YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT MINISTRIES MAY 1, 2025 Beloved Friends in Christ, CHRIST IS RISEN! As you may have noticed, we have a new look! We are pleased to introduce Engage & Equip: A National Youth and Young Adult Ministries Outreach Initiative. The goal of this effort is to better communicate how the National Youth and Young Adult Ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese—including Y2AM, the Office of Camping Ministries, Effective Christian Ministry, National YAL, Ionian Village, and Youth Safety—offer guidance and support to parish and Metropolis ministries.   Declaring 2025 a pivotal year of outreach and storytelling, we are excited to launch Engage & Equip—a bold, nationwide effort to connect, communicate, and collaborate with parishes, Metropolises, and youth across the Archdiocese. This initiative will grow and evolve to meet the real needs of our Church communities, ensuring relevance and lasting impact.   What to expect: Bi-monthly newsletters sharing opportunities for youth, young adults, and ministry workers to engage with others across the Archdiocese (both virtual and in-person). Tools and resources from the National Youth and Young Adult Ministries to help parishes grow more effective and impactful ministries. Presentations and materials offered at Clergy-Laity Assemblies and Clergy Syndesmoi. Quarterly webinars and local introductions by ACYC members to strengthen parish-level engagement. Please share this email with others in your parish community and encourage them to sign up using the link at the end of this message. We also want to hear from you—let us know what topics would be most helpful and how we can better serve your ministry needs.   With love in the Risen Christ, The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Youth and Young Adult Ministries Team   Archdiocesan Council Youth Committee Leadership: Presiding Hierarch: His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos National Chancellor: His Grace Bishop Nektarios Archdiocesan Council Youth Committee Chair: Stacia Counelis, Metropolis of San Francisco   National Youth Ministry Team: National Y2AM Director: Eva Konstantakos Ionian Village Director: Rev. Fr. Steven Klund Youth Safety Associate Director: Rhea Ballas Effective Christian Ministry Cohort Coordinator: Alexis Pappas EFFECTIVE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY UPDATES Understanding and Addressing the Needs of Young People in the Church: Take the Effective Christian Ministry Course The Effective Christian Ministry (ECM) Course is a transformative resource designed to help clergy and laity understand why young people are leaving the Church. This comprehensive five-hour course diagnoses the problem by describing the unique needs and challenges faced by this generation. It also highlights timeless practices of the Church that can effectively address these needs. Recognizing that sometimes watching the course alone may not be sufficient, we are excited to offer a FREE WATCH CLUB in May. This Watch Club is hosted by a trained ECM Coach who will guide attendees through deeper exploration of the material and help them discern how to move forward with ECM principles. Applications are now OPEN for our fourth ECM Cohort! Over a nine-month period, parish teams will experience firsthand the Principles and Practices of ECM. The monthly activities are designed to facilitate personal spiritual growth, team discernment, and long-term parish ministry transformation by God’s grace. Don’t miss this opportunity—applications are due June 9th, 2025! Testimonials from Past Participants: “The ECM Cohort has been a game-changer for our parish. The guidance and support we received helped us understand the unique challenges our youth face and how to address them effectively.” – Participant from Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church, Westchester, IL “Through the ECM Cohort, our team experienced profound spiritual growth and developed a clear, actionable ministry plan that has already started to transform our parish.” – Participant from Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, Lowell, MA For more information about Effective Christian Ministry, please reach out to Alexis Pappasat pappas@goarch.org. CLICK HERE to learn more and APPLY for the ECM Cohort CLICK HERE to sign up for the ECM Watch Club MINISTRY RESOURCES PLANNING AHEAD – Y2AM RESOURCES Don’t forget… we have helpful resources for all times of the year! In addition to our Y2AM YouTube channel with our Be the Bee Series, we have the following resources for you: The Y2AM Ministry Plan provides parishes with a free, fully developed curriculum designed for engaging monthly youth discussions. Find all you need for ministry from now through the summertime. We have a NEW Ministry Plan in the works for the 2025-2026 ministry year. Stay tuned for more information about the release date so you can download it and make plans for your year. Finally, do not forget to visit the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese official website for a wealth of free resources for youth, young adults, families, and more from the various departments of the Archdiocese – Department of Religious Education, Center for Family Care, and more. Y2AM MINISTRY PLAN IONIAN VILLAGE Christos Anesti!!! The Ionian Village team is busy making final preparations for what should be an amazing summer. Our staff has been selected, registration has closed (340 campers!), and the first flights to Greece are set to depart in just over a month from now. We are incredibly grateful for all of our participating campers, families, and staff for making this the biggest camp season since before the pandemic. If you are among those joining us, we cannot wait to have you! If not, then we invite you to follow us all summer long on our social media channels – @ionianvillage We will be making daily posts showcasing all of the highlights from IV. Summer is coming! See you in Glyfa! CAMPING MINISTRIES GETTING READY FOR SUMMER CAMP The Archdiocese is blessed with 21 incredible Metropolis and parish camping ministries throughout the country, serving over 5000 campers. Orthodox Christian camps are unique, Christ-centered communities for youth that provide a nurturing environment for spiritual growth and transformation – truly a spiritual “home away from home” for campers and the staff who serve them. Y2AM has created two important resources to support these incredible camp ministries: 1) A Camp Curriculum with 5 full-developed Orthodox Life sessions that can be adapted to fit your summer camp. 2) A Summer Camp Mental Health Guide which includes key strategies, coping tools, responses to potential scenarios while at camp, as well as additional mental health resources. Click HERE to view and download these incredible resources. YOUTH SAFETY PREPARING for OLYMPICS https://tinyurl.com/Ready4Olympics  On Memorial Day Weekend, approximately 2000 Greek Orthodox youth will compete in the Olympics in three locations across the Archdiocese. The Archdiocesan District Olympics is celebrating their 47th year. The JOY & GOYA Olympics program has been a cornerstone of the District’s youth ministry for 47 years. It continues to inspire athletic excellence, celebrate cultural pride, and uphold the values of our Orthodox faith. The Metropolis of Chicago’s Junior Olympics began in 1981 and has grown into the largest single gathering youth in the Metropolis, filled with family-friendly activities. The Metropolis of New Jersey’s GOYA Olympics is open to all 55 parishes in the Metropolis and is hosted at Monmouth University. All three Olympics include Sunday morning Divine Liturgy for their participants. Are you Youth Safety compliant and ready to serve as an Advisor, Coach, Chaperone or Youth Worker for the events? Register and select your home parish here: youthsafetyplatform.goarch.org (You must have completed a background check in the last two years and training within the past year on the Youth Safety Platform.) Do you need additional assistance? Hop on our Zoom Call to get Ready4Olympics – Tuesday, May 6th and Thursday, May 8th from 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm EDT. YOUNG ADULT MINISTRIES (YAL) National YAL Board & Conference Ministry Directed by Eva Konstantakos, this ministry includes a national board composed of two young adults per Metropolis/District, appointed by their respective Hierarch, and oversees the biennial National YAL Conference and other national YAL initiatives. Read more HERE. If you know someone who would enjoy these ENGAGE AND EQUIP – YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT MINISTRIES UPDATES, please forward this email to them and encourage them to SUBSCRIBE! SUBSCRIBE HELP US continue to bring young people closer to Christ by equipping ministry workers with the tools and resources needed for parish ministry. Consider offering your support today! DONATE