Adventure Guides
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Youth Potential - Adventure Guides
CONNECTING DADS AND KIDS
With our hectic and busy lives, dads and kids don’t often get designated time together to develop their unique bond. Adventure Guides celebrates the vital role that fathers play in the growth and development of their children. At its core, the Adventure Guides program provides the framework for dads and kids to share entertaining, age-appropriate activities in local crews with uninterrupted time to connect, tune into needs and show pride and affection.
Building a Legacy
The Y-Guides program was founded in 1926 by St. Louis YMCA director, Harold Keltner. Originally created to support and encourage a father’s vital role as teacher, counselor and friend to his son, the program has since grown to include daughters. In 1958, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte launched the program with three tribes, and has grown to its current size of 185 tribes with over 1000 families and 2300 individuals.
Support Adventure Guides
When you support the YMCA in its role responding to the critical needs of the communities they serve, you help ensure that programs like Adventure Guides membership and events are available to all families in our community.
Program History
Turning the hearts of the Father to their children and the hearts of the children to their Fathers. -- Malachi 4:6
The YMCA Indian Guides Program was developed in a deliberate way to support a father's vital role as teacher, counselor and friend to his son. The program was initiated by Harold S. Keltner, Director of the YMCA in St. Louis. With the help of his friends – Joe Friday, an Ojibuway Indian and William H. Hefelfinger, chief of the first Indian Guides tribe – Harold organized the first tribe in Richmond Heights, Missouri in 1926.
The Y-Indian Princess Program was an outgrowth of the Indian Guides Program. It enabled fathers and their daughters to participate together in a variety of activities that nurtured mutual understanding, love and respect. The first Y-Indian Princesses Program was formed in the Fresno, California YMCA in 1954. Today, as then, the Princess Program affords a wonderful opportunity for the concerned and busy father to facilitate growth in a daughter's development and an understanding of the world around her. The father's role nurtures his daughter in developing self-esteem, confidence in her peers and appreciation for the differences in people and families.
Traditions help bring a sense of continuity, community, intrigue and magic to Adventure Guides.
Adventure Guides Names
Each dad and child chooses an Adventure Guides name which they use in the program. These are like camp nicknames.
Program Attire
Each dad and child chooses to purchase a vest to wear at meetings and events. The vest displays the patches that you earn and receive during each year of participation. Your vest becomes a wonderful memento of all the memories you create at Adventure Guides. Other program attire is optional.
Outing Ceremony
At each Outing, a fun magical ceremony adds to the intrigue and continuity of the program. This ceremony combines awards and special private moments between a dad and a child. This evening ceremony is a highlight for all participants.
Testimonials
"Y-Guides gives dads a chance to see and influence their child's interaction with other kids. The program also gives the child a chance to see their dad lead and interact with other dads. It's a great social learning and development opportunity and - oh, by the way - it creates fun memories that last a lifetime!"
- Sassy Strawberry, Y-Guides Director
"Y-Guides has been one of the coolest things I have done with my daughter. She gets excited about all the activities, whether it's a Princess Date Night, an overnight camping trip at the Longhouse or just a monthly event with our tribe. And I get excited to see how much she enjoys it, and how it helps bring us that much closer together. Y-Guides has taught her different life lessons, whether it's the value of some of the charity work our tribe has done or the confidence she's developed after scaling a climbing wall. We'll be back next year for our third year doing this, and my rising kindergartner is very excited that come fall, she will finally get her chance."
Waterfall Tiger, Y Princess Father
When you give to Adventure Guides, you make our community better through life-changing experiences for dads and kids.
More than ever, families need Y programs to help stay connected. Adventure Guides gives kids and dads the opportunity to spend quality time together and strengthen their relationship. Plus, they become part of a community committed to teaching kids critical life skills and the importance of serving others. Everyone is welcome in Adventure Guides. Through the generosity of our donors, we provide scholarship assistance so that families in need can participate.
A donation of $500 sends father and child to two weekends of Outings where they create lasting memories.
Each year as one of our service projects, Adventure Guides raises funds for the YMCA of Greater Charlotte Community Outreach Campaign.
With our current economy, it becomes more difficult for families to include Adventure Guides in their budgets. Our annual campaign allows us to assist current and new members with annual fees as well as attend events and Outings with their child and crew. We also support Overnight Camp and Day Camp.
Our goal is for every crew to raise $500. When your crew reaches their goal, each crew member earns a patch for that year, 100 points per dad toward your crew award and recognition at an Outing ceremony.
Our overall goal is $15,000. To reach this goal, we rely on your support! Please donate online and encourage your family and friends to do the same.
Program History
Turning the hearts of the Father to their children and the hearts of the children to their Fathers. -- Malachi 4:6
The YMCA Indian Guides Program was developed in a deliberate way to support a father's vital role as teacher, counselor and friend to his son. The program was initiated by Harold S. Keltner, Director of the YMCA in St. Louis. With the help of his friends – Joe Friday, an Ojibuway Indian and William H. Hefelfinger, chief of the first Indian Guides tribe – Harold organized the first tribe in Richmond Heights, Missouri in 1926.
The Y-Indian Princess Program was an outgrowth of the Indian Guides Program. It enabled fathers and their daughters to participate together in a variety of activities that nurtured mutual understanding, love and respect. The first Y-Indian Princesses Program was formed in the Fresno, California YMCA in 1954. Today, as then, the Princess Program affords a wonderful opportunity for the concerned and busy father to facilitate growth in a daughter's development and an understanding of the world around her. The father's role nurtures his daughter in developing self-esteem, confidence in her peers and appreciation for the differences in people and families.
Traditions help bring a sense of continuity, community, intrigue and magic to Adventure Guides.
Adventure Guides Names
Each dad and child chooses an Adventure Guides name which they use in the program. These are like camp nicknames.
Program Attire
Each dad and child chooses to purchase a vest to wear at meetings and events. The vest displays the patches that you earn and receive during each year of participation. Your vest becomes a wonderful memento of all the memories you create at Adventure Guides. Other program attire is optional.
Outing Ceremony
At each Outing, a fun magical ceremony adds to the intrigue and continuity of the program. This ceremony combines awards and special private moments between a dad and a child. This evening ceremony is a highlight for all participants.
Testimonials
"Y-Guides gives dads a chance to see and influence their child's interaction with other kids. The program also gives the child a chance to see their dad lead and interact with other dads. It's a great social learning and development opportunity and - oh, by the way - it creates fun memories that last a lifetime!"
- Sassy Strawberry, Y-Guides Director
"Y-Guides has been one of the coolest things I have done with my daughter. She gets excited about all the activities, whether it's a Princess Date Night, an overnight camping trip at the Longhouse or just a monthly event with our tribe. And I get excited to see how much she enjoys it, and how it helps bring us that much closer together. Y-Guides has taught her different life lessons, whether it's the value of some of the charity work our tribe has done or the confidence she's developed after scaling a climbing wall. We'll be back next year for our third year doing this, and my rising kindergartner is very excited that come fall, she will finally get her chance."
Waterfall Tiger, Y Princess Father
When you give to Adventure Guides, you make our community better through life-changing experiences for dads and kids.
More than ever, families need Y programs to help stay connected. Adventure Guides gives kids and dads the opportunity to spend quality time together and strengthen their relationship. Plus, they become part of a community committed to teaching kids critical life skills and the importance of serving others. Everyone is welcome in Adventure Guides. Through the generosity of our donors, we provide scholarship assistance so that families in need can participate.
A donation of $500 sends father and child to two weekends of Outings where they create lasting memories.
Each year as one of our service projects, Adventure Guides raises funds for the YMCA of Greater Charlotte Community Outreach Campaign.
With our current economy, it becomes more difficult for families to include Adventure Guides in their budgets. Our annual campaign allows us to assist current and new members with annual fees as well as attend events and Outings with their child and crew. We also support Overnight Camp and Day Camp.
Our goal is for every crew to raise $500. When your crew reaches their goal, each crew member earns a patch for that year, 100 points per dad toward your crew award and recognition at an Outing ceremony.
Our overall goal is $15,000. To reach this goal, we rely on your support! Please donate online and encourage your family and friends to do the same.