and is now working on her honor bee. I am so proud of her. But other Young Women in our ward who did less and needed more help still earned their medallions and I am proud of them too. I am just happy when I watch our Young Women continue to grow after the Young Women’s program.
Hi Holly,
Thank you so much for your comment. I never thought of it that way. I am grateful to have the opportunity to share your post with the rest of the YW community. I had never considered giving myself any credit for what I had done but now I treasure my YW medallion even more. Thank you.
Hugs,