CHALK TALK

In an effort to inspire ideas for meeting with your youth within the safety guidelines for COVID-19 management, we are sharing real examples from youth groups in our stake. Are your classes and quorums looking for service opportunities? You may not need to look further than your own ward boundaries. One ward youth group recently lifted the spirits of a few members in their ward who are particularly isolated right now due to health or age. The youth brought sidewalk chalk and drew pictures and inspiring messages of love and hope on the members' driveways and sidewalks. Though it was meant to be done anonymously, the sounds of fun worked their way through walls and windows and members ended up watching from their doorways and porches. This unplanned reveal made for a sweet--but distanced--way for the youth and members to greet and share love for each other. If you want to try something similar, here are a few tips for ensuring safety for all:

• Ask youth to meet you at the location, since ward-organized carpooling will violate the social distancing guidelines.

• Youth might bring their own chalk, or you can pick up sets inexpensively at dollar stores or similar places. Best to give each youth designated pieces of chalk so they aren't sharing equipment.

• Suggest your class/quorum presidency assign each youth a unique space to decorate.

• Divide your group for appropriate numbers per location, depending on how much driveway/sidewalk space there is and how many youth/recipients you have.

We love this idea for both experiencing the joy of serving and meeting the needs of our more vulnerable stake members right now.