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Learn Skills, Then Serve

Learn Skills, Then Serve

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man teaching young man how to fix bicycle

Purpose

Your service can make a difference to someone else! Learn skills and use them to serve others now and in the future.

Description

Working with your parents or leaders, find someone in the ward, branch, or community who needs service (make sure not to discuss anything confidential). Meet as a class, family, or other group to plan how to provide this service.

  1. Make a list of the skills required, such as painting, simple construction, sewing, gardening, and so forth.

  2. Determine which group members have the required skills.

  3. If group members do not have some needed skills, determine whether group members could learn these skills.

    • If they can learn the skill, have them make a plan for doing so. For instance, they could ask an expert for help, read a book, watch a training video, and so forth.

    • If not, counsel together to find someone who already has that skill.

More Ideas

  • Simple service—Teach younger participants a simple craft such as braiding. For each person, tie three pieces of string together and demonstrate how to braid. They can make braided bracelets to give to others.

  • Set and achieve goals—Invite participants to think of a practical skill they have always wanted to learn. Encourage them to set a goal to spend a certain amount of time each week developing the skill. They can work on meeting this goal alone or in a group. Every Sunday, or whenever you meet again, ask participants to share their progress.

  • Youth teachers—Invite class members to teach the other participants about a skill they have. Divide the participants into groups, have each youth teacher set up an area, and rotate the groups to each area so they can learn multiple skills during the activity. In each area, brainstorm about ways to use the skill to serve others.

  • Plan to keep serving—After you provide the service you planned, look for ways to use your skills to keep serving. For example, you can visit JustServe.org and find service opportunities there.

Discussion

Encourage participants to talk about what they are learning. Discussions can take place before, during, or after the activity. You could ask questions like the following:

  • Why do you think it is important to learn new skills?

  • When have you benefited from learning a new skill and using it to serve someone else?

  • What thoughts or impressions do you have about preparing to serve others by learning new skills?

  • How can you apply what you are learning in your life?

Related Resources

Sabbath Day Lessons

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