Ontario Coptic Youth Convention
The Ontario Coptic Youth Convention (OCYC) is an annual meeting of many Coptic Christian high school and university students in Ontario and some parts of the United States. It usually takes place during the first weekend of August, maximizing the number of student participants. In this two-night and three-day convention, a wide range of activities take place. Youth from each participating city have their own soccer, basketball, and volleyball teams, and have friendly competitions with the youth from the other parishes. The teams are named after either the city in which the church is located, or the saint(s) whom the church is named after. Other activities in OCYC include drama competitions, spiritual workshops and seminars, lectures by priests and bishops, prayer meetings, and social gatherings.
High school youth also enjoy presentations by a team of actors, priests, pranksters, and techies.
OCYC is a spiritual and social event that any one can benefit from and yet enjoy at the same time. OCYC has strict Christian values, and believes in good conduct, respect, agape love, and good sportsmanship.
Participants include copts from Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton, Kitchener, Brampton, Ajax, Scarborough, St. Catharines and other parts of the Greater Toronto Area. From the States, copts coming from Rochester, New York also attend. The convention is usually held on a university campus somewhere near the GTA.
The convention has been held on an annual basis since the early 1990s, but has become one of the most successful Coptic Conventions in North America since 2004. OCYC 2004 was the first occasion to establish a semi-permanent logo for the convention meetings taking place in the years to follow.