Beehive Newspaper

(Click Image for Full Resolution)

      At a unique conference next summer, girls will not only discover that it’s “Time to Blossom,” they’ll be treated to a week of fun and festivities, instruction and interaction, and everything else they need to do just that.

      With how-to’s of makeup, fashion and modeling, great entertainment, service opportunities and activities that will boost confidence, increase testimonies and help young women become the best they can be, the “Time to Blossom” Young Women’s Conference has been expertly designed to help girls between ages 11 and 15 “bloom” and grow in countless ways.

      The conference cofounders, Carla Jorgensen and Debbie Forrest, both from Mesa, say: “We will be providing spiritual experiences, testimony building and strengthening experiences, service opportunities and the good feeling that comes from service as they bless the lives of those around them.”

      They add that this life-changing week will empower teenage girls with inner strength, courage and confidence to reach their potential and find lasting happiness. “It is designed to help girls understand their self-worth and come to know that they are beautiful daughters of God, with powerful potential to make a difference in the world,” Carla says.

      Debbie adds, “We want girls to realize that each one of them is unique and each one of them has their own mission and path in life and their inner beauty comes as they live into that mission and as they live true to who they are and develop the spirit from within.”

      The idea for the conference began as Carla thought about her own13- and 14-year-old daughters and the things they face in today’s world.

      “I think girls are facing incredible challenges today,” Carla says. “If they don’t learn their worth, strength and power early, they could end up following the crowd.”

      In many ways, Carla and Debbie were the perfect partnership for creating this conference.

      As a student at BYU, Debbie had served as the ASBYU Women’s Vice President and was cofounder of the first BYU Women’s Conference, which attracts more than 16,000 women from all over the world annually. Debbie has served in numerous capacities in the community and the Church, including as a stake and ward young women president and seminary teacher and has organized five youth conferences. As a mother of seven children, Debbie was named the Arizona Parent of the Year in 2003 and the National Parent of the Year in 2004.

      Carla started the “Time to Blossom” concept years ago to help women become their best through seminars and retreats. Now, as partners, Debbie and Carla will focus their energy toward helping young women grow.

      For the young women’s conference, Debbie and Carla will bring together “outstanding mentor counselors for the girls to emulate” and speakers who are known for their abilities to relate to and inspire young women. A perfect example of the caliber of speakers that will be featured at the conference is keynote speaker, Lindsey Brinton, America’s 2008 Junior Miss.

      The “Time to Blossom” Young Women’s Conference is scheduled for June 2010. All girls 11 to 15 are invited to attend. “There will be an emphasis on LDS standards and reinforcing the gospel principles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” their Web site explains.

      “Our goal is to have the girls learn life skills and leave our conference with more confidence, more love for themselves and realizing outside and inside beauty make a perfect combination,” Carla says.

      Debbie adds, “We want them to believe in themselves and know that whatever they can believe they can achieve.”