Ionian Village

Ionian Village is a private summer camp facility on the shores of the Ionian Sea, in western Peloponnese, Greece. It was established in 1969 by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, based in New York City. Over 16,000 Greek-Americans have visited the camp since its opening. [John Christoffersen. " [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20050412/ai_n14595250 Iakovos, 93, Greek Orthodox archbishop] ". "Chicago Sun-Times". April 12, 2005. Retrieved December 4, 2008.]

Ionian Village operates a summer travel camp program for Greek-American youth. Each July and August, several hundred young adults in various age groups, from 12 to 18 years, fly together from New York to Athens, then transfer 5 hours by bus to the camp, located near Vartholomio [ FAQ: Official Site " [http://www.ionianvillage.org/faq.html] ] " Retrieved August 14, 2008. ] , west of the regional trading town of Amaliada. Volunteer staff for the camp are competitively drawn from culturally and linguistically qualified college students across the United States.

The camp program of Ionian Village features a blend of athletics, swimming, crafts, religious counseling, and travel to local and regional historical sites, such as ancient Olympia, Delphi and Zakynthos. Daily routine at the camp closely simulates the blend and pace of religious, recreational and cultural activities as may be experienced in a typical Greek village. Camp sessions are 18 days in length, ending with tours of the Acropolis of ancient Athens and islands in the Saronic Gulf. Travel destinations may change from year to year in order to cover a range of historical or cultural sites across the country.

Founding and history

The camp was established in 1969 at the initiative of Iakovos, Archbishop of America, as a means to preserve cultural and religious ties to Greece for the children of early- and mid-twentieth century Greek immigrants in United States and Canada.

The original land grant, 2,840 acres (11,500 stremma or 11.5 square kilometers) of pine forest and virgin beachfront on the north-west coast of Ilia Prefecture, on the Peloponnese mainland, was secured by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in 1966 as a gift from the government of Greece, with supportive sponsorship from Greek shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis. [Diane Sierpina. "Ancient culture, modern campers". "New York Times". October 8, 1995. CN25.]

In mid-July 1975, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis attended Ionian Village to officiate at the opening of a new recreational building dedicated in memory of Aristotle Onassis. ["Notes on people". "New York Times". July 8, 1975. 22.] See this unveiled by Mrs. Onassis at the opening.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.IonianVillage.org/ Ionian Village website]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&sll=19.744539,-70.516006&sspn=0.006594,0.008519&ie=UTF8&ll=37.831387,21.15366&spn=0.005533,0.008519&t=h&z=17 Google Maps satellite view of the Ionian Village campus]
* [http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ionian+village Recent Ionian Village participant videos, hosted at YouTube.com]