Registration in now open for 2013 Episcopal youth Event delegations.
The Episcopal Church Youth Ministries Office announces open registration for delegations of young people and chaperones planning to attend the Episcopal Youth Event (EYE) July 4-8 at the University of Maryland in College Park. Volunteers are also sought for multiple roles.
Registration is $400 per person, including chaperones.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2023, EYE is the church’s second-largest event after General Convention, drawing nearly 1,500 young people ages 15-19 from every province every three years. Attendees participate as part of a delegation, which can be from a diocese or coordinated through a congregation, school, or other Episcopal organization.
Organizers ask that bishops and heads of organizations identify their authorized delegation registrar using this online form.
EYE programs focus on helping young people develop leadership skills, spiritual practices, and early stages of vocational discernment. In addition to meeting and socializing with other Episcopalians from around the world, EYE participants will spend time in worship, large-group presentations, small-group discussions, and workshops on a variety of topics.
“EYE23 is a fresh start and a time for returning after a season of being disconnected from one another,” said Canon Myra Garnes, officer for youth ministry. The last EYE was held in 2017; the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the cancellation of the event in 2020.
The dual-language theme for EYE23—developed by the youth planning team, which seeks to emphasize welcome and an invitation to all young people throughout the church—is “Regreso a Casa: A New Age of Faith.”
“‘Regreso a Casa’ means ‘returning home,’” Garnes said. “The youth planning team invites their peers to take a break from regular life, to be embraced as the beloved children of God they are and to open their minds to all the possibilities for the church and spreading the Good News. They hope that participants will leave the event feeling the power of community and a renewed sense of faith.”
EYE organizers also invite volunteers age 19 and older to serve on dorm, medical, chaplain, logistics, and communications teams as part of the EYE Event Team. Learn more and apply online by Jan. 13.