Young Women's Medallion

[dogzilla]

In following some link from these boards, I ended up taking a little trip down memory lane.

I vaguely recall, being the overachiever that I am, completing the Personal Progress workbook in about two years, as opposed to the six it's supposed to take, and then ignoring the thing for the next four years. Somewhere around the time I finished up with Seminary, somebody gave me the Young Women's medallion. I do not remember if it was presented to me at church, or if my dad just sort of tossed it in my direction one afternoon (how I often received birthday gifts, unwrapped, and weeks after my birthday). I remember wearing it to church for a few weeks, then going off to college, where it lived in my jewelry box for years, untouched.

It wasn't until today that I discovered that was supposed to be the mark of a mormon virgin, or so the story goes. :rolleyes: Which makes it even more ironic that I wore the stupid thing. :duh

Now, mine was stolen in a house robbery at least ten years ago when I lived in Ft. Lauderdale. It was the only piece of jewelry I owned that was actually made from real gold. IIRC, I think that thing was about 14K, but it could have been 18K. It was good gold, not that plated crap you get at WalMart.

What gets me is this: my dad wouldn't even pay for braces, contact lenses, or anything. We weren't allowed to get an allowance. If I wanted something, I had to babysit, earn my own money and pay for it myself. I remember begging for dance lessons and not getting them because my evil TBM step-monster wouldn't pony up the phat cash. I want to know if that lousy cheapskate actually ponied up the cash for the Virgin Necklace, or if possibly he didn't have anything to do with it.

I just cruised all over the official LDS web site (and now I feel compelled to take a shower) and I can't find any information about the stupid thing. So, you'll all be able to tell me:

How much do those things cost?
Are the parents supposed to pay for them, or does that come out of tithing money or what? Who pays for the gold when the girl meets her goals?
Who orders them and where do they come from? Does some sort of documentation have to be supplied about the girls supposedly receiving them?
Has anyone seen them in pawn shops or on eBay?

Contrast that with the Eagle Scout thing: hey, at least we got pawnable good jewlery for being second-class citizens! :D (It would have only been a better reward if the medallion had been made out of chocolate.)

[Alicia]

I received the young women personal progress medallion in 1991. However, I completed a shorten version of the program since I started the program at age 17. My medallion wasn’t gold but plated and I know that my parents didn’t pay for it because they didn’t have much of a clue about what I was doing in respect to the personal progress program. I know that doesn’t help much but maybe a little.

[miss taken]

I got mine too, but I am pretty sure it was plated, and I didn't pay for it, neither did my parents, who were inactive at the time.

I'll have to go dig it out. It had this woman on it with a long flowing dress as I remember.

Mary

[dogzilla]

Ok, this helps a little. Because I just can't see my dad paying for jewelry! He would have made me work it off if the YW prez came to him and said, "hey it's time to give your kid a necklace"! LOL

And my 17-year-old brain probably thought it was really good gold, having probably never seen actual gold jewelry.

This indicates to me that a) these are probably funded through tithing, b) the YW president probably ordered them for all her girls graduating that year, and c) maybe they stock 'em in the libraries, depending on how large the ward is.

I always wonder: the robber who got mine surely pawned it or fenced it or sold it somehow. So the recipient of the stolen goods had no clue about the meaning behind the woman with the long, flowing dress... Somewhere in Ft. Lauderdale or Miami, there's a crack whore wearing my medallion!

(And that just makes me giggle.)

[peter_mary]

The Young Women's Medallions are paid for out of Ward budget funds (which are allocated to each Ward based on their attendance statistics). Typically, Young Women's leaders would notify the Bishop that someone has earned their award, and he would reach in his drawer and present it to her during the "business" part of Sacrament meeting (there's probably an "interview," 'cause any excuse to hang out with a Laurel is a good excuse :slap: ). The Ward Clerk just orders them from Church HQ, right along with tithing slips and temple recomment books, and a "wise" Bishop always has a stack of them on hand.

The award is supposed to be analogous to the Eagle Scout award. However, I've always thought it unfortunate for the girls that they just got it handed to them at Sacrament Meeting, while the boys got their very own "Court of Honor," sent out invitations, had a whole program replete with rites and rituals and traditions, and even an opening and closing prayer! :rolleyes:

No, dogzilla, if your dad did in fact just "toss it to you," it was because the Bishop was tired of trying to corner you (or afraid to, knowing you! ;) ) and said, "Here...give this to the little lady."

Peter_Mary

[peter_mary]

Somewhere in Ft. Lauderdale or Miami, there's a crack whore wearing my medallion!

(And that just makes me giggle.)

:D I'm giggling, too! Wonder what that means...

Peter_Mary

[mindbender]

Ok, this helps a little. Because I just can't see my dad paying for jewelry! He would have made me work it off if the YW prez came to him and said, "hey it's time to give your kid a necklace"! LOL

And my 17-year-old brain probably thought it was really good gold, having probably never seen actual gold jewelry.

This indicates to me that a) these are probably funded through tithing, b) the YW president probably ordered them for all her girls graduating that year, and c) maybe they stock 'em in the libraries, depending on how large the ward is.

I always wonder: the robber who got mine surely pawned it or fenced it or sold it somehow. So the recipient of the stolen goods had no clue about the meaning behind the woman with the long, flowing dress... Somewhere in Ft. Lauderdale or Miami, there's a crack whore wearing my medallion!

(And that just makes me giggle.)Dogzilla , you are to funny , thanx for cheering up my day

[aether]

The award is supposed to be analogous to the Eagle Scout award. However, I've always thought it unfortunate for the girls that they just got it handed to them at Sacrament Meeting, while the boys got their very own "Court of Honor," sent out invitations, had a whole program replete with rites and rituals and traditions, and even an opening and closing prayer! :rolleyes:

Heh if I were the guys I'd feel miffed when they say it's the equivalent of an eagle scout.. because it's NOT. You have to do a few service projects (which are done at mutual anyway), read a few scriptures, write in your journal.. and do that every year until you turn 18. Woo hoo! I feel so accomplished. (Actually I never got my medallion. Booring.) Also in my ward the bishop never gave the medallion in sacrament meeting. It was always at the start of the YW class.

[outsideriq]

QUESTION FOR ALL OF YOU:

I go to school with a young, married, childless woman (a TBM, for sure) who has just been "called" to serve as the YW President. My suspicions tell me this is a way for the church to remind her that her duties to the corporation are to be priority over her education as she is WAY farther along in school and doing MUCH better than her C student husband (she achieved a 4.0 last semester.) Is it just coincidence that she is about to enter her MOST difficult, time-consuming semester and about to finish up a Biology degree and apply to a professional school, or is she just supremely "worthy" all of a sudden? Also, she is freaked out because of the 20-30 hrs. a week time commitment this position requires of her, yet took it anyway feeling especially flattered that she was called at the young age of 23. What exactly goes on in YW anyway? Anyone?

[arbly]

outsideriq - Young Women's and what goes on in it? Leaders are called and they prepare lessons every week for the girls. The president might teach the oldest class (Laurels - age 16), I'm not real sure on that one. The president also tracks all the girls, their progress towards the stupid above mentioned "mediallion" and plans those horrendous girls camps. Actually - much of my irritation with the church started about this time in my life - and around how much I hated the stupid Young Womens program.

The mediallion thing is NOTHING at all even close to an Eagle Scout equivalent. I remember one of my "major" projects I wrote down as "working on the school yearbook". Um, when you are on the school yearbook staff it takes like a week to rack up the hours to check that one off. It meant so much to me to stand up in front of my ward and accept the meaningless piece of junk.

There were major alarms going off in my head about TSCC during this time of my life. The leaders are there to make Young Womens "fun" and keep the girls all active!

HTH.

[miss taken]

I'll agree with everyone who says that the medallion means nothing. I don't remember doing anything 'tasking' to get it, except remember a few scriptures, go to seminary etc. Here we have something called the 'Duke of Edinburgh' award, now that is really worth having, and an extremely worthwhile thing to be involved in for both boys and girls.

OutersiderIQ I was Stake Young Adult Vice Chairman, (and I also had a host of other callings in various programmes) and I was told that the SP and High Council didn't approve of my going to college because it would get in the way of my callings.

ugh............................................... I think that that is when I KNEW that these men had no regard for who I really was and what I really wanted to be in life.

Illegitimus non tatum carberundum.

Mary

[why me]

In following some link from these boards, I ended up taking a little trip down memory lane.

I vaguely recall, being the overachiever that I am, completing the Personal Progress workbook in about two years, as opposed to the six it's supposed to take, and then ignoring the thing for the next four years. Somewhere around the time I finished up with Seminary, somebody gave me the Young Women's medallion. I do not remember if it was presented to me at church, or if my dad just sort of tossed it in my direction one afternoon (how I often received birthday gifts, unwrapped, and weeks after my birthday). I remember wearing it to church for a few weeks, then going off to college, where it lived in my jewelry box for years, untouched.

It wasn't until today that I discovered that was supposed to be the mark of a mormon virgin, or so the story goes. :rolleyes: Which makes it even more ironic that I wore the stupid thing. :duh

Now, mine was stolen in a house robbery at least ten years ago when I lived in Ft. Lauderdale. It was the only piece of jewelry I owned that was actually made from real gold. IIRC, I think that thing was about 14K, but it could have been 18K. It was good gold, not that plated crap you get at WalMart.

What gets me is this: my dad wouldn't even pay for braces, contact lenses, or anything. We weren't allowed to get an allowance. If I wanted something, I had to babysit, earn my own money and pay for it myself. I remember begging for dance lessons and not getting them because my evil TBM step-monster wouldn't pony up the phat cash. I want to know if that lousy cheapskate actually ponied up the cash for the Virgin Necklace, or if possibly he didn't have anything to do with it.

I just cruised all over the official LDS web site (and now I feel compelled to take a shower) and I can't find any information about the stupid thing. So, you'll all be able to tell me:

How much do those things cost?
Are the parents supposed to pay for them, or does that come out of tithing money or what? Who pays for the gold when the girl meets her goals?
Who orders them and where do they come from? Does some sort of documentation have to be supplied about the girls supposedly receiving them?
Has anyone seen them in pawn shops or on eBay?

Contrast that with the Eagle Scout thing: hey, at least we got pawnable good jewlery for being second-class citizens! :D (It would have only been a better reward if the medallion had been made out of chocolate.)

Dogzilla, I can't say much about the madallion but I did just talk with my daugther on the phone and she said that they don't give such things anymore..now they receive something different but it is not something that she has on her mind at the moment. I just know that from reading posts on these threads I need to keep a careful watch on my daughters so that they don't go off the deep end when it comes to perfection and achievement. Thanks ladies for sharing your thoughts in all of these threads.... :)

[dogzilla]

No, dogzilla, if your dad did in fact just "toss it to you," it was because the Bishop was tired of trying to corner you (or afraid to, knowing you! ;) ) and said, "Here...give this to the little lady."

Peter_Mary

Actually, my dad was prolly in the Bishopric at the time so it was just convenient and I'm sure the bish was afraid of me as well... ;) This was the same bish that disciplined me for allowing myself to be abused. (Unfortunately, death was not presented as a choice at the time. :rolleyes: )

I had already pegged the guy as a moron. Somewhere toward the tail end of my senior year, (read: horse way out of the barn) he called me into his office to ask what my plans after high school were. He was shocked and dismayed to learn that a) I had no interest in a patriarchal blessing, b) I had chosen a non-mormon school and c) I didn't have much interest in a mission, either. The conversation was quite amusing.

Bish: So, where are you going to school?
Dogz: Ohio U. It's supposed to be one of the top ten journalism schools in the country.
Bish: Have you considered BYU?
Dogz: Yeah, but they're journalism program isn't accredited. It's far more extensive and better funded (by Scripps) at OU.
Bish: Have you considered Ricks College?
Dogz: They don't even HAVE journalism at Ricks, so no.
Bish: Are you sure?
Dogz: First, my mommy and daddy aren't paying my bills now, so what makes you think I have the funds to send myself to an out-of-state private school on the other side of the country? I don't own a car; I can't even get myself out there, let alone pay the outrageous out-of-state tuition. Second, the transcripts are in, I've been accepted, awarded scholarships, and I've already sent a check for my deposit on the dorm. I got my roommate assignment last week. Why are we having this conversation this late in the game?
Bish: {dumbfounded blank stare}
:D

I'm starting to understand why the church didn't protest a peep or question me at all when I resigned.

[dogzilla]

Upon re-reading my last post, it's probably also no wonder that the bishop's wife was a little scared to let her sons date me. The younger one wore her down and we finally went out a few times. He was sort of a hellraiser in our youth group, but about the most innocent, chaste little boy (at 17) I ever dated. Sweet, but really boring. :o

[miss taken]

Actually, my dad was prolly in the Bishopric at the time so it was just convenient and I'm sure the bish was afraid of me as well... ;) This was the same bish that disciplined me for allowing myself to be abused. (Unfortunately, death was not presented as a choice at the time. :rolleyes: )

I had already pegged the guy as a moron. Somewhere toward the tail end of my senior year, (read: horse way out of the barn) he called me into his office to ask what my plans after high school were. He was shocked and dismayed to learn that a) I had no interest in a patriarchal blessing, b) I had chosen a non-mormon school and c) I didn't have much interest in a mission, either. The conversation was quite amusing.

Bish: So, where are you going to school?
Dogz: Ohio U. It's supposed to be one of the top ten journalism schools in the country.
Bish: Have you considered BYU?
Dogz: Yeah, but they're journalism program isn't accredited. It's far more extensive and better funded (by Scripps) at OU.
Bish: Have you considered Ricks College?
Dogz: They don't even HAVE journalism at Ricks, so no.
Bish: Are you sure?
Dogz: First, my mommy and daddy aren't paying my bills now, so what makes you think I have the funds to send myself to an out-of-state private school on the other side of the country? I don't own a car; I can't even get myself out there, let alone pay the outrageous out-of-state tuition. Second, the transcripts are in, I've been accepted, awarded scholarships, and I've already sent a check for my deposit on the dorm. I got my roommate assignment last week. Why are we having this conversation this late in the game?
Bish: {dumbfounded blank stare}
:D

I'm starting to understand why the church didn't protest a peep or question me at all when I resigned.


This kind of stuff from leadership makes me sooooo mad.
The General Leadership, ought to put a stop to this, if they haven't already.

Is there any general guidance on how to treat the career aspirations of YW in the church????

Mary

[dogzilla]

Girl, we're not supposed to have any more career aspirations other than cranking out babies and making green jello.

That's why the bish was shocked and dismayed: because I was actually choosing career over other the options available to me. I was choosing to educate myself, something my own parents didn't even really support. (They didn't actively discourage me either. To their credit, they just didn't know what it meant to support higher education goals; I was the first kid of 7 to choose college. My folks were mostly ambivalent to my face. No idea what they'd hoped for me; they kept that to themselves and let me make my own decisions without trying to influence them and I do appreciate them for that. My dad realized I was going to do my own thing no matter what, so he just saved his breath. Wise one, the Old Guy is! ;) )

The brethren aren't going to put a stop to that nonsense. They want us compliant and ignorant... and probably barefoot and pregnant most of the time as well. They may talk out of one side of their mouths about getting educated, but it's just lip service. The real message is to grow up to become Holly Homemaker and forget all about your dreams and aspirations. Remember that thread with the obit of that woman who had given everything up (including a Julliard scholarship) to pump out babies year after year? How mad we were? Hey... that's what the church wants us to do and the old, white men in charge* are never going to see it from any perspective other than their own. That bishop was doing exactly what he was expected do and there's nothing in the handbook about how to deal with mavericks like myself. I'm supposed to fit the mold and I simply refuse to.




*Apologies to the few and far between old, white men on these boards for the sweeping generalization. Most of you guys are pretty cool. :p I'm talking about The Brethren In Charge. Note: most of them are never going to become married Single Moms with six kids and some slacker, mostly-absent husband. What do they care?

[miss taken]

Dogzilla said!!!!


Girl,


Oh that I were a 'girl' again!!!! I still am inside, just not so much on the outside anymore, fraid everything went south a few years ago, including my boobs, grief I can't even SEE my nipples anymore!!! (I know they're around here somewhere!!)

:) :p

Totally agree though Dogzilla, I wonder though if there is any guidance to the Brethren or stake leadership on the issue???

My mission pres, was totally different in his attitude. He advised me to go on to higher education!!! I guess I felt he had more authority than my silly ole stake president!!!!

Mary

[dogzilla]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I was advised to pursue higher education too... and then in the same breath told that my sole purpose and function on this planet was to breed like a bunny. Knowing that I was footing the college bills myself, I couldn't square up the wisdom of committing to that sort of expenditure in time, effort and money only to get married, make babies and never put the journalism degree to use. :slap:

Grrr.

I guess the old, white men ;) will have to come in here and let us know what sort of guidance they are given. (probably: Don't touch the laurels until they're legal, is the advice.)

[taruleo]

outsideriq - Young Women's and what goes on in it? Leaders are called and they prepare lessons every week for the girls. The president might teach the oldest class (Laurels - age 16), I'm not real sure on that one. The president also tracks all the girls, their progress towards the stupid above mentioned "mediallion" and plans those horrendous girls camps. Actually - much of my irritation with the church started about this time in my life - and around how much I hated the stupid Young Womens program.

The mediallion thing is NOTHING at all even close to an Eagle Scout equivalent. I remember one of my "major" projects I wrote down as "working on the school yearbook". Um, when you are on the school yearbook staff it takes like a week to rack up the hours to check that one off. It meant so much to me to stand up in front of my ward and accept the meaningless piece of junk.

There were major alarms going off in my head about TSCC during this time of my life. The leaders are there to make Young Womens "fun" and keep the girls all active!

HTH.


I was surprised to hear that you are supposed to get the medallion in sacrament meeting. Lucky! Mine was handed to me at the beginning of young womens. If I remember correctly there is a major project you are supposed to do that is supposed to be the equivilent of the eagle project. Most girls seemed to do quilts or something. It was supposed to be service oriented but I managed to convince my leaders that a choir room at school that I painted with a vegas cityscape counted as a great service to the schools coming generations. Obviously they don't take the young womens programs as seriously as the scouting, at least in my ward they didn't.
It is nice to find someone that agrees on the "horrendous girls camp". When you are towing a generator up the mountain to hook up your glue guns it is no longer camping.

[aether]

It is nice to find someone that agrees on the "horrendous girls camp". When you are towing a generator up the mountain to hook up your glue guns it is no longer camping.

Hey now.. girl's camp wasn't that bad. It was nowhere near as fun as the stuff all the boys got to do (maybe because we don't have the priesthood, we're not cool enough) like high adventure and all their overnighters and stuff... but I had a blast every single year at girl's camp. It was the highlight of the YW program.

[free thinker]

Dogz: First, my mommy and daddy aren't paying my bills now, so what makes you think I have the funds to send myself to an out-of-state private school on the other side of the country? I don't own a car; I can't even get myself out there, let alone pay the outrageous out-of-state tuition. Second, the transcripts are in, I've been accepted, awarded scholarships, and I've already sent a check for my deposit on the dorm. I got my roommate assignment last week. Why are we having this conversation this late in the game?
Bish: {dumbfounded blank stare}

I just gotta say. I think you are too much!!! Too Much!! I mean this in a good way!! :cool:

I would love to have seen the look on that Bishops face!! Oh Man!! Too Much!!

Free Thinker

[bigeddy]

Whiile I was the CES (Church Education System) coordinator in Florida (I was in charge of promoting seminaries (early mourning) and the Institute program) the Tampa Stake Presidency took off on a "retreat" where they fasted and prayed about standards for the youth of the stake. They came back with a letter to all who worked with the kids. One of the "standards" was that if any kid (male or female) went to college they had to go to BYU or Ricks. That was the STANDARD for the kids in the Stake. What about the Institute program that was designed to serve the needs of the kids in the area. It bothered me how their "inspiration" conflicted so completely with the GA's who ran CES. They knew that not all "worthy" college age students could attend a church school so we set up Institutes.

At the bottom of their list of "standards" was typed "Graduate from Seminary". It was very clear that this was added later. The type was out of kilter with the other type on the page and a little more than one line below. It was obvious that they put together their letter and then someone pointed out that they skipped the whole seminary thing so they put the paper back in the typwriter (it was that long ago) and added a standard that they had "forgotten". What happened to the fasting and prayer? My thought was "here is CES with the second largest budget in the church (second only to buildings) and these 'inspired' men missed the whole point. Something is definately wrong."

One of those men is now a GA. (Neil A. (Or some such bullshit initial) Anderson)

Ed

[formermormon]

It's scary that the idea of being recognized in Sacrament meeting is the big step up from what most of us got with that medallion. I had frankly forgotten all about it until I read this thread. I seem to remember something about a little charm bracelet thing too --- but you earned the "stones" by doing something (memorizing scriptures, tamping down your personal ambition? I can't recall), and then you peeled off the sticker backing and put it on the bracelet. (these "stones" were plastic) I think this happened before the big medallion finish or something, so that you could completely accessorize with stunted-humanity-womanhood baubles or something.

As for girl's camp -- I'm sorry to hear that everybody didn't have the kick-ass experience that we had. Our stake had (has?) a big lodge with cabins on an alpine lake. The camp director was this big old dyke (I realize in retrospect) who was fun-loving and outdoorsy. We also did a week of backpacking/tent camping - for a total of 2 weeks of camp during the summer. I loved it - it didn't feel all that "mormony" except for the teen-drama-enhanced testimony meeting at the end that was really more about gushing about your newfound best friendships or whatever. We mostly sang stupid camp songs, swam and canoed, did skits, snuck candy, hunted snipes, etc. Sort of like regular person camp. It was without a doubt the best part of my mormon experience.

[miss taken]

Whiile I was the CES (Church Education System) coordinator in Florida (I was in charge of promoting seminaries (early mourning) and the Institute program) the Tampa Stake Presidency took off on a "retreat" where they fasted and prayed about standards for the youth of the stake. They came back with a letter to all who worked with the kids. One of the "standards" was that if any kid (male or female) went to college they had to go to BYU or Ricks. That was the STANDARD for the kids in the Stake. What about the Institute program that was designed to serve the needs of the kids in the area. It bothered me how their "inspiration" conflicted so completely with the GA's who ran CES. They knew that not all "worthy" college age students could attend a church school so we set up Institutes.

At the bottom of their list of "standards" was typed "Graduate from Seminary". It was very clear that this was added later. The type was out of kilter with the other type on the page and a little more than one line below. It was obvious that they put together their letter and then someone pointed out that they skipped the whole seminary thing so they put the paper back in the typwriter (it was that long ago) and added a standard that they had "forgotten". What happened to the fasting and prayer? My thought was "here is CES with the second largest budget in the church (second only to buildings) and these 'inspired' men missed the whole point. Something is definately wrong."

One of those men is now a GA. (Neil A. (Or some such bullshit initial) Anderson)

Ed

There's a good thread going on over at FAIR, about anti-intellectualism in the church. It's getting some good comments from both sides of the camp. A couple of ladies are arguing (if I read them right) that though some local leaders may have got the wrong end of the stick for women and achievement, (as was mine and I believe Dogzilla's experience) that this is not the case on a general level, and certainly not one espoused by most GA's.

Two of the ladies have Phds and are quoting others who went to Harvard etc, and that there experience was one of encouragement.

Mary

[dogzilla]

Well, maybe those PhDs got to go to that Dyke camp or whatever it was y'all went to. Tweren't no camp where I came up.

[/Fake Southern Drawl]

;)

[miss taken]

Dogzilla, you are tooooo funny!!! roflol