A positive step towards the creation of a better organized and more robust body took place on Saturday, October 17, 2020, when actors from various Youth Ministries of NSW met at a first State Youth Meeting, led by Bishop Aimilianos of Meloa. The Youth Ministries have traditionally held separate gatherings, each working independently to meet the spiritual needs of young people in their area.
This meeting marks the first of many gatherings in the future with the intention of bringing together clergy, representatives of parishes, universities and communities in a necessary collaboration to share and implement ideas for the development of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
Upon his arrival in Australia, Archbishop Makarios had pointed out: “Young people constitute a priority for the Holy Archdiocese of Australia. They are not simply the future; they are also the present of the church.”
The Bishop welcomed the 45 attendees and provided them with loving guidance and support, strengthening the hierarchy-youth relationship within the Church.
The young participants participated in the collective exchange of ideas and proposals for the most effective confrontation of the challenges that young people face today. In the first stage, as reported by vema.com.au, it was decided to set up workshops for the organization of Christmas events, such as the Christmas Carols that are successful every year.
As announced, Archbishop Makarios accepted the youth’s request for change and gave his blessing to change the name of the “Central Youth Committee (CYC)” to “GO Youth.” “GO” is both an acronym for Greek Orthodox and a call to action.
