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What is
the YMCA Adventure Guides?
YMCA Adventure Guides is a program offered in YMCAs across the country
designed to strengthen the relationship between a father and a child. Included
here is detailed description of the program purpose and elements.
Why YMCA
Adventure Guides Exists
During their
elementary school years, children learn rapidly, becoming much more aware of the
world around them. They begin to see things differently and ask questions about
who they are, where they came from, and why things are as they are. During this
time, children tend to see their fathers as guides, teachers, and heroes. They
start to understand that fathers protect and nurture them. Ideally, during this
period, we learn how to talk with our children more than at
them. A strong relationship is based on our ability to ask open-ended questions
that help our children think and move beyond simple yes or no responses. During
these years, we strive to invite our children to accept challenges and
opportunities, celebrate accomplishments, and face fears.
We have designed the YMCA
Adventure Guides program to assist you and your child on your journey of
discovery. While activities with the whole family are important, we see
tremendous value in supporting and strengthening the ability of a father and his
or her child to communicate at an early age in ways that are caring, honest,
respectful, and responsible. We seek to encourage you as a father to “get to
know your kid while your kid is still a kid.”
For these reasons, we have
designed the program for one father and one child to participate together for
most activities. If this dynamic is not practical for your family or others in
your group, be flexible and work with your YMCA leaders to develop a structure
within the program that works for you.
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What YMCA
Adventure Guide Participants Do
 Your
local YMCA will assign you to a small group of father–child pairs called a
Circle who meet on a regular basis in each others’ homes, usually biweekly
or monthly. Occasionally, several Circles come together to participate in larger
activities such as campouts, parties, or parades. These outings are called
Expeditions. The core of the YMCA Adventure Guides program is these Circle
and Expedition meetings and adventures. Typical activities include ceremonies,
games, crafts, songs, stories, skits, and outdoor pursuits such as camping,
hiking, and swimming.
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Determining the Membership of Circles
Circles are
usually made up of 7 to 10 father–child pairs. YMCAs use various methods for
breaking new membership into Circles. Here are some possibilities:
By
gender. Boys and girls develop differently during the early
elementary years. Boys need time to be boys and girls need time to be girls.
Experienced programs tout the success of gender-specific Circles. However, if a
father has more than one child, or the program is small and just starting out,
it may be difficult to separate genders into separate Circles.
By
neighborhood or other common bonds. Some members would prefer to be
in a Circle with others from their neighborhood (or their place of work or
worship). This keeps travel time to a minimum and often allows children to
relate to friendships already established.
By
meeting night. More often than not, fathers who show interest in
joining the program will also be involved in many other things. Because
scheduling is a concern for them, they might prefer a Circle that meets on a
given night of the week for the biweekly or monthly Circle meetings. At that
point in the agenda when you are ready to break into Circles, a call-out process
(depending on numbers in attendance) seems to work well. “All those who prefer a
Monday night meeting come to this corner; all those who prefer a Tuesday night
meeting come to the front of the stage,” and so on.
By
ages. A fourth way of breaking into Circles is by age
group—grouping children together by kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and
so on. Single-age Circles allow activities to focus on age-appropriate needs and
interests. Circles grow up together and share many passages. There is no
competition among younger and older children. But if you use this method, be
aware of two possible problems. One is the father with two children of different
ages in the program but who prefers one Circle. The second possible problem
relates to Circle longevity. Normally, a father and child’s involvement lasts
three to four years. If all members of the Circle start while in kindergarten
and stay in the program three or four years, this Circle will die out at the end
of that time, unless it adds new members along the way.
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YMCA
Adventure Guides Compass Points
 The
program focus is the adventures of a father and child and of their Circles and
Expeditions. At the forefront of the program are the Compass Points, which give
members a sense of direction and an inspiration for activities. These points are
broad enough in scope to allow for variety and creativity in designing
activities.
The four main direction
points on the compass are the essential components of the program.
• The Family
is True North—the focal point of the program.
• Nature and the camping experience are integral parts of the
program.
• The spirit of the program is experienced through belonging to a small
Community, called a Circle.
• Fun is the magic of the program.
The YMCA Core Values of
caring, honesty, respect, and
responsibility make up the other directional points. Along the
journey, adults should model, teach, and demonstrate these values as well as
give children many opportunities to practice and celebrate them. Adults should
also point out and discuss with children any behavior that is inconsistent with
these values. Initially, these four values provide guidance in helping children
select activities, make decisions, and choose appropriate courses of action—both
in the program and in their lives. As children grow, these values become their
own internal compass.
The Compass Points allow
you and your Circle members to personalize rituals, activities, and events. You
can develop Compass Point activities relevant to your own town and your own
common experiences. For example, a group in Texas may build a theme around Texas
explorers and pioneers, while a group on the coast may use a scuba or water
exploration theme. In each case family, fun, nature, and community might take on
a slightly different meaning.
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Who
Participates in YMCA Adventure Guides?
We designed YMCA
Adventure Guides for fathers or other significant adults in children’s lives and
their children ages five through nine. (Some YMCAs also have programs for
children younger than five to give children an earlier start in the program.) An
adult and child must attend program activities together as a pair. In YMCA
Adventure Guides, the father is the Guide, and the child is the Explorer.
Typically, YMCA Adventure Guides programs appeal most to fathers and sons or
fathers and daughters, although
in some cases a grandfather or uncle has assumed the role of the father with the
boy or girl.
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How did
this Program Come to Be?
 The
YMCA Adventure Guide Program is an evolution of the original YMCA parent-child
program called Indian Guides. The father and son Y-Indian Guide program was
developed in 1926 to support the father’s vital family role as teacher,
counselor, and friend to his son. Harold S. Keltner, a YMCA director in St.
Louis, initiated this program around a blazing campfire while he was on a
hunting trip in Canada with his friend, Joe Friday, an Ojibwa Indian. Friday
told him, “The Indian father raises his son. He teaches his son to hunt, track,
and fish, walk softly and silently in the forest, know the meaning and purpose
of life and all he must know, while the white man allows the mother to raise his
son.” These words struck a chord for Keltner, and he arranged for Joe Friday to
work with him at the St. Louis YMCA.
After World War II, the
rise in YMCAs that served the whole family, the need for supporting young girls
in their personal growth, and the demonstrated success of the father–son program
nurtured the development of other parent–child programs. A mother–daughter
program, called Y-Indian Maidens, was established in South Bend, Indiana, in
1951. Three years later, father–daughter groups, called Y-Indian Princesses,
emerged in the Fresno YMCA of California. In 1980, the national YMCA recognized
the Y-Indian Braves Program for mothers and sons, thus completing the four
programs and combinations that made up the Y-Indian Guide Programs. Note
that the East Hampton Adventure Guides does not have any mother-son or
mother-daughter programs available.
For 75 years, the program
was the cornerstone for family programs in YMCAs across the country. But it is a
different world today than it was in 1926. Native Americans and other citizens
expressed concern over program participants’ adopting the Indian culture and
teaching children about Native American life in ways they deemed inaccurate or
stereotypical. The YMCA’s commitment to being a caring, honest, respectful, and
responsible organization; changing demographics resulting in diverse communities
and diverse family structures; and an evolving cultural sensitivity and better
understanding of Native American history all prompted YMCAs across the country
to re-evaluate their parent–child programs.
One of the strengths of
YMCAs both locally and nationally is that they have adapted and responded to
societal changes in order to remain relevant and useful to their communities.
From late 2000 to mid 2003 YMCA staff and volunteers from across the country met
on several occasions to craft a parent-child program that had a broader appeal.
In the summer and fall of 2003, YMCA Adventure Guides was launched in YMCA
communities everywhere.
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A
Comparison of YMCA Indian Guide and Adventure Guide Programs
People
familiar with the Indian Guide Program can see that the essential program
components of the original program are reflected in Adventure Guides.
Click here for the PDF (36KB)
of a comparison between the two programs.
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Program
History and Chronology
Click here for the PDF (69KB)
of the history and chronology of the YMCA
Adventure Guides.
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Frequently Asked Questions
 Here
are some typical questions that folks ask about Adventure Guides
What is YMCA Adventure Guides?
YMCA Adventure Guides is a father–child program designed to
help father–child pairs build strong, lasting relationships. They do this by
spending quality time together doing enjoyable activities that promote
communication. The East Hampton Adventure Guides is typical made up of
father-daughter and father-son combinations, though we also have had uncles,
grandfathers, and other other significant relations involved.
Who is YMCA Adventure Guides for?
Fathers and their children from grades 1 through 8
(or other significant adults). We also frequently have older children
up to age 18 who are graduates of Adventure Guides involved in volunteering
to help during activities.
What happens when I join?
New members are placed into Circles—a group of 7 to 10
father–child pairs who live in a certain area.
How much time will the program take?
Two to four hours a month. Circles meet once a month for an
hour at members’ homes on a rotating basis. Circles can also schedule one
outing a month. The entire nation, all the Circles in East Hampton,
have one or two planned activities per month.
When do Circles meet?
All meeting dates, days of the week, and times are chosen by
the individual Circle in order to accommodate all member’s schedules. Most
Circles meet on a weeknight around 7 o’clock or on Sunday afternoons.
What kinds of activities are involved?
Circle meeting activities include games, songs, stories,
crafts, and refreshments. In addition, the East Hampton Nation plans special
activities such as hiking, campouts, community service, cookouts, and family
outings.
Are there other activities involved?
Yes, including, Expedition adventures, for which all the
Circles get together, include fall/winter and spring campouts. Activities
include archery, canoeing, horseback riding, fishing, swimming, hiking, the
Memorial Day parade, and more.
How do I join?
Click on the
Join
link for more information.
How much does it cost?
Click on the
Join
link for more information.
Can we join a friend’s Circle?
Check with the Nation Chief for more information. His
phone or e-mail can be found by clicking
on
Join.
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