History of the Young Women Organization

Founded in 1869, the Young Women organization was originally known as the Young Ladies' Department of the Cooperative Retrenchment Association. Brigham Young, the second President and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, called together daughters and their mothers for a special meeting in the parlor.Following family prayer, President Young addressed his family. Among other things he said: "I desire to organize my family into a society for the promotion of habits of order, thrift, industry, and charity; and, above all things, I desire them to retrench from extravagance in dress, in eating and even in speech. The time has come when the sisters must agree ... to set an example before the people of the world worthy of imitation. I want you to set your own fashions ... and set the style for the rest of the world who desire sensible and comely fashions to follow. I want my daughters to learn to work, and to do it.

"I have long had it in my mind to organize the young ladies of Zion into an association so that they might assist the older members of the Church, their fathers and mothers, in ... teaching and practicing the principles I have been so long teaching. There is a need for the young daughters ... to get a living testimony of the truth. I wish our girls to obtain a knowledge of the Gospel for themselves... . We are about to organize a Retrenchment Association, which I want you all to join, and I want you to vote to retrench in ... everything that is bad or worthless, and improve in everything that is good and beautiful. Not to make yourselves unhappy, but to live so that you may be truly happy in this life and the life to come."

Retrench - means to cut down or reduce. (Dictionary.com definition)

The Young Women organization has been referred to by several different names throughout its existence:

• 1869 - Young Ladies' Department of the Cooperative Retrenchment Association
• 1875 - Young Ladies' National Mutual Improvement Association
• 1904 - Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Association
• 1934 - Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association
• 1972 - Aaronic Priesthood, Young Women
• 1974 - Young Women

This international organization is the oldest and largest organization of its kind for teenage girls. (Source: LDS.org --> Serving in the Church --> Young Women --> Introduction to Young Women --> Young Women History)

Young Women in the Teens and Twenties

In the 1920's all young women who belonged to the Young Ladies Mutual Improvement Association were called Beehive girls, regardless of their age. They were arranged in groups called “swarms,” and their leaders were called Bee Keepers.

Upon entering the Beehive program, each girl was required to memorize the Spirit of the Hive, the Beehive motto: "On my honor each day I will have faith, seek knowledge, safeguard health, honor womanhood, understand beauty, know work, love truth, taste the sweetness of service, feel joy."

The Beehive program included three ranks: Builders in the Hive, Gatherers of Honey, and Keepers of the Bees. To achieve each rank, girls were required to fulfill 14-16 foundation requirements and 36 additional requirements of their own choosing. At one time there were 373 requirements to choose from!

Source: LDS.org History of Young Women Achievement

1916 BEEHIVE REQUIREMENTS

In 1916 every female over fourteen was a Beehive girl until she entered Relief Society; there were no Mia Maids, Gleaners, or Laurels. The following are twenty out of the three hundred seventy-three requirements possible for a Beehive girl to earn her awards:

1. Care successfully for a hive of bees for one season and know their habits.
2. Give the distinguishing characteristics of 6 varieties of hen and cattle and tell the good and weak points of each.
3. Exterminate the mosquitoes over an area of 1/2 mile square by pouring a little kerosene on the surface of all standing pools of water twice each month during April, May, or June.
4. Make two articles of underwear by hand.
5. Cover 25 miles of snowshoes in any six days.
6. Learn to float in Great Salt Lake and propel yourself 50 feet.
7. During three consecutive months abstain from candy, ice cream, commercially manufactured beverages and chewing gum.
8. For one month masticate [chew] your food so thoroughly that it slips down without any visible effort at swallowing it.
9. Successfully put a new washer on a faucet.
10. Care for a least two kerosene lamps daily.
11. For three months take care of milk and cream from at least one cow and see that the pails, pans, strainer, and separator are thoroughly cleansed.
12. During two weeks keep the house free from flies or destroy at least 25 flies daily.
13. Have your toilet moved to an isolated place in the garden.
14. Whitewash your toilet inside and out.
15. Know and describe three cries of a baby.
16. Without help or advice care for and harness a team at least five times; drive fifty miles during one season.
17. During 2 summer months clean ice chest thoroughly twice a week.
18. Discover ten reasons why the Columbine should be made the national flower.
19. Clear sage-brush, etc. off of one-half acre of land.
20. Know 6 blazes used by Indians.

TIMES HAVE CHANGED!

Source: Becky's World of "Son" Shine - she says she got these from the YW Resource Room in Salt Lake City

Young Women in the 1960s

In the 1960's, some of the requirements to earn emblems for the Beehive bandalo included:

• Strive to get your full nine hours beauty sleep each night this month. Make it a habit!
• Increase your self-confidence by acquiring a good posture (sitting, standing, and walking.)
• Politeness in all things is the mark of a lady. Practice at home being considerate and polite. Learn to accept directions graciously. Conscientiously try to improve.
• Make the dinner hour joyous by improving table manners of the entire family.
• Look for something beautiful every day for two months.

Source: LDS.org History of Young Women Achievement

More Resources

• Some more history of YW Articles I posted in the forum - has the full text of a number of articles.
• More links to YW related history stuff
• LDS.org: History of YW Achievement programs
• LDS.org: New History of YW section - has pictures of former "uniforms" worn by young women!
• LDS.org: "Presidents of the Young Women Organization through the Years," Ensign, Jun 2008, 40–45
• LDS.org: Timeline of Young Women General Presidents - with photos and biographies.
• LDS.org: Young Women General Board - Photos and Biographies of the YW General Board.
• Keep A Pitching - A Bundle of Bandlos

Phone Number and Mailing Address

Young Women General Office
76 North Main
Salt Lake City, Utah 84150-6030
E-mail: youngwomen@ldschurch.org
(801) 240-2141 (direct line)
Toll Free (takes you to an operator): (800) 453-3860