The 2024 Utah Area Young Single Adult Conference will draw together thousands of young adults from Aug. 2-4 in Salt Lake City.
But for those living on the other side of the United States, there’s a comparable event: the 2024 Cities of Light Conference, the first annual Northeast Area young single adult conference for those ages 18-35.
Scheduled for Sept. 20-22 in Washington, D.C., the event is supported by area leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is expected to draw over 1,800 young single adults.
The conference is themed “United in Christ” and includes an opening social at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History; the opportunity to participate in temple work at the Washington D.C. Temple; a black-tie gala at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery; and a keynote address from Sister Bonnie H. Cordon, former Young Women general president and current president of Southern Virginia University.
Cities of Light conference tickets cost $65 until July 25, when prices will increase to $80. Financial aid is available for those living in the Northeast Area, though young single adults living anywhere in the world are invited to attend. Register online at bit.ly/4co5vkV.
Strength in Jesus Christ, strength in each other
Hailey Checketts, a member of the Relief Society Advisory Council for the Washington D.C. Young Single Adult South Stake, oversees communications for the conference and said smaller versions of the event have been held throughout the Washington D.C. area in recent years. But after last year’s sold-out conference saw 800 people, event organizers decided it was the right time to expand.
“I really hope that people leave this conference just knowing how loved they are and how important they are as young single adult members of the Church,” Checketts said.
Katya Wagstaff and Matthew McCord, co-chairs for the conference planning committee, said they’ve been helping plan the Cities of Light Conference since last November. One of the biggest challenges, Wagstaff said, has been balancing the excitement of so much growth with creating opportunities for individual connections.
“Something that we are constantly thinking about is ‘How do we take care of everyone?’ and ‘How do we take care of the one?’” she said.
McCord added that he frequently hears young single adults express how much they look forward to this event. Now that it’s expanding, “we strongly believe that all attendees this year are going to have that joy and enrichment that we all desperately need,” he said.
Washington D.C. Young Single Adult South Stake President Kyle Sampson echoed that sentiment and said the purpose of this conference is similar to that of Utah’s conference: helping young single adults draw strength from Jesus Christ and from each other.
Though every person must take responsibility for their individual testimonies, “it’s part of our covenantal experience … to bear one another’s burdens and strengthen each other,” he said, adding, “And it just gets amplified when we’re able to come together for a big conference like this.”
Elder Eric Baxter, an Area Seventy in Washington, D.C., added that the conference is especially important for young single adults who live in areas where there may not be many other members of the Church their own ages. For instance, many of the Northeast Area’s young single adults are spread out across the midwest and Canada, he said.
“We’ve really been inspired by what Utah’s done. … We really are trying to create a similar environment where people can engage in service together, engage in meaningful activities, have spiritual experiences, interact with Church leaders and meet other YSAs who are also trying to be disciples of Jesus Christ,” Elder Baxter said.
Other young single adult conferences
Utah and Washington, D.C., aren’t the only places hosting young single adult conferences this year.
The Especially for Youth program is collaborating with the North America Central Area to present five young single adult conferences across the U.S. While three have already occurred — in Kansas City, Missouri; Denver, Colorado; and Boise, Idaho — the remaining two will take place in Nauvoo, Illinois, and Idaho Falls, Idaho, from Aug. 14-17.
Themed “Think Celestial: A Guide to God’s Plan of Salvation,” the conferences are geared toward young single adults ages 18 through 30. Thursday lunch and dinner, Friday lunch and dinner, and Saturday lunch are provided, and dietary needs can be noted during registration.
Registration closes two weeks before each conference and costs $50 per participant. While the Especially for Youth program does not offer financial aid, local bishops and stake presidencies may have support available for young single adults who can’t pay the registration fee.
For more information, see efysa.byu.edu/.
