Apathy among YSAs

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Sep 13, 2023

Wendy Ulrich, a renowned author and psychologist who has influenced many through her work with the General Relief Society Council and teaching at BYU, discusses the pervasive apathy among young single adults in the Church. She explores how fear and a lack of purpose contribute to disengagement. The conversation delves into the importance of meaningful relationships, self-discovery, and overcoming personal fears to foster deeper connections. Wendy also emphasizes the power of storytelling to reshape life narratives, encouraging a growth mindset to find fulfillment.

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Intro

00:00 • 3min

Navigating Spiritual Apathy

03:17 • 21min

Overcoming Apathy Through Personal Strength Development

23:49 • 2min

Finding Purpose and Connection in Faith

25:49 • 11min

The Power of Redemptive Storytelling

36:19 • 10min

Empowering Questions for Redemption and Growth

46:14 • 3min

Research suggests that it is not uncommon for YSA’s to feel a lack of purpose and belonging within the Church. In this episode, renowned author and psychologist Wendy Ulrich shares insight on how leaders can best minister to YSAs who may be struggling with a sense of purpose
and belonging.

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HIGHLIGHTS

1:30 Introduction to Wendy Ulrich. Wendy is a psychologist. She has served on the general relief society counsel. She is the author of many books, and has taught at BYU. She now teaches at the institute with her husband in Provo, UT.

2:25 Is there apathy in the YSA wards? Apathy can come from not feeling engaged or that what you are doing has meaning.

6:10 For a lot of people apathy is more about fear. Fear of getting involved.

8:50 Do you feel like you if someone asked you what your purpose and goals are, you answer them? A lot of times apathy comes from not knowing our purpose.

12:20 Dating your dreams. We have to explore our dreams and it takes time.

13:50 Where does your deep enthusiasm for the gospel come from? Grappling with the question of not what do I want now but what do I want most?

22:20 Harvard research shows that relationships are the most consistently important things in people’s lives. Relationships help them find meaning, well-being, and purpose. Wendy speaks about how we find meaning and purpose.

27:00 How can leaders help YSA members to find meaning and purpose?

33:30 The parable of the talents. Doing something small is better than doing nothing. It's ok to take risks and fail rather than sitting around doing nothing. We have to get over our fears of doing hard things.

35:30 Where do you start when you are trying to find your divine identity? We can ask ourselves what we’ve learned from the difficult things that we have gone through. Can you tell a redemptive story about your life? We decide what the meaning of the story is.

40:30 Christ has promised us a redemptive power through his atonement. We can change horrible events and hard stories into redemptive stories through Him.

42:10 What is the relation between redemptive stories and grit? What meaning are you giving your experiences?

46:00 Failing forward. It’s not about failure, it’s about redemption. Seeing your failure as a learning experience and getting up again. Leaders can help YSA members by asking more questions instead of trying to give all the answers.

48:00 The story of the Brother of Jared. The Lord asks him what he wants to do about the problem of having light. Then the Lord steps in and helps him with the rest. The Lord and Christ don’t just give us answers. They ask questions and try to empower us.