SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX) – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced changes to age-group names for young women.
The church’s Young Women program is a youth organization for members between the ages of 12 and 18, with the goal of “help[ing] young women learn about and live the gospel of Jesus Christ and increase their faith in Him,” the program’s website reads. The groups, which are further divided by age, hold regular meetings to study or share what they’re learning, and to partake in activities under the auspices of the church, according to official materials available online.
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“In their classes, young women serve others, fulfill covenant responsibilities, build unity, and learn and live doctrine,” reads the Young Women’s general handbook.
History of class names
For over a century, the Church’s Young Women program divided girls into three classes: Beehive, Mia Maid, and Laurel.
According to the Church, the beehive was a symbol of harmony, cooperation, and work for the early pioneers of the Church; the name Mia Maid referred to the Mutual Improvement Association; and the laurel wreath was a crown woven from the leaves of the laurel tree…