By Miranda May Robertson
Hundreds of future Especially For Youth counselors met for training at BYU''s Conference Center Monday and Tuesday, May 6 and May 7.
The counselors learned what to do in times of emergencies, how to teach with love, and they mastered the infamous EFY chant.
Fernando Seminario, an EFY coordinator, said the purpose of the training was to teach the counselors 'how to be more effective teachers and friends for youth.'
The training taught the counselors how to teach the youth about Jesus Christ, be an example and a friend to them, provide leadership, and help youth feel and recognize the spirit, according to this year''s counselor''s handbook.
Following training, these counselors will go to various universities across the nation to serve as counselors to seminary-aged youth.
12 week-long sessions of EFY will be hosted at BYU this year starting May 27. Each week, there will be 150 staff members and several hundred participants.
Many of the staff members are current or former BYU students however, not all of them have attended a church school.
According to the CES Youth and Family Programs Department, in order to be hired as a counselor at EFY, applicants had to be at least 19 years old, single, and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
There were 2,623 applicants for EFY counselors this year alone, of which, only a few hundred were hired, according to Seminario.
Those hired possessed the attributes described in the 2002 EFY Counselor Manual. These attributes are readiness, participation, application, teaching by the spirit, showing love, and work habits.
'The majority went to EFY,' Seminario said. 'And so many want to give back.'
This year''s counselor application states that the counselors 'will develop lasting friendships with the other counselors and feel joy and satisfaction from being involved in such exciting and life-changing programs.'
'It''s a great summer job,' Harmony Lethcoe said. 'It''s a great opportunity.'
This summer will be Lethcoe''s third year working with EFY.
Counselors have to be available from 7:00 p.m. Sunday until early Saturday morning when the youth leave. The counselors are paid $350 for each week they work.
There will be a total of 66 EFY sessions this year across the United States and Canada. As of April 30, 30,622 youth were registered to participate, Seminario said.
Counselors started the application process as early as September. They were required to give a four-minute devotional and have a 15-minute interview.