The Especially for Youth (EFY) program, a beloved tradition for many young members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has seen tremendous growth in recent years, largely due to a new type of conference that is proving to be very successful. Since the beginning of the FSY program in 2020, the youth of the Church have had more choices and access to faith-strengthening youth conferences than ever before. However, the former director of EFY, Ben McKinnon, had a vision to extend the blessings of these conferences to young single adults.
Skyler Wilcox, the senior administrator of EFY, recently shared insights into these updates and what they mean for the future of the program. Skyler shared, "In 2023, we were able to host an EFYSA (Especially for Young Single Adults) conference in Nauvoo, and we had about 500 people. It was at full capacity; it sold out immediately." Though EFY was responsible for organizing the first EFYSA conference, after seeing the success of the event, the Central Area Presidency of the Church initiated talks with EFY to discuss a plan for multiple Church-run, EFY-supported YSA conferences the following year.
This past year, six such conferences were held across various locations, including Boise, Idaho Falls, Calgary, Kansas City, Nauvoo, and Denver. "We had just under 3,500 total people across the board with all of those. They were super, super successful events," Skyler said.
The impact that these YSA conferences are having on young adults across the country is already being seen. Skyler shared an inspiring story from the 2024 YSA conference in Denver. "There was a girl who showed up at the Denver conference. She had been inactive in the Church for eight years. For some reason, she felt like she should be there... At the end of the week, they interviewed her, and she just said, ‘I finally feel like I’ve come home.’"
Looking ahead, EFY is set to support eight conferences in the Central Area in 2025. Additionally, conversations are being held with the Southwest Area Presidency about a conference in Dallas expected to host 2,500 participants, making it the largest single EFY session since the program’s inception. "The ball is kind of starting to roll. It seems like there's some momentum," Skyler remarked. "There's a big push right now from the Church to do more for the YSA, and we feel like we're very uniquely situated to help with that."
Skyler emphasized the collaborative nature of these efforts, noting that while EFY provides expertise and logistical support, the conferences are ultimately run by the local Church leadership. "We're grateful that the Church sees our expertise, that ability to connect and to provide resources," he said. "Ultimately, we're on the same team, trying to accomplish the same goal of helping YSA draw closer to the Savior."
As this new development within the EFY program continues to grow, future conferences in other areas of the United States seem likely. For many young single adults who attended EFY conferences growing up, YSA conferences provide opportunities to remember and relive the powerful spiritual experiences they had as youth. YSA conferences have already blessed the lives of thousands of young single adults and, in the coming years, are certain to bless the lives of many more.
