The mission and goal of GOYA ministry is to lead our young people into

experiencing the Holy Orthodox Faith. By developing a personal relationship

with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and becoming active sacramental

members of the living Church, our young people will be equipped

with tools necessary to assist them in their journey toward salvation.

The Greek Orthodox Youth of America, or GOYA, is the ministry to

teenagers of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Since GOYA

is ministry, the orientation and implementation of the program should reflect

the Orthodox Christian Faith, Tradition and Life.

GOYA is ministry to junior high and high school grade Orthodox Christian

teenagers. Teenagers should be in seventh through twelfth grades to

participate. It is recommended that GOYA ministry be divided into two

distinct groups, the junior high GOYA ministry and the high school

GOYA ministry.

The teenagers themselves prefer the specific age groupings since they can

relate better with others who share the same age and school environment.

More importantly, it is more developmentally appropriate for these age

groups to be separated. Senior High GOYAns are ready to learn different

things than Junior High GOYAns.

This approach is the most effective, however it does demand more of the

parish priest, youth director and advisors. In smaller parishes, the number

of teenagers is fewer; therefore, making GOYA two distinct groups may

not be feasible.

If having two groups is not possible, pay special attention to the developmental

needs of the individual young people in the group by making sure

activities are appropriate for all of the youth. Occasionally, special activities

can be planned for specific grades. For example, an outing to a College

Career Night for the high school seniors may be planned.