If you’ve ever served at a summer camp, you should be familiar with the Youth Protection Manual, which provides the basic framework that keeps our kids safe in the camp and retreat setting. Over the past few months, the Y2AM Team (which is composed of our Archdiocesan staff as well as the staff of the District and Metropolis Youth and Young Adult Ministry Departments) has been working on developing new Policies for the Protection of Youth and Children. The Policies are being designed to create a thorough, rigorous youth protection system that will apply to all youth work across the Archdiocese. People have already reached out to us for clarification about what’s in store. To help, we’ve compiled some of the basic and important questions we’ve received, as well as short responses to each:

Q. What exactly are the Policies for the Protection of Youth and Children?

A. As we mentioned above, you may be familiar with the existing Youth Protection Manual (YPM). The Policies will take our youth protection to the next level, offering a set of rules and policies to keep kids safe in youth ministry programs and events across the Archdiocese.

Q. Who do the Policies for the Protec- tion of Youth and Children apply to?

A. These policies will apply to all Fromthe Director youth workers across the Archdiocese. In a nutshell, a youth worker is both (1) anyone who works with youth in the obvious sense of the word (people like camp counselors, parish youth group leaders, Sunday School teachers, Greek dance teachers, coaches, etc.) as well as (2) people who have access to facilities where youth ministry programs or events are taking place (grounds keep- ers, administrative staff, etc).

Q. So these Policies won’t only apply to summer camp?

A. That’s right! In order to thoroughly keep our kids safe, we need to make sure that each and every youth ministry program or event follows these safeguards we’re putting into place. After all, if we’re really serious about keeping our kids safe, we need to be as thorough as possible.

Q: Does this mean my kids are in danger?

A. Our Archdiocese is blessed with thousands of committed, Christ-centered volunteers. Without them, we couldn’t have any kind of youth ministry! These Policies are in no way a reflection of our fellow parishioners; they’re a necessary step to ensuring that we do everything in our power to keep our kids safe.

Q. Why do I need to follow the Policies?

A. Whether you are a youth worker or not, the safety of our youth is an issue that affects everyone in our Church. When parents send their child or chil- dren to a program or activity of the Orthodox Church, they expect them to be safe. Yet the policies do more than keep our kids safe: they will also keep our Church and youth workers safe. They contain guidelines for everything from sleeping arrangements to electronic communications. Following them will remove even the appearance of danger or impropriety.

Q:What do I need to do in order to become a Youth Worker?

A. To become a youth worker, a person needs to pass through three basic steps: (1) register with your home par- ish, (2) successfully complete important youth protection and safety training, and (3) successfully pass a background check. Youth workers will need to regis- ter and complete training every year, and pass a background check every two years. It is a quick, yet important, process that will just take a few hours every year to complete. Once a person has become a Youth Worker, he or she is then eligible to serve in one of the many youth ministry programs or events the Archdiocese has to offer which, depending on the program, may require additional preparation (summer camp counselors may need to attend staff orientation, for example). 

Q. Who will pay for all of this?

A. The Archdiocese and Y2AM are offering the Policies and annual training program to youth workers at absolutely zero cost. The only cost to Youth Workers will be the price of the background check, which will only be required once every two years. And the Archdiocese and Y2AM are currently negotiating bulk pricing to ensure the absolute lowest possible price for these critical checks.

Q. Where will I be able to find the Policies?

A. After they have gone through all necessary reviews and approvals, the Policies will be available on our website, Y2AM.org.

Q. When will these Policies go into effect?

A. We will submit the draft policies to the Holy Eparchial Synod as soon as possible for their review., for review at their annual October meeting. If they are approved, the policies will go into effect in September 2017. The Synod must first approve the Policies before they go into effect.