“We hope that every young man earns the Duty to God Award.”  That is a statement by the First Presidency on page one of the Guidebook for Parents and Leaders of Youth.  They further stated that the Duty to God program will help our young men “prepare for the temple endowment, missions, temple marriage, and parenthood.” Indeed, there is no greater cause than helping a young man “learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence.” (D&C 107: 99)  The First Presidency went on to state that earning the Duty to God Award should “become a symbol of your preparation to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood.”

As a counselor in my stake’s Young Men’s program a couple of years ago, I was assigned to help the wards work on the Aaronic Priesthood Duty to God program. This was a privilege and a challenge. The challenge was, I found, that while most wards had a great emphasis on the Boy Scout program and had Scouting activities well integrated in the Young Men’s program, that same focus on the Duty to God program did not usually exist. In an effort to discover some of the obstacles and challenges parents and leaders face in helping young men achieving their Duty to God award, I conducted an informal survey. While not scientific, the survey results proved to be very informative.

Areas of Strength

Familiarity with Duty to God Program: Two thirds of parents and leaders said their familiarity with the program was good or excellent; this is fanastic.  If you are a parent or leader of youth and you are not familiar with the program, please get and read the Duty to God booklets which are available online or from the Church distribution center. In a Open House in 2006, Charles W. Dahlquist, Young Men General President, said, “I challenge you to know the requirements of the Duty to God certificates and Scouting advancements so well that you can apply them effectively in helping the young men of your quorums have a fun, productive, priesthood-centered activity experience during their Aaronic Priesthood years.”

Activities Planned by Young Men: Two thirds of responding leaders said the boys plan and execute a majority of activities; again, this is excellent. Having the boys plan and carry out activities is an important part of the Duty to God requirements. In order to earn their Duty to God award, over their 6 years in YMs, by my count, each boy will need to plan and carry at least 7 quorum or combined activities, that’s slightly more than one a year per boy.

Areas of Weakness

Duty to God Interviews: Only 25% of respondents said they had regular Duty to God interviews with their boys where they would review requirements and progress. My feeling is that, ideally, parents should strive to have such an interview on a weekly basis and YM leaders should strive for once a month. In his talk entitled Fulfilling Our Duty to God: A Window of Opportunity, Brother Dahlquist said to “set a regular time to review progress.” He further said, “with your son, review the requirements he has completed, and help him select those he still needs to accomplish… Remember that young men need praise when they have accomplished a goal. Be generous, specific, and sincere in your praise.”

Duty to God Orientation: Only 20% of respondents to my survey reported having a program for orienting new deacons and their parents on the Duty to God program. This is a major area of improvement I recommended for all the wards in my stake.  In the same talk reference above, Brother Dahlquist recommended that every new deacon receive a visit from the deacons quorum presidency and a young men’s leader to welcome him into the quorum. Among other things, he said they should bring the new deacon his own copy of the Duty to God guidebook, and explain what the program is and what it is to accomplish.

Tracking Requirements Progress: Most the wards in my survey had nothing, other than the boys’ booklets, to track Duty to God progress. The problem with this methodology is that the booklet is frequently lost, and therefore it becomes difficult to track progress of the boys individually and collectively.  As a parent, usually the booklet will do just fine, but as a leader, having a central tracking system is indispensable and can help determine where to focus efforts. The tracking system could simply be on paper, through a website like ymyw.org, an Excel file or just a big poster, whatever works for you and your circumstances.

Other Challenges

In my survey, I asked what other challenges parents and leaders face in helping the young men complete the Duty to God program. Far and away the biggest challenge they mentioned was getting the boys excited about the program, and the second most commonly mentioned challenge was getting parents involved. I asked specifically about finding the time to work on it and about doing Scouting and Duty to God simultaneously. These were acknowledged as challenges, but not nearly as big an obstacle as motivating the boys and getting their parents involved. There were several mentions that, like Scouting, without dedication and commitment from the parents, it was unlikely that the boys would complete the Duty to God program.

The challenges are many, but I know parents, leaders and youth in the Church are up to the challenge. President Hinckley has said of our young people today: “Never before has there been such a generation of youth…You really are ‘a chosen generation.’  You are better educated. You desire to do the right thing. Many of you are trying to keep yourselves free from the corrosive stains of the world. In so many ways, you are remarkable! You are exceptional! I believe that as a group, you are the finest this world has ever seen.” (Way to Be! (2002), 3–4)

Conclusion

As usual, your thoughts on this subject are greatly appreciated. There are many parents and leaders struggling their best to help their young men through this divinely inspired program. What has been successful for you as you have worked with your son on Duty to God?  What initiatives have been taken by your ward that have helped to motivate and inspire youth and parents?

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