What is the YMCA Guide, Adventure guide program, Indian Guides,
Indian Princess and Papoose Programs about?

The YMCA Y-Indian Guides, Y-Indian Princesses, Y-Indian Braves and Y-Indian Maidens, also known as the YMCA Adventure Guide Program are year-round programs designed to build strong relationships between parents and their children. 
It is open to families with children in kindergarten to third grade.

The YMCA guide program was started 
by Harold S. Keltner, St. Louis YMCA Director and Joe Friday, an Ojibway Indian.

The participants in the YMCA Family Programs learn about American Indian people
their culture, their customs, crafts and games, and seek to bring new understanding and appreciation of the
Native American Heritage and the contributions Native Americans have made to our nation.
They strive to share the qualities of the American Indian culture and life: 
Dignity, Patience, Endurance, Spirituality, Feeling for the earth, and Concern for the family.
Some YMCA y-guide programs are now called YMCA Adventure guides 
but have strived to keep the Native American theme. 
The reason the YMCA uses the Native American theme is to help focus the groups, 
and to bring traditional values and organizational structure to the program.
The YMCA you join will assign you to a group called a circle or tribe,
that will meet on a regular basis in each others’ homes, weekly, biweekly or monthly. 
YMCA guides tribes/groups will get together for campouts and family outings, throughout the year 
to go on campouts, and other field trips.

The yguides aims are listed as:

1. To be clean in body and pure in heart.
2. To be pals forever with my father/son.
3. To love the sacred circle of my family.
4. To listen while others speak.
5. To love my neighbor as myself.
6. To seek and preserve the beauty of the Great Spirit's work in forest, field, and stream

To quote Joe Friday:
“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.”

For more information on The Adventure Guide Program, YMCA Y-Indian Guides, Y-Indian Princesses,
Y-Indian Braves and Y-Indian Maidens 
Click here for links to the YMCA's that have these programs.

Use the our already designed Craft kits for Yguide and Adventure Guide Programs
or ask us to help you with you Indian crafts.

Adventure Guides, YMCA, Yguides Vest Sizing Assistance

Yguide Vest Kits - Suede Leather Vest Kits
Leather Vest Kits, veg split Suede Vest kits for Guide Program  y-guide Vests, Vests for Adventure Guides veg split Suede Leather Vest Kits For Your Patches

Y-guide Vest Assembly and Patch Gluing Instructions

Measure 4X the distance you are going to sew and cut off the sinew.
Thread needle with waxed sinew and twist to secure thread onto needle.
Overlap and align shoulder holes at left back (top) panel over front panel.
Leave 2" of thread at first hole, sew along seam "in and out" running stitch to the end.
Turn and sew back to starting point filling in between previous stitches.
Double stitch through the last hole and tie ends of thread together in a square knot. Trim off the excess thread.
Melt knot into itself to secure the knot and stitching from unraveling.
Overlap and align holes of the left front  (side) panel over left back panel.
Leave 2" of thread at first hole, sew along seam "in and out" running stitch to the end.
Turn and sew back to starting point filling in between previous stitches.
Double stitch through the last hole and tie ends of thread together in a square knot. Trim off the excess thread.
Melt knot into itself to secure the knot and stitching from unraveling.
Repeat overlap steps on right side of the vest.

**NOTE**
You can overlap the seams in any way that you would like to as far as back over front, or front over back.
You can add 2 different color pony beads in the stitching to add decoration to the vest.
You would just add the beads as you are sewing...it is suggested that you only add beads to the top and side stitching.
Adding beads to the back of the adult vests will cause the beads to rub on chairs etc and make it uncomfortable.

Begin by construction the back of your adult vest kit
Begin stitching at the bottom center of the vest.
Measure 4X the distance you are going to sew and cut off sinew.
(You will use 1 piece of sinew for the full back...
so measure 4X across the back and from the bottom to center of V-shape if vest)
Thread needle with waxed sinew and twist to secure thread onto needle.
Place 2 bottom back panels together, overlapping left over right.
The top panel is overlapped over BOTH bottom panels.
Leave 2" of thread at first hole, sew along seam "in and out" running stitch to the end.
Starting at bottom, go up to venter, over to the right, back to center, stitch to the left and then back to center.
Then stitch back to your starting point at the bottom center of the vest.
Double stitch the last hole and tie ends of thread together in a square knot. Trim off part of excess thread
Melt knot into itself to secure the knot and stitching from unraveling.
Follow instructions above (under Child's kit) to sew shoulders and sides of vests.

Hopefully the instructions we have created for construction of your y-guide vests using artificial sinew,
will be helpful in making your vests a project you can do with your child.

If the back of your patch is shiny (which many of them are now), scuff up the back of the patch so that the glue will adhere.
Place the patch on the vest in the position where it will be glued.
Mark around the patch lightly with a pencil.
Put a thin coat of glue on the back of the patch and in the space you have marked out for the patch.
Allow glue to become tacky. Put patch on vest in position.
Set a book on top of the patch when the patch is on the vest to hold them together while the glue dries.
MAKE SURE that you only apply a THIN coat of glue...
If you put too much glue on the patch or vest it will seep over the sides of the patch and stain the vest.

Try to get the glue all the way to the bottom edges of the patch so that they will be fully adhered to the vest.
If the edges are not glued down this tends to cause the edges to lift and the patch to "pop off"

YMCA - Adventure Guides, Y-guides, Y-princess Events

The YMCA has a really cool program called the YMCA Y-Guides.
If you and I join, we would get to do really neat stuff together.
We would be guides and explorers who meet with other dads/moms and kids.
They would come to our house (or we would go to theirs) for meetings about once a month.
But the meetings would be fun...we’d have ceremonies and snacks and play games.
We’d also get to go on adventures in our community.
And, oh yeah, camping and being outdoors is a big part of the program.
We would wear cool vests and patches and maybe even carry walking sticks.
Let’s call the YMCA to find out how we can join.
Can we?

Many of these events are only attended by memnbers of the YMCA y-guide program,
A great program that fosters a relationship between a parent and their child.
If you are interested in attending this programs or would like more information about
the Indian Guides, Indian Princess, or papoose programs (now known at some YMCA's as Adventure Guides)
Contact the YMCA in your area and sign up!

To join in on these events you need to be a member of the YMCA guide or princess programs.  Please contact your local YMCA about joining these programs.

Southern California YMCA with the Expedition, Native Sons and Daughters, Adventure Guide, Indian Guide & Indian Princess Programs include:

Triunfo Y-Guides and Y-Princesses Calendar