A Ward Self Reliance Open Day was held by the Bournemouth Ward, Poole Stake, on Saturday 11th February 2023. The Cultural Hall was full to bursting with displays on Self Reliance subjects, including: Consumer Advice, JustServe, Emergency Preparedness & 72-hour packs, How to Live Frugally, and Food Storage, together with facilitating the collection of humanitarian aid supplies destined for Syria Refugees. All the displays were imaginative, informative, and very relevant to the needs of individuals and families today.
Every other space in the building was utilised to provide separate teaching areas for workshops, including: Making a Will & Living Wills, Introduction to Mindfulness, Starting Your Own Business, Family History (Census Returns & FamilySearch), Personal Finance, Teenage Development & Mental Health, Healthy Eating, and Indexing of Records.
The event was organised by Sister Jan Hough & Brother Steve Hough, and Sister Sophie & Brother Martin Ray-Jones, Bournemouth Ward Self Reliance Specialists, reporting regularly to ward leaders at monthly Ward Council meetings. The Open Day was advertised beforehand using multiple Social Media sites, posters at places of work and Public Libraries, and announced in adjacent wards.
The Open Day event has stimulated many creative ideas as to how best to develop, promote and increase the level of Self Reliance throughout the Ward and Stake.
Elder Hugo E. Martinez of The Seventy:
“Self-reliance is a doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ and not a program. It is a process that lasts a lifetime and not an event”.