As for the question of whether this leaves enough time for teaching about priesthood, I’ll point out that the Senior Primary manuals include a special lesson on priesthood just for the 11-year-old class, to be taught “before the first child in your class turns twelve.” (I could have sworn that used to say “before the first boy turns twelve” but I could be misremembering.) So that’s another opportunity to teach both the boys and the girls about priesthood, which I think is important. (I tend not to follow the manual very closely for that lesson. Elder Oaks’ April 2014 conference talk makes an appearance in my version; I can say more if there’s interest.)

It bugged me that there was no equivalent for the girls, so with the Primary President’s permission I’ve added a special lesson on the Relief Society before the first girl turns twelve. We act out part of the first Relief Society meeting, and I invite someone from the Relief Society Presidency to talk about what the Relief Society does and what it means to her. (The part of the meeting we act out includes Emma Smith and the other RS leaders arguing against John Taylor’s proposal to rename the Society despite Joseph Smith’s initial support, and that leads to a (brief) discussion on the importance of both speaking up and running inclusive meetings.)

Why talk about the Relief Society? Well, whatever the “cosmological” temple priesthood that women fully participate in is, and I sure wish we knew a lot more about it, I suspect the outside-the-temple manifestation of it for women was meant to be the Relief Society. They both come out of the same period of Joseph Smith’s thinking. Once again, it’s not really a topic for 11-year-olds, but I do include in our meeting script a few of the key quotes from Joseph Smith that hint at the importance he placed on the Society. If that prompts some of the girls and boys to realize that the Relief Society is much more than “the place Mom goes during the 3rd hour of church” then I’ll call it a win.

What you’ve provided is a framework for her to help YM/YW understand their potential place in the gospel, and your insistence on leaving specific priesthood operational questions to quorums and young men’s presidents aligns with how she attempts to negotiate the tricky gender space between men and women in the context of church leadership.

My wife is an ardent disciple, and an operational feminist, which is how I see most women in the LDS church. But one does not call my wife a feminist to her face.

Anyhoo, thank you.

To respond to your questions, in the official directive, the new meeting is intended for the ward level, but allows for stake level meetings in the case of small numbers.

I hear your concern about providing adequate training for the prospective Aaronic priesthood members. There’s certainly a need for that kind of teaching, but I’d prefer it to happen in deacon’s quorum meetings with a narrower focus. It’s hard to envision a way for it to be done in the general meeting without alienating or condescending to the girls. Though I’m open to suggestions, because I also believe that girls should feel confident in their understanding of the priesthood and that the teachings should be transparent. There are no obvious or easy approaches, alas.

* Is the new meeting expected to be held on a stake level, or organized by wards? (Last year, there were just two boys and their dads, who met briefly (20 minutes?) at the bishop’s home, a more intimate setting). Obviously, a group of three youth is different than a stake function with 10 youth at each of the various stations.

* In reducing the old-style priesthood preview material to brief mention by the YM president, do you feel there’s any risk of ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater’?

Obviously, adding YW to the mix will make the meeting unlike any old-style “priesthood preview,” and I look forward to seeing how this rolls out.

Ironically, while the OP laments “a major problem with our program for teen girls,” I find that in general, the YW program is much better equipped for promoting spiritual growth in teens than the YM program.