Sometimes at camp, campers and Staff have to adapt to guidelines and schedules they aren't necessarily used to. However, these ultimately allow everyone to thrive at camp and maximize their time there. In this video, Ionian Village's Director of Support and Outreach and school Social Worker Marissa Garoufalis dives into how we can apply camp experience to the current pandemic in order to disconnect, experience, and ultimately rejuvenate during this time.

The summer of 2019 marked the first time a mental health professional was officially part of the Ionian Village team. Schools around the country are pouring resources into mental health and wellness programs. A real need has arisen in the last decade for children and young adults to have access to professionals in this field. Ionian Village has been at the forefront of this trend, working with Marissa to develop and refine her role and how it can be implemented at camps across our Archdiocese. Last summer she led portions of Staff orientation and spent significant time training them on how to handle situations involving their campers and themselves. In this video from The Office of Ionian Village, Marissa introduces her knowledge, her role at IV, and connects shared summer camp experiences to some of what we are experiencing now during the pandemic in order to disconnect, experience, and then rejuvenate during this time.