You can see them encouraging lines of teenage boys to offer their arms to the girls as an escort to their next location.
You can walk by the classrooms and see them showing the kids how to listen attentively and take notes in their manuals.
You can watch them on the lawn at lunch directing the participants in a friendly getting-to-know-you game.
You can hear them lead the synchronized clapping, followed by the loud, boisterous chanting of "E-F-Y!"
Approximately 50,000 youths each summer attend Especially For Youth sessions across the country. Designed to provide teenagers with spiritual growth through peer interaction, EFY activities include classes, dances and service projects.
With that many teenagers on the loose, approximately 1,200 counselors are hired each year to facilitate these activities. It is the responsibility of the counselors to keep the kids safe, help them have fun and teach them gospel principles.
This task is not for the faint of heart. While the EFY directors look for many types of people to work as counselors, there are common qualities that can be found among them all.
The EFY website lists requirements, including good-standing membership in the LDS Church. Jason Sanders, EFY coordinator for the Midwest, said this requirement exists because "it is a counselor's primary responsibility to help participants come unto Christ."
A recently added requirement is that counselor applicants be a minimum of 20 years old.
"The age requirement allows the counselors a couple of years to gain experience and perspective," Ben McKinnon, EFY program administrator, said. "It allows the participants to look up to them instead of seeing them as peers."
Other requirements include the ability to be organized, dependable and work with coworkers. Most importantly, counselors must be able to serve as examples.
"As young single adults, they are the light at the end of the tunnel and kids can say, 'Hey, I can be like that,' and try to emulate them based on their example," Eric Forsyth, a former counselor, said.
Forsyth attended EFY as a teenager and saw the impact the program had on his life. Although he was only able to work as a counselor for one week, he appreciated the opportunity to give back.
"It's a good program. I would have loved to help, even if it had been for free," Forsyth said. "I was excited to be a cog or a working part of what is EFY."
Being a counselor comes with challenges. Forsyth said while he was a counselor, two of the boys in his group were the "rocker type" with long hair. Because they were quiet and reserved, they had a difficult time fitting in with the more clean-cut participants in the beginning.
As the week went on, the boys warmed up to the group, and Forsyth encouraged them to cut their hair in order to fulfill their Aaronic Priesthood duties.
"At first, neither of them were too keen on accepting the challenge, but the girls and the Spirit made the difference," Forsyth said. "They were loved by everyone, and it was a group effort."
Although Forsyth never heard whether the boys followed through, he said the experience that may have been a trial allowed the boys to leave as stronger people.
The application process for the EFY positions takes place each October, but preparation to be a counselor is a continuous process.
"The best preparation to be a counselor is to apply Christ into your life now," Sanders said.
If you are a young single adult ready to work as a combination chaperone, cheerleader, temporary caregiver and example, visit ce.byu.edu/yp/efy for counselor application information. You may echo Sanders' sentiments when he said, "It's by far the most rewarding job I've ever had."
e-mail: wbutters@desnews.com