Contact Information
8 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10075-0106
Tel.: 614-477-4267
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.goarch.org/safety
The duties of the Department of Youth Safety Compliance will be:
1. To assist every Hierarch, clergyman, and volunteer of a Greek Orthodox youth organization in the Archdiocese of America to become certified Youth Workers;
2. To assist those Youth Workers in assuring that there is no sexual and no non-sexual abuse at any level of our Church toward the Children of our Archdiocese; and 3. To assist in keeping Christ, safety and salvation as the cornerstones of all we do.
A new system of registry for all those who are involved in ministries or programs primarily serving the youth of our Holy Church will be required to be certified and have a background check for the safety of our children and the peace of mind of their parents.
The implementation and enforcement of this new program in every Greek Orthodox parish, school and ministry in the Archdiocese of America will be the work of all those who care about the safety of our children. But this new Department will coordinate will all youth work- ers to ensure that all are certified and have received a background check.
History
In 2009, the ‘Youth Protection Manual’ was unanimously supported and approved by the Holy Eparchial Synod for the physical and spiritual protection of the children of the Archdiocese. In the 2009 letter of endorsement it states “We believe that a safe environment is essential for the spiritual formation and learning we strive to achieve through our camping and retreat programs.”
Through the hard and consistent work of the Youth and Young Adult Ministries and the Legal Committee, the Holy Eparchial Synod, the Archdiocesan Council and the National Clergy Laity Congress have all approved, the next generation of the ‘Youth Protection Manual,’ with a more comprehensive manual or guide known as the ‘Policies for the Safety of Youth and Children.’
This document governs all primarily youth ministries and events including camps and retreats.
Our challenge and mission is the implementation of the Policies for the Safety of Youth and Children as set forth.