The following is a transcript of an interview with the Young Women and Young Men general presidencies discussing the 2020 youth theme “go and do,” which is centered on the scripture 1 Nephi 3:7. (Sister Michelle D. Craigdid not participate in the interview as she was traveling). The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Question: How do you decide on a theme?
Brother Stephen W. Owen, Young Men general president:
“We’ve been in here for four years and we’ve worked with (the Young Women presidency members) for a couple of years now, and it’s been interesting to see how this kind of starts. We do this every year, we come together, we counsel with each other. We usually have some proposed scriptures, and then after counseling together, we go back to our presidencies and ponder. We let the Spirit guide us, and then we come back. It’s been amazing to me — and I think to all of us that have been involved in this — to see how the Spirit comes in and resonates for us what we’re supposed to do. I had no idea that that’s how the themes were created before I came to this calling. But it really starts with a counseling session with the presidencies thinking: ‘What are the needs of the youth?’ And when we finally come to a decision on a proposed theme, we then present it, and that gets taken up through approval.”
Sister Bonnie H. Cordon, Young Women general president:
“We felt very strongly about this theme. With the new Children and Youth program changes that are coming in January, there were some questions on this theme. But as we went back to the revelation that we received from the Lord, it was clear this theme will complement what’s happening and give an increased focus to ‘go and do.’ We can see how inspired the theme is and how concerned the Lord is with the details of the youth’s lives.”