Archive for the ‘FRG Update’ Category
Hey Where’d Everybody Go?
November 5th, 2009 | 
Author: We’ve had a rough spot with our blog staff lately: most of our members have become so busy with school that our commitment to regular posting has become nigh to impossible. When mid-terms are over and done with, you will likely see more frequent posts on our blog. Read the rest of this entry »
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FRG Wants You!
Greetings much-esteemed readers!
You have stumbled upon a blog of unique purpose and content; how very fortunate for you! Also how very fortunate for me that you are reading my post, because I have an important message I want to share with you. It goes like this: I am a part of a cause that is quickly becoming a major force for good in the world, and I want to share what it is that I am doing with you. I want you to know that I am seventeen years old, male, and seeking someone who is passionate about some of the same things as me including helping others, as well as raising moral standards high above society’s norm and spreading the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ over the internet.
My name is Erik Slack, and no I don’t want to date you, but I do want you to join with me and the others members of FAIR’s Rising Generation to help make a positive difference. Come be part of an organization that empowers other LDS youth to learn more about their religion, how it applies to them, and how to make better decisions because of it. Does this sound like your cup of (herbal) tea? If it does then send me a message right now by following this link: Click to sign up now!
When you leave this blog, I want you to know what it is that FRG stands for, why we exist, and what we are doing that deserves your attention.
FRG stands for FAIR’s Rising Generation. We are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who sacrifice time and energy to support the youth. No we have not been called by anyone in the church to perform this work, but “he who must be commanded in all things is a slothful and not a wise servant.” This organization exists simply because volunteers, such as myself, have found a worthy cause in helping the youth–please understand that when I say youth I use the term loosely–and have dedicated their time and talents to furthering that cause.
Earlier in this post I said you who are reading this post are fortunate, which is true because I believe that you will benefit from information about FRG’s newest projects. I am pleased to announce the newest project of FRG: podcasts featuring interviews of some of the great minds and voices in our day and age. The FRG team will be interviewing figures such as Vickey Taylor and Scott Gordon and much, much more. Our first release of this series will be in the next couple of weeks so keep your eyes open and your ears ready to digest some awesome audible treats.
Another recent project that I’ve been working on personally for the past couple of weeks is the official FRG website. On the site we are featuring the articles recently written by David Ferguson including an article about how to prepare your missionary’s wardrobe for the two years they’ll be serving the Lord. Most of what is currently on the website is exlusively for FRG members to help us in our work, however in the near future we will be opening up a section for the community. I hope to have more exciting news about this in the coming weeks. Watch for it!
Thank you for reading. Have a wonderful week!
Tags: The Rising Generation Must Take the Initiative
The FAIR Conference was inspiring and enlightening and I will recommend that everyone buy tickets for next year’s.
At the conference FRG was permitted to set up a table right next to the big names of the FAIR executives like Scott Gordon, Mike Parker, and John Lynch; I have to say that this was pretty cool. I sat at the table during most of the conference and had a lot of people approach me about FRG. They would ask me questions like, “Why does FRG exist? Isn’t FAIR enough?” The fact of the matter is NO! FAIR is not enough.
Don’t get me wrong, the Foundation of Apologetic Information and Research were pioneers in apologetics and they are continuing to serve their purpose, which is to provide researched and intuitive information about the church’s history, doctrine, and practices. They do so for the sake of those people who are unsure if they should still hold on to their testimonies when they find out something they never knew about the church, like polygomy–although I think we’re all used to telling people about that one now. FAIR has helped many people and it continues to serve its purpose admirably, but there are issues that FAIR is not prepared to deal with concerning the youth. The Kirtland Safety Society, seerstones, and DNA are all things that shake the testimonies of adults–things FAIR address–but kids have much more down-to-earth needs. Dating advice, what to say to their friends about their religion, and why they should choose to stay active in the church when parents no longer force them to are the kinds of things that teenagers have to deal with. These issues are just as real to them. Kids need and want advice about this stuff, and FRG is here to offer it to them.
ALL kids need mentoring and instruction, but not all kids will get it at home or at church. Some are just too dang stubborn to listen to mom and dad, and some have designated Sacrament Meeting as “slumbering meeting.” It’s sad and we all are shocked to discover that some kids are not as into church as we are, but that doesn’t mean we should give up on them. It means that we need to try something new or maybe it means that your kids are looking for some space and want to discover the answers to life on their own. If that’s the case, then you’d better pray that your son or daughter will latch on to good people who will help your child become better adults.
Nowadays, people often turn to the internet for answers, and what they may find there is not always something that will enrich their testimonies. But no longer will confusion and doubt rule the internet because FRG is developing media and articles to reach out to teenagers and young adults on the web. We’ll provide rich and fun instruction using our YouTube videos and we’ll back it up with some more in-depth information to be accessed from our wiki. We have some great ideas about how to help kids–who better to come up with ways to reach kids, than kids? That’s me and most of our other members.
So now here is the update on FRG’s projects:
Tommy’s video about dating has been released on YouTube and it’s in serious need of some tlc from viewers. Not many people have seen that video yet and those that have, havn’t posted any comments about it to increase our flow of traffic. So if you’ve seen the video and liked it, leave a comment about it please.
FRG has HUGE potential in what can be accomplished, but we don’t have enough people to make that a reality yet, so we’ve analyzed our goals and broken them down to some realistic ways to reach them. We are focusing on 3 projects: improving the blog and increasing its traffic, designing and publishing videos about dating for teens and young single adults, and designing and publishing content about self-confidence and the destructive nature of cliques and labels. I won’t jump the gun on what we’re actually doing for them until I have more information to give on them.
So there ya have it folks! I just told you that FRG is going to save the world–just seeing if you’re awake now. I really just told you that FRG is needed by young people and what our plans are for the next couple of months. I also told you and I want to emphasize that we needs more volunteer power to reach our full potential. We especially need more teens and college students, so if you’ve got kids or friends that might be interested–who wouldn’t be interested in helping, I mean kids need this–please have them read my post.
Thank you for reading our blog. Have a wonderful week!
I Envision FRG As a Force of Great Good!
Now it may seem like I am assuming a lot, but if you’re reading our blog then that means you’re as concerned about the youth as we are and ya probably know that every one of our projects at Rising Generation is designed to support the youth.
If you’re not concerned for the youth, then you should be. Life can get rough–rougher sometimes than others–and so many people are struggling just to make ends meet. However, because more and more people are rallying behind good causes, much is being done to relieve the strugglers.
If you’ve been keeping up with our blog, then you’ve read Heidi’s posts about some awesome people who have done or are currently doing amazing things to improve the lives of others. The most recent was about a twelve year old boy from Canada who dreamed that he could help kids living in poverty to get food and shelter. Because that boy pursued his dream, 500 schools were built in 45 different countries and millions of people have been helped to achieve a better life. That said, think about this: what if there were just five more kids like him, this Craig Kielburger? If there were five more Craig Kielburgers then maybe there would be 2,500 more schools built in another 225 countries and millions more young people could be helped.
While I have little hope of comparing to Craig in accomplishment, my own dream is just as sincere. If I can bring even one young man or young woman to understand how important they are to God’s plan and to act upon that knowledge, then my mission will have been a success. Yet I know that FAIR’s Rising Generation has potential to acheive much greater good than only the blessing of one life, for through the internet we can teach and fellowship youth all over the world. Are we a peer support group? Sure! But in this group we don’t just sit around talking about helping youth, we are actively engaging in it! Our projects will teach, uplift, and strengthen them!
Young adults, aka people ranging from 18 to 25, will benefit from our support too…they’re really just big youth anyway.
One of our earliest projects has finally come to fruition as our video productions man has just uploaded a clip on You Tube. The clip delves into one of the most important parts of the lives of youth and young adults: our interactions with the opposite sex during dates. Tommy Lugaresi has put together a brilliantly humorous, but also instructional video about what it means for a guy to ask a girl on a date or visa versa. Check it out now at http://www.youtube.com/user/fairsrg
Readers, my name is Erik Slack, I am seventeen years of age, and I can make a difference in the lives of my peers. So can you. Join me at FRG and show the youth of the world that you care too!
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FRG needs more writers, regardless of age, who are interested in writing a guest post for us, so if you have a message to share you may submit a sample of your words to us via our web form at http://youth.fairlds.org/contact.php. Chances are good that we’ll like what you have to say and set you up as a guest blogger on our site.
“Wheel of Morality Turn, Turn, Turn, Teach Us the Lesson That We Should Learn”
That line is a bit I picked up when I recently rediscovered one of my favorite television series called Animaniacs. The show was written by Steven Spielberg and the plots are absolutely bizarre, but had me and my brothers laughing for thirty minutes every Saturday morning. I watched it again at my brother’s house, but was disappointed to find that it really wasn’t as funny as I remembered it, however it reminded me of all the fun we used to have together as really young kids. My elder brothers and sisters had a huge impact on my life and it definitely all for the better. I owe an awful lot of people for giving me the confidence and satisfaction in life that I have today. To all of you with siblings out there, take advantage of the time you have left with them to become closer to them because they can become the best kind of friends; treat them well and they will be there for you for the rest of your life!
Let me add a note about Rising Generation: this blog is only one of several projects we are currently working on. Other FRG projects include YouTube videos, articles to help prepare young men for missions–many of which will also help prepare sister missionaries–, articles to help you deal with difficulties you may face at church like how to help a friend who is considering leaving the church, and we are working to support the community of LDS youth who want better places to hang out online with other members of their church. This is not to say that we only support LDS youth, however they are our focus and we will do what we can to strengthen and fortify their testimonies. If you share our passion for helping the youth, write us an email or comment on my blog post or in some way let us know that you want to help out. You might be the next person to post on our blog. 
I will affirm that I love our savior, Jesus Christ! I love His gospel and firmly believe that it to be taught in its fullness by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I affirm that He cares about each of us and our needs; pray to Him and he will hear and answer your prayers. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Thank you for reading our blog. Please have an uber awesome day!
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FRG needs more writers, regardless of age, who are interested in writing a guest post for us, so if you have a message to share you may submit a sample of your words to us via our web form at http://youth.fairlds.org/contact.php. Chances are good that we’ll like what you have to say and set you up as a guest blogger on our site.