The Eastern Diocese sent seven representatives to the 2023 Orthodox Youth and Camp Workers Conference, sponsored by the Orthodox Youth Directors in North America. The annual conference took place at the St. Stephen’s Christian Retreat and Conference Center in Titusville, FL.
The objective of the Youth and Camp Workers Conference is to offer an enriching and uplifting experience that will connect youth and camp workers and provide them with inspirational and challenging ideas to help them refine and improve their work.
The Diocesan delegation of camp leadership from both Hye Camp and St. Vartan Camp included Fr. Aren Jebejian, Fr. Khatchatur Kesablyan, Fr. Vart Gyozalyan, Fr. Sevak Gabrielian, Fr. Paren Galstyan, Lisa Mardigian, and Jennifer Morris.
This year the delegation was pleased to be joined by a representative of the Western Diocese: Hye Camp executive director Lauren Diramerian. It was valuable for camp leaders to meet each other, network, and share their years of knowledge and resources with one another.
Instructional Sessions
Most of the sessions were presented to the whole group with breakout sessions allowing for small group discussions to digest the information. Christian Gonzalez was the keynote speaker on the first day and focused his remarks on “Who is My Neighbor?: Exploring the Needs of Today’s Young People.”
Additional speakers that day spent time diving into topics such as, “Cultivating Fruitful Relationships that Build Thriving Christ-Centered Communities,” “Discovering the Nexus for Parish and Camp,” and learning more about the new initiatives of the Orthodox Youth Ministry.
The second day Fr. Nicholas Belcher was the keynote speaker and focused his remarks on “The Garden and the Matrix, The Tree and the Lake: A Presentation on Holistic Youth Ministry.”
Other presentations included “Building Trusting Relationships with Children,” “Having Reasonable Expectations for What Camps/Programs Can Accomplish,” and “Nurturing the Fruit of the Holy Spirit in Our Youth.” Each speaker left participants taking lots of notes and provided great food for thought to implement into their respective ministries.
Reflections on This Year’s Event
“The Orthodox Youth Conference gives us the opportunity to share ideas and learn new approaches to ministering to our youth in the parishes as well as our Diocesan Summer Camps,” said Hye Camp director Fr. Aren Jebejian, after the conference.
St. Vartan Camp director Fr. Vart Gyozalyan reflected: “Attending the YCC after being apart for three years was inspirational–and also a little emotional seeing friends who share the same ministry in the Garden of the Lord. It is always beneficial to attend this conference and learn from our brothers and sisters. We are called to serve our youth not only at Camp but also within our churches and homes.”
For Fr. Paren Galstyan, this was his first experience participating in the conference. “As a pastor of a small community [Soorp Haroutiun Church, Orlando, FL], I learned a lot in these couple days. The most important part of the conference that I took away is the need to be ready to deal with challenging issues that our youth can face at the church in this new era. I learned tools on how we adults can build trusting relationships with the children and youth of our churches. Another takeaway for me was how important it is to plant the seed of faith, and to nourish it so that it will grow in the heart of every young person.”
Lisa Mardigian, the youth coordinator at St. John Church (Southfield, MI) and Hye Camp Board chair, said: “The Orthodox Youth and Camp Workers Conference is a refreshing boost of spiritual guidance and a wealth of tools and information on how to succeed in our camp and youth ministries.”
Finally, Jennifer Morris, who heads the Diocese’s Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, reflected on her 15 years of attending the conference. “It is truly my favorite professional development opportunity,” she said. “Coming together to meet with other Orthodox camping and youth ministry professionals from across the United States and Canada provides wonderful opportunities to network, share resources, and learn valuable and relevant information that directly benefit our youth and young adults at camp and in the life of the parish.”
Click here to view a gallery of photos from this year’s Orthodox Youth and Camp Workers Conference.