|
Our Programs
We have programs for Children of all ages, with a strong history that reaches back 85 years.
-
Papoose
: Parent/Child, 3 years to pre-K
-
Guides
: Fathers/Sons, Kindergarten - 5th grade
-
Princesses
: Fathers/Daughters,
Kindergarten - 5th grade
-
Maidens
: Mother/Daughters,
Kindergarten - 5th grade
-
Trail Blazers
: Parent/Child: 6th grade - 12th grade
|
|
|
|
Our History
The YMCA Parent Child programs has a long rich history reaching back to 1926.
It is based upon the deep respect for nature and strong family values present in Native American culture.
Harold S. Keltner, who was the St. Louis YMCA director, and his friends Joe Friday and William
H. Hefelfinger developed the original YMCA Indian Guides program in 1926. Their shared
vision has influenced countless parents and children and is based on universal principles
of dignity, patience, spirituality, and family.
Joe Friday planted the seed for the Guides during a hunting trip he and Keltner shared
in Canada. One night around the fire, talk turned to parenting and raising children. According
to lore, Friday, an Ojibwe, observed that, “The Indian father raises his son. He teaches his son
to hunt, to track, to fish, to walk softly and silently in the forest, to know the meaning and
purpose of life and all he must know…” Impressed by the what Friday spoke of,
Keltner began visualizing a program back home that would adopt these principles and offer families a unique and lasting shared experience.
Keltner convinced Friday to work with him at the St. Louis YMCA. There, Friday began speaking to family groups and Keltner discovered that fathers, as well as boys, had a keen interest in Native American culture and tradition. In 1926 Keltner blended these essential ideas with his own love of the outdoors to create the first Y-Indian Guides program in Richmond Heights, Missouri. Nine years later the Y-Indian Guides was recognized as a national YMCA program.
|
The Layman's Assembly on Boys' Work, meeting in October, 1935, in Niagara Falls, recommended to the National Council of the Young Men's Christian Associations that the Father and Son Y-Indian Guides become an integral part of the boys' work program of the YMCA. This recommendation was subsequently adopted by the National Council.
|
|
The Program Expands
The Y-Indian Guides program grew rapidly across the country thanks to the baby
boomer generation. It soon became clear that girls deserved a similar experience
and in 1951 a mother/daughter program evolved that today is known as Indian
Maidens. Three years later, in 1954, father/daughter Indian Princess groups
began.
In 1954, there were eighty-four registered tribes in St. Louis and St. Louis
County. "Alumni members" of the first tribes organized were among the most
enthusiastic supporters of the movement. It is natural that a program that met
such a deep-seated need in American life should spread to other sections of the
country.
The swift expansion of these programs has continued and now includes the
mother/son Braves program, Papooses for younger boys and girls, and Trailblazers
for older children who have graduated to more adventurous parent/child
experiences. Currently over 900 YMCA’s sponsor over 30,000 YMCA Youth Programs
in the United States.
|
|
Today, these Parent/Child programs has evolved with sensitivity and respect for Native American culture to become a one-of-a kind experience with guaranteed lifelong memories. Camping, outings, meetings, crafts, activities, leadership, bonding, fun, action, lasting friendships – the Y-Parent/Child experience is as varied as the members that have joined us!
Two Rivers Federation and the Tri-Town YMCA…
|
The Tri-Town YMCA began as the YMCA of Lombard in 1966. The “founding
fathers” were quite literally fathers who were traveling to other towns to
participate in YMCA Guides & Princesses programs. They appreciated the benefit
of YMCA programs in strengthening parent-child relationships and instilling
essential values and traditions. These concerned parents wanted to bring
the YMCA to their own community, and became the nucleus of our first YMCA Board
of Directors.
|
|
|
|
|