YOUNG ADULT and ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP MINISTRY
YAL (Young Adult League)
Young Adults Ages 18-35
YAL enables our young adults to engage with one another in an Orthodox setting through worship, fellowship, service, and education. Along with spiritual edification, information is exchanged about scholarships, retreats, volunteer opportunities, and social events with the goal of fostering community and social interaction. YAL works closely with the YAL Metropolis of Chicago Ministry which aims to inspire and empower young adults' holistic and authentic connection to Christ and His Churhc. Ascension is committed to building a strong and engaging ministry for this age group. In addition to planned events, this ministry maintains an email list of Young Adults who have graduated college in order to stay in contact and share upcoming events and initiatives. Please email Alex Karkazis at alexanderckarkazis@gmail.com to be added to our email list and stay connected.
OCF (Orthodox Christian Fellowship) College Ministry
Local and Out-of-State College Students
At a time in their lives when many young adults’ faith is most seriously tested, they desperately need the Church as a foundation to stand on. This ministry is dedicated to supporting Ascension’s college students both here and away from home as they navigate the challenges of adulthood, pursue their collegiate studies, and begin their working careers. Ascension's program builds on the efforts of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF), a national collegiate campus ministry program charged with keeping Orthodox college students connected to each other and to the Orthodox faith while they are away at school.
CALL FOR COLLEGE STUDENT CONTACT INFO: We wish all of our college students good strength as they settle into their college years. If you are a parent of a current college student, we would like to get their contact information so we can keep in touch with them and send pastoral messages and reflections, as well as information about conferences, scholarships, online resources, camp counselor opportunities and the Orthodox Christian Fellowship ministry (OCF). Please email John Anton (janton@ascensiongoc.com) with your student's contact information (name, year in school, cell phone, email address & college/university). Thank you!.
Upcoming Ascension events as well as Orthodox Young Adult programs, opportunities and events are posted below. Scholarship programs are also linked below.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS & OPPORTUNITIES
METROPOLIS OF CHICAGO Y2AM
Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago Youth & Young Adults
The Youth & Young Adult Ministries (Y2AM) is the largest and most active ministry of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago. Y2AM helps introduce youth and young adults to Christ and inspires them to live out their relationship with the Lord and His Church on a daily basis. Through a broad range of programs and initiatives, the ministry works to cultivate the next generation of faithful spiritually, culturally and socially. Click HERE to visit their webpage.
Click HERE to be directed to the YAL Chicago Webpage
Ionian Village is the international camping ministry of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America with campgrounds located in Peloponnesus, Greece. Each 20-day session is open to young people who are currently 9th grade through those who will complete the 12th grade in the spring of 2024. The dates for the Summer 2024 programs were as follows: Session One: June 25 – July 14, 2024; and Session Two: July 23 – August 11, 2024. Registration opened on February 1, 2024 at 10 am CST. Click HERE for all of the information!
IV NEXT
IV Next is the only travel-based program for young adults that has our Greek Orthodox faith as a core tenet of the program. Only IV Next combines professional development, international travel, and the Orthodox Faith into one all-inclusive program. IV Next is for participants ages 19-24.
OCF National Webpage
College is an important time to ask big questions. It can also be a time of many challenges. OCF is here to help you make Christ the heart of your college experience.
- OCF Lenten Resources
- OCF AT HOME MINISTRY Bringing an on campus-connection to your living room.
SCHOLARSHIPS, OPPORTUNITIES and LINKS
The 2025 FAITH SCHOLARSHIP FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE application is available to download with a deadline submission of June 24, 2025. Visit thefaithendowment.org/scholarships. Eligible applicants must be active members of a Greek Orthodox parish and graduating high school seniors.
Panhellenic Scholarship FoundationThe PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation releases its scholarship applications at the beginning of October each year and accepts applications from eligible Greek American college students through January. The Foundation's mission is to promote education by providing scholarships and educational programs to Greek American students who, guided by the values of their Hellenic upbringing, have the potential to become life-long significant achievers and contribute meaningfully to society. Scholarships are available to undergraduate students. Applications for the 2024/25 cycle were due on January 31, 2025. Each year the Foundation awards $250,000 in Scholarships at a Gala held in June. For more information, visit https://www.panhellenicsf.org/apply. There is also an internship alliance program. Find out more HERE.
AHEPA RECENTLY ANNOUNCED LOCAL AND NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP opportunities for current high school seniors and college/graduate students.. Applications were open until mid and late March 2025. For more information, visit: https://ahepadistrict13.org/scholarship.htm#D13 and/or https://ahepa.org/education/
AHEPA LOCAL SPORTS AWARD BANQUET & SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM: The 13th District of AHEPA sponsors an annual Sports Award Banquet which honors Greek American and AHEPA family high school and college athletes who have played any sport on their high school or college teams. HS Seniors may also apply for a scholarship. Please visit https://ahepadistrict13.org/athletics/Current-Sports-Award-Packet.pdf for more information.
AHEPA Athletics NATIONAL Scholarship Application Available: AHEPA has a proud history of awarding scholarships to a number of deserving scholar-athletes competing at the high school and college levels. These scholarships are funded through the generosity of Ahepan(s) and or their families, often in honor of an active and committed Brother or in the memory of a deceased Brother. The grants recognize and reward the accomplishments, academic and athletic, of young Greek Americans who will be the community’s future leader(s)! An applicant must be nominated by a member of the AHEPA family. Applications are typically due in March or April of each year.
Hellenic Link - Midwest
In addition to informing and culturally enriching, Hellenic Link - Midwest assists young Greek-Americans to achieve their career goals through its scholarship program. The program is currently on hold, however in the past, a number of scholarships for $2,000 or more are awarded at their Annual Dinner Dance each year. These scholarships are given to students of Greek descent who are enrolled in accredited United States colleges or universities and have completed one year of study. More information is available by clicking HERE.
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Scholarship Programs
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America offers applications for the Scholarship and Fellowship programs administered by the Archdiocese. Applications can be accessed by clicking HERE. For more information, please email scholarships@goarch.org or call 212-774-0283. The deadline for submitting applications in past years was in the beginning of May. The following scholarships are administered by the Department of Philanthropy of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America: GEORGE & NAOUMA (GIOULE) GIOLES SCHOLARSHIP; KATINA JOHN MALTA SCHOLARSHIP; PALEOLOGOS SCHOLARSHIP. The George & Naouma (Gioule) Gioles Scholarship and the Katina John Malta Scholarship are for undergraduate studies, and the Paleologos Scholarship is awarded for graduate work of a non-theological nature. Each of these scholarships was established through generous gifts from dedicated Greek Orthodox Christians who wanted to provide financial assistance towards the education of young people from our Orthodox Christian community.
The John C. Kulis Charitable FoundationThe John C. Kulis Charitable Foundation, commonly known as the Kulis Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation dedicated to supporting religious, humanitarian, and educational initiatives benefiting Orthodox Christian and Hellenic communities worldwide. Numerous scholarships are available. Applications are made available November 1 and due the following April 1. Please click on the link above to see the list of scholarships and their requirements.
Windy City Greek-American Scholarship Guide
Windy City Greek published the Greek American Scholarship Guide in 2017, which lists scholarship opportunities specifically for Greek-American students.
OCF SCHOLARSHIP and SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES
This website lists current scholarships, internships, and other opportunities available to Orthodox Christian college students in North America. Check back often for updates.
