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The Headband
The central theme of
the Guide headband is the eye of the Great Spirit surrounded by the four
winds of heaven. The feathered arrow designs that extend right and left from
the central symbol represent the useful services of father and son. Among
the American Indians, whenever someone achieved an outstanding feat, its
significance was recognized by the Indian tribe, often in the form of
feathers. The fact that the father and son achievements are united in the
center of the design is interpreted to mean that fathers and sons together,
under the eye of the Great Spirit, are seeking to help each other in the
service they render.
On the right side of the headband are the symbols of the
mother and the home. A line connects the mother symbol to home, which is symbolized by the
fire in the tepee. On the left are symbols of father and son. Their relationship is
represented by the line that joins the two symbols. These symbols add to the richness of
the central theme, for it is in service to mother and home that many of the more
significant achievements of father and son will take place.
Far to the right are symbols of day and forest. Far to the
left are symbols of mountain, lake, field and stream, with the moon for night. These
symbols enrich the central theme, giving broader scope to services by centering the
efforts of father and son on village and community life, and as the aim states, "in
forest, field, and stream."
The central
theme of the Princess headband is the sign of the eye of the Great Spirit
with the crossed arrows of friendship on the left side and the circled heart
of love on the right side. The symbols for father and daughter are next to
the grouped tepees, which indicate happy work in the community, and a single
teepee, which denotes happy work in the home. The trees, water, and grass
exhort the wearer to see and preserve the Great Spirit's beauty in forest,
field and stream.
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What is the YMCA Adventure Guides?
YMCA Adventure Guides
is a family program designed for a father and his elementary school age child. In YMCA
Adventure Guides, it is understood that the parent serves as a guide in a child’s
life. Parents lead, direct, supervise,
influence, and teach while presenting opportunities for children to explore the world
around them. They lead by example as they set
their children on a path through life. In the
early years, the program is a side-by-side journey before children are launched into more
advanced, independent activities. In the YMCA
Adventure Guides program, the journey occurs within the context of a small Circle
community. The Circle is the program’s
basic group unit, providing a structure, a sense of community, and support for all group
activities. Adventure Guides (parents) and
Explorers (children) meet in Circles once a month and participate in Expedition adventures
(e.g., overnight camping) throughout the year.
Program
Theme
At the forefront of the program are the
compass points. The
compass points lend an inspiration for activities but also provide a framework from which
to build an adventure theme. The
compass-points approach retains the program’s focus on strengthening parent-child
relationships through small Circle communities while participating in activities that help
meet the program’s objectives. The four main directional 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. They also should give children many opportunities
to practice and celebrate these values and to discuss behavior that is inconsistent with
the values. Initially, these values will
provide guidance in helping children select activities, make decisions, and decide on an
appropriate course of action, both within the program and in all aspects of their lives. Ideally, as children grow, these values will
become their own internal compasses.
Program
History
The YMCA Indian Guide
program for fathers and sons was developed in a deliberate way to support the
father’s vital family role as a teacher, counselor, and friend to his son. The program was created
more than three-quarters of a century ago by Harold S. Keltner, director of the St. Louis
YMCA, as an integral part of association work. While
Keltner was on a hunting trip in Canada one evening, Joe Friday, a friend and American
Indian, told him as they sat around a blazing campfire: “The Indian father raises his
son. He teaches his son to hunt, track, fish,
walk softly and silently in the forest, know the meaning and purpose of life and all he
must know.” These comments struck home,
and Harold Keltner arranged for Joe Friday to work with him at the St. Louis YMCA.
Joe Friday
spoke before groups of YMCA boys and dads in St. Louis, and Keltner discovered that fathers, as well as boys, had a keen interest in the
traditions and ways of American Indians. At
the same time, being greatly influenced by the work of Ernest Thompson Seton, a great
lover of the outdoors, Keltner conceived the idea of a father and son program based upon
the strong qualities of American Indian culture and life—dignity, patience,
endurance, spirituality, feeling for the earth, and concern for the family. In 1926, Keltner organized the first Indian Guide
“tribe” in Richmond Heights, Missouri, with the help of Joe Friday and William
H. Hefelfinger. Harold Keltner developed a
program that now involves about 180,000 children and adults annually in the YMCA.
In
the later part of the 20th century, staff and
participants across the country expressed concern regarding the use of another culture as
a theme for a YMCA program. Several Native
Americans also shared their concerns. In
2000, YMCA of the USA began a three-year observation and overview of its parent-child
programs. With the support and input of local
YMCAs, in 2003, YMCA of the USA launched YMCA Adventure Guides, a new direction in
parent-child programs. YMCA Adventure Guides
captures the intent and magic of the original program—a deepening bond between parent
and child. Many hope that this new direction
will appeal to a wider audience of families.
Program
Structure
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