The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.

In a letter to leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States and Canada, President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, encouraged leaders to look for ways to reconnect with youth in 2021 through local ward or stake youth conferences and Young Women and Aaronic Priesthood camps. The For the Strength of Youth (FSY) conferences (gatherings of teenagers from dozens of congregations) are postponed in the United States and Canada until 2022.

Congregational leaders should hold youth conferences and camps on a smaller (and, if need be, virtual) scale in 2021.

“Where permitted by local health and safety guidelines and when directions from Area Presidencies allow, these activities should be held in person,” President Ballard says. “Where group gatherings are not permitted, virtual alternatives should be used. As youth and their leaders seek His guidance, Heavenly Father will bless them with vision and creativity to help His sons and daughters grow.”

The complete letter from President Ballard is here in PDF form.