Policies/General Information-Stay At Home Sessions

There are two EFY age groups: 14–15 and 16–18. Participants will automatically be assigned to the proper age group based on their age on the first day of the session they are attending. If you do not meet the age requirements, you will not be allowed to register for any EFY session.

Especially for Youth will begin on Monday. Check-in will be from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. At this time you will be given your program schedules and other information pertaining to the week’s activities. Lunch is not served on Monday, so please eat before you arrive. Participants will return home each night after EFY activities have concluded. Except for Monday, each day will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at approximately 9:00 p.m.

Note: You must be dressed according to EFY dress and appearance standards at registration and throughout the week.

Stay-At-Home Check in time is 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.

St. George only:
Daily Drop off time (Tuesday – Friday) 8:50 a.m. at the Institute.
Daily Pick up time – 10 pm at the Institute.

Especially For Youth officially ends Friday evening at approximately 9:00 p.m.

A successful application/registration will be followed by an on-screen confirmation. If you do not receive a confirmation number, your application/registration was not received. You need to submit it again. You will not receive a receipt with your confirmation number in the mail. Please print out your application/registration confirmation to keep for your records.

Visit our Dates, Locations, & Costs page

Participants will be billed for any fees incurred from damages to property at your EFY location. Occasionally, there are situations where participants inadvertently cause damages. Participants need to contact the facility manager before check out to remedy the situation.

Visit our Dates, Locations, & Costs page

The following is the Especially for Youth program’s interpretation of dress and appearance standards as found in the For the Strength of Youth booklet and words of our prophets and apostles. Adherence to these standards will be enforced; participants will not be allowed to attend if they are not appropriately dressed and groomed.

Modesty Defined:

"Modesty is an attitude of humility and decency in dress, grooming, language, and behavior. If you are modest, you do not draw undue attention to yourself. Instead, you seek to glorify God in your body, and in your spirit." (True to the Faith [2004], 106)

Dress and Appearance:

"How truly beautiful is a well-groomed young woman who is clean in body and mind. She is a daughter of God in whom her Eternal Father can take pride. How handsome is a young man who is well groomed. He is a son of God worthy of holding the priesthood of God." (President Gordon B. Hinckley, A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth, Ensign, Jan 2001, 8)

Young Men:

"[Raising the bar to a higher physical standard] also could include improving your physical appearance. A missionary is expected to dress a certain way, projecting a clean–cut appearance that includes an appropriate haircut; being clean shaven; wearing a clean white shirt, a tie, and a well–pressed suit — all the way down to a good shoe shine. Start now to prepare for a full–time mission by adopting the appearance of a full–time missionary." (Elder L. Tom Perry, Raising the Bar, Ensign, Nov 2007)

"Young men, be clean in dress and manner." (President Gordon B. Hinckley, Be Ye Clean, Ensign, May 1996, 48–49)

• Clean-shaven — no facial hair of any kind; sideburns must not extend below the ear lobes or onto the cheek
• Conservative hairstyle — hair must be trimmed above the collar; ears and eyes must be visible; no ponytails, pigtails, braids, designs, carvings (including Mohawks) or completely shaved heads; no unnatural hair color. Tucking the hair behind the ears or hiding it under a hat does not meet these expectations.
• Clothing — avoid being sloppy or inappropriately casual; no baggy/saggy pants; pants must be worn at the waist; no underwear should be visible. Unacceptable clothing includes shorts that do not extend to the knee, tight clothing, shirts without sleeves, or other revealing attire; words on clothing must not be offensive or suggestive; appropriate footwear should be worn at all times; footwear should be appropriate for the activity (i.e., Sunday attire should not appear as though you are on your way to the beach or an athletic activity). Faddish clothing (i.e. gothic, emo, etc.) is not appropriate.
• No piercing of any kind
• Hats are not to be worn indoors

Young Women:

"Young women, choose your clothing the way you would choose your friends — in both cases choose that which improves you and would give you confidence standing in the presence of God. Good friends would never embarrass you, demean you, or exploit you. Neither should your clothing." (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, To Young Women, Ensign, Nov, 2005, 28)

• Conservative hairstyles — hairstyles should be clean and neat with no extreme styles or unnatural colors
• Clothing — skirts, dresses, or shorts must extend at least to the knee, and shirts and tops must cover the stomach and back; clothing should cover the shoulders; clothing that is low-cut in the front or back, tight, or revealing in any other manner is unacceptable. Footwear should be appropriate for the activity (i.e. Sunday attire should not appear as though you are on your way to the beach or an athletic activity). Faddish clothing (i.e. gothic, emo, etc.) is not appropriate.
• Piercing — only one pair of earrings in your ears; no other body piercing.
• Hats are not to be worn indoors

Language and Behavior:

"Like your dress and grooming, your language and behavior are expressions of your character. Your words and actions can have a profound influence on you and on others. Express yourself through clean, positive, uplifting language and in actions that bring happiness to those around you. Your efforts to be modest in word and deed lead to increased guidance and comfort from the Holy Ghost." (True to the Faith [2004], 108)

• Language — use clean, uplifting words and expressions
• Charity — do unto others as you would like them to do unto you; "thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Matthew 22:39)
• Service — "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40); look for ways to serve one another
• Obedience — obedience to the commandments is an expression of our love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

More Than Just a Covering:

"I do not hesitate to say that you can be attractive without being immodest. You can be refreshing and buoyant and beautiful in your dress and behavior. Your appeal to others will come of your personality, which is the sum of your individual characteristics." (President Gordon B. Hinckley, Stay on the High Road, Ensign, May 2004, 114)

"The way you dress is a reflection of what you are on the inside. Your dress and grooming send messages about you to others and influence the way you and others act." (For the Strength of Youth, 16). The way you dress and groom yourself will influence the way others react to you and treat you. The unspoken language of your appearance is often the first thing others discover about you.

"Your body is God's sacred creation. Respect it as a gift from God, and do not defile it in any way. Through your dress and appearance, you can show the Lord that you know how precious your body is. You can show that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ." (For the Strength of Youth, [2001], 14-16)

Casual Dress Clothing — Slacks; cargo-style pants, denim jeans and jackets, knee-length shorts, T-shirts; comfortable boots, shoes or sports shoes for walking, dancing, and other activities; sandals and flip-flops For young women, denim material or Levi-style clothing (which is not grubby looking or worn out) is considered Casual Dress.

* BYU–Idaho’s official policy is that they do not permit the wearing of bib overalls (all styles), flip-flops, and shorts (or Capris for girls) of any length on their campus.

Best Dress Clothing

Young Men — A collared dress shirt (white or colored) that buttons down the front with a tie. Shirttails should always be tucked inside the pants. Less formal ties are considered appropriate for the Friday night dance. Young men should wear dress slacks or suit pants with dress shoes (not casual footwear).

Young Women — Knee-length dresses and skirts with nice blouses are considered best-dress clothing. Slits in dresses and skirts must not extend above the knee. Appropriate footwear would include dress shoes or nice dress sandals. Flip-flops are not considered best-dress footwear.

Sunday Dress Clothing

There will be activities throughout the week where Sunday-dress clothing will be required. Conservative or missionary-style clothing is always considered appropriate as Sunday Dress. Sunday-dress clothing should not be mixed with clothing otherwise defined as casual-style.

Young Men — A white dress shirt with buttons down the front with a conservative tie. Shirttails should always be tucked in. Suit pants or dress slacks with dress shoes (not casual footwear).

Young Women — Dresses or skirts with nice blouses. Dress shoes or nice dress sandals (not casual footwear).

Flip-flops are NOT considered Sunday Dress or Best Dress.

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men. . . . If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. (13th Article of Faith)

As a matter of personal commitment, participants are expected to demonstrate in daily living those moral virtues encompassed in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and will:

• Be honest
• Live a chaste and virtuous life
• Obey the law and all campus policies
• Use clean language
• Respect others
• Keep the word of wisdom
• Observe dress and appearance standards
• Encourage others in their commitment to comply

To serve you better, we will extend the EFY Main Office hours during the summer. Beginning Monday, May 23, through Monday, August 8, we will have staff in our office to answer any questions from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Many questions can be answered on this page or in different tabs on this website. The main office number is 801-422-3817, Ext. 0.

There is NO HOUSING for the Stay–at–Home Programs. Participants will return home each night after EFY activities have concluded. Except for Monday, each day will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at approximately 9:00 p.m. Except for special cases, participants must arrange their own housing.

Participants are provided lunch and dinner during the session (except Monday – only dinner is provided). Participants should eat a substantial breakfast each morning before coming to the session.

The parent or guardian of each participant must complete the medical release form when the participant registers. The parent is required to give his or her name and emergency phone numbers, the participant’s physician’s name and phone number, and insurance information. If you do not have medical insurance, please write “none” in the spaces provided. The parent must also indicate which types of medications his or her child can be given. By completing this form, the parent gives us authorization to quickly treat your child in the case of an emergency. Be sure that you give us an emergency number where you can be reached anytime of the day or night.

If your child is injured at an EFY session, please contact our Risk Management Office for insurance information. We do not carry insurance for illnesses. We will also need your personal insurance and contact information in the event your child becomes ill at a session. You will be billed for medical treatment provided to your child for an illness.

• “Call the office the week before the session begins for any changes.”
  No! The week before is too late. Make any changes BEFORE one week before the session begins. Transfers, Withdrawals, and Roommate Changes can all be done online any week before the one before the session begins.


• “Come to the session to ‘Walk On.’”
  That is risky business. If you cannot register successfully for a session you want, keep watching the website for any available spots. If you REALLY want to come to a session that you can’t seem to get in AFTER TRYING DILIGENTLY FOR SEVERAL (6) WEEKS, call the office; we will work with you in any way we can. Each session has the same topic, counselor teams, session directors, handbooks and programs, so consider all sessions.


• “You can change companions when you get to the session.”
  No! Making companion changes is like a game of dominoes. If affects housing, teams, counselors, etc. If you change your mind about a roommate request, go online and make the change anytime before one week before the session begins.


• “You can link a group of 3-6 youth together in one session; we did this with a group of cousins several years ago.”
  That is true, but the administrators have unanimously agreed that this is not in the best interest of the session, so we now allow only linking two youth together. They must be registered in the same session, be the same gender, and in the same age group.


• “I can call and request that my two sons and their nonmember friend who is coming be in the same company.” (Small group of 10).
  No! Have one of your sons be the roommate of the nonmember friend, or find another friend in the area to come and be his roommate. Again, it works best all around to have two youth linked together, rather than trying to make groups of three; thus the decision of the administrators for all areas. Please do not call and make such a request.


• “If my daughter can’t attend the session for which she’s registered, I’ll send her cousin in her place. No one has to know!”
  No! Each youth must be registered under his/her own name and have his/her own health profile and parental release. You have all the weeks before the session begins to make your decisions. Please adhere to our withdrawal policy if you need to withdraw. If you have an extenuating circumstance just before the session, call and speak with our office manager.

You may receive a refund minus a $10 withdraw fee when you withdraw from the EFY Stay–at–Home session by 9:59 a.m. on the Monday one week before your session is scheduled to start. From 10:00 a.m. Monday, the week before your session starts, registration will be closed for that session; you will not be able to withdraw or receive a refund after this time. This is because:

• We have already contributed financially to institutions where EFY sessions are held and do not receive refunds from them when one or more of our participants is a last–minute no–show.
• Accommodations such as housing, meal plans, counselor group assignments, company assignments, etc., are finalized the week before the session begins, and it would be unmanageable to make registration changes that week.
• If a registered participant cannot attend EFY, we cannot give that spot to another for administrative and legal reasons, but we still have to pay for the now empty spot. We open registration months early in the year and do everything possible to allow for previously unseen session changes and cancelations. Please be understanding of our need to impose these deadlines.

Beginning one week before the session starts, we CANNOT issue refunds for any reasons such as:

• Work– or school–related conflicts.
• Sports–, music–, or theatre–related conflicts.
• Family vacations/reunions.
• Missed withdrawal deadline.
• Did not understand withdrawal deadline.
• Confused the dates/location of EFY session.
• Participant refused to attend.
• Participant refused to comply with Dress and Appearance Standards.
• Preferred companion is no longer attending.
• Preferred companion request not granted.
• Unable to find transportation to the session.
• No refund requests will be considered after October 31 of that session year.

Registration begins on February 1, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time. (The first Wednesday of February annually.)

To register, click on the registration tab at http://ce.byu.edu/yp/efy/register.cfm. All registrations will be handled online, and full payment is required at that time. Payment can be made with a credit or debit card with one of the following logos: American Express, MasterCard, Discover, or Visa (ATM cards will not be accepted because they are not compatible with online payments). The payment will be charged online to your credit card account at the time you register. Please make sure you have the required amount available on your card before you attempt to register. If your credit card is not approved immediately online, your registration is not complete.

Registration Deadline and Details:
Registrations will be accepted on the internet until one week before the session begins or subject to availability. Registration closes for each session on Monday at 9:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time, one week prior to the start date. All participants must register and pay separately. Stakes who are interested in special enrollments should call the EFY office and speak with the Administrator for your area of interest. As always, the earlier the better.

Each applicant may request a companion to be grouped in their same counselor group. “Requesting a companion” is for two enrolled participants who must be of the same gender and age group. To request a companion, enter his or her full name (first, middle, and last) and birth date. The information you enter must exactly match the information your companion entered when he or she registered for EFY. Though we will do all we can to honor these requests, requesting a companion alone does not guarantee that the two of you will be grouped together in the same counselor group.

Please do not call to request a “special exception” of 3 (or more) being put in a group. Sessions run more smoothly for all involved when we allow two companions, thus our policy.

Each youth must be registered under his/her own name and have his/her own health profile and parental release. Parents and youth have all the weeks before the session begins to make arrangements and decisions. Please adhere to our withdrawal policy if you need to withdraw.

If you have an extenuating circumstance just before the session, call and speak with our office manager. Each participant needs to be registered under his/her own name and have his/her own health information at the session. The University does not allow transferring funds from one youth's account to another. (See also Misinformation that Causes Difficult Situations)

Clothing that meets EFY dress standards is required. If you are not appropriately dressed for an EFY activity, you will be asked to go back to your home and change. The following is a list of suggested clothing for EFY attendance:

Casual wear – Comfortable, nice pants or shorts (shorts must come to the knee or longer), shirts, and shoes for walking; clothes that can get dirty during “games night”.

Sunday Dress Clothing – Thursday is “Sunday Dress” day. You will be asked to come dressed as if you were attending Church. Young Men: a white button-down shirt, conservative tie, suit pants or dress slacks, and dress shoes. Young Women: dress or skirt and blouse with appropriate dress shoes. Denim skirts, cargo pant, tennis shoes, flip-flops, and other casual attire are NOT appropriate clothing for “Sunday Dress”.

Best Dress clothing – Friday is “Best Dress” day. This includes a white or colored button-down shirt, tie, and dress pants for the young men and a dress or skirt and blouse for the young women. No Levis or denim pants for the young men or pantsuits for the young women will be allowed. Dresses and skirts must be knee length or longer. Slits in skirts must not come above the knee, and dresses may not have sheer fabric or spaghetti straps.

Flip-flops are acceptable as casual wear, but NOT acceptable as Sunday dress or best dress.

There is a $10 fee if you call the office, requesting that we make the transfer for you.

There is no transportation for the Stay-at-Home Programs.

If a participant does not show up for a session he or she was registered for, then we will allow another individual of the same gender and age group to attend that session for the cost of EFY plus an additional fee. If you are able to walk–on, you will be required to provide credit card information for payment, or we will accept cash or check.

Trying to walk–on to an EFY session carries great risk. We do NOT guarantee any spots for participants who try to walk–on to an EFY session.

NOTE: Please do NOT send your youth to an EFY session to walk–on if he or she cannot easily get back home. There is a high possibility they will NOT get into the session.

Excitement and enthusiasm
Good Attitude and friend-making tools
Scriptures and marking utensil

Sample packing list:

• Scriptures, Preach My Gospel handbook, journal, and pen or pencil
• Optional: Spending money – a small amount of spending money may be needed for incidentals or emergencies; inexpensive camera and film; materials for talent show costume, accompaniment, etc.; and medications–you must bring your own supply of Tylenol, Advil, Pepto-Bismol, cough drops, and/or any other over-the-counter medications for minor ailments you may experience during the week.

We discourage the use of cell phones during any EFY activity. If you feel you cannot regulate its use, please leave it at home. We also discourage participants from bringing stereos, boom boxes, Playstations, TV’s, Gameboys, and any other extra items. We cannot guarantee the security of these items, and the participants do not have free time in which to use them. Bikes, in-line skates, skateboards, and other athletic equipment are not allowed.

Young men and women ages 14–18.

All EFY participants must be at least 14 years old by September 30 of the year they are attending EFY, and must not turn 19 before the first day of the session they will attend.

Youth of any religious affiliation who agree to uphold the standards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may participate (see EFY Honor Code Statement and Dress and Appearance Standards). Young men and young women with significant physical or mental challenges or constraining behavioral conditions who require extra care must consult with a program administrator before registering.

To withdraw from a session online:

To withdraw on the Internet, login to your account by clicking on “Manage My Continuing Education Information” located underneath the “Register Now” button on the EFY registration page.  Once you are logged in, click “View/Edit” on your current EFY registration.  On the right hand side of the screen, click on the “Withdraw” button.  It will ask you to confirm that you want to withdraw and it will show you the amount to be refunded.  You be will credited the refund within 1–3 weeks.

If you have any trouble with the withdrawal process, you can e-mail our office at efy@byu.edu and we will complete the withdrawal for you, ($10 fee). Written requests must be received no later than 9 a.m. MST the Monday before EFY begins to allow sufficient time for processing. There will be no refunds given after this time. You will be assessed a $10 withdrawal fee. A follow-up call to our office, 801–422–3817 is required to confirm the transaction. After the withdrawal fee is assessed, remaining funds will be refunded to your credit card. The refund may take up to three weeks to be posted to your credit card account.  If you choose this option, please provide

• Participant’s name
• Birth date and login name
• Confirmation number
• Your relationship to the participant
• The session from which you wish to withdraw the participant