group hiking

Purposes—Why

Build Faith and Deepen Conversion

“In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost” (Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 96).

Spiritual experiences cannot be forced, but camps can help create settings away from the distractions of life where it may be easier for young men to feel the Spirit, increase their faith in Christ, and make commitments to follow Him.

young men in vehicle

Plan activities that create conversations or situations that will help young men become more fully converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Advisers can help the young men recognize the Spirit as they share personal experiences and testify of the truth. Allow the young men to have individual quiet time to ponder, reflect, and write in journals; this is often the time that the Spirit will teach, guide, and comfort them. As young men have spiritual experiences, consider how you might help them recognize what is happening.

Remember that if the faith and conversion of just one young man are increased, that camp was successful. The Lord ministered one by one, and each camp may have been created to help just one.

young men pushing wheelbarrow

Promote Brotherhood and Quorum Unity

“And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another” (Mosiah 18:21).

Camping provides opportunities to build brotherhood and quorum unity. If those who serve with you feel mutual love and trust, the work of the Lord moves forward.

As you plan camp activities, look for ways the young men can work together, accomplish challenging tasks as a group, promote friendships, and develop loyalty to each other. Advisers can encourage the youth leadership to make unity a priority of each activity.

young men cooking

Develop Skills, Resilience, and Responsibility

Skills

“And all this for the benefit of the church of the living God, that every man may improve upon his talent, that every man may gain other talents, yea, even an hundred fold” (Doctrine and Covenants 82:18).

Plan activities to increase critical-thinking skills, build resiliency, and strengthen personal responsibility. Consider activities that can teach skills such as communication with others, general home and automotive repair, first aid, cooking, and so on. Young men need to develop skills that will help them prepare for their future.

Look for ways to help young men develop confidence by providing opportunities to learn and practice new skills in real-life settings. As they work to develop new skills, teach them that they are unlikely to perfect new skills without practice and substantial effort.

young man setting up tent

Resilience

“Why do we need such resilient faith? Because difficult days are ahead. Rarely in the future will it be easy or popular to be a faithful Latter-day Saint. Each of us will be tested” (Russell M. Nelson, “Face the Future with Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 35–36).

Resilience is the ability to recover from or adjust easily to change or personal challenges. Plan experiences that develop resilience. Young men should believe in themselves—that they can influence outcomes in their lives through revelation, effort, working together, imagination, knowledge, and skill. With this attitude, they focus on what they can do rather than dwelling on what is beyond their control.

As young men work through physically challenging circumstances together, they develop flexibility to work with different ideas and learn how to bounce back from setbacks. They become grateful for life’s simple pleasures. They develop a strong faith that they can move forward with God’s help, even in the face of life’s significant challenges.

young man kayaking

Responsibility

“God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability” (Neal A. Maxwell, “It’s Service, Not Status, That Counts,” Ensign, July 1975, 7).

Camping and other activities are settings where young men can learn responsibility through actual experiences. Young men grow as they accept responsibility and complete assignments.

When planning activities, advisers can help identify responsibilities that can be delegated to young men. Advisers should mentor quorum presidencies as they delegate and follow up on assignments. Follow-up is crucial in teaching responsibility. Assist youth leaders as they look for opportunities to involve every young man. Allow the young men to lead.

Accomplishing hard things teaches personal responsibility. Outdoor experiences provide great opportunities for young men to do hard things. Quorum leaders and quorum advisers help young men achieve more than they believed possible by offering encouragement, love, and enthusiasm during the task. Do not remove the challenge; just help them succeed. Support them in new responsibilities to help them grow.