About Us

Santa Clarita Valley Family YMCA Y-Guides - NunPaWaPa Nation

The Y-Guides is a program for parents and sons/daughters in kindergarten through the 3rd grade. Children in grades 4 through 8 can join the Trailblazers. The Y-Guides was formerly named the Indian Guides and is also known in some areas as Adventure Guides. Today, we retain many Native American themes in the program. This theme is always used with great respect and dignity.

Our Nation covers the Santa Clarita Valley. Within our nation, each child is assigned to a tribe, generally near their school or house. There are tribes consisting of all boys, all girls and co-ed.

Tribes meet once a month for a fun meeting. Tribes generally go on a monthly outing which can be as simple as a local hike or bike ride or something longer such as a day outing. Tribes work together to select an outing that works for everyone.

Every month or two, there is a nation event sponsored by the YMCA. These events can range from ice skating or attending an event up to multi day outings. Several times a year we go to a weekend camp at the beach, in the mountains or in the snow. Great food is often provided as well as crafts and activities. Activities can range from rope climbing, surfing, rock wall climbing, fishing, archery, sports and other fun games. Check out our events page for a more detailed look at our outings.

Vest There are no uniforms in the Y-Guides. A simple leather vest is worn. Patches are awarded to those attending many events. Patches are proudly displayed on the vest that is worn to every event. Both parent and child wear the vests. Leather vests can be purchased. Some members keep them simple, add beads or go all out. It's up to you!

You can join the Y-Guides program at any time during the year. The program runs from September through July. Financial assistance is available. Please contact the Santa Clarita Valley Family YMCA for more details on this.

Join

How to Join

Joining is easy! Simply visit our contact page and contact the Santa Clarita Valley Family YMCA. The Program Director will help you choose a tribe that will work best for you and your child.

Beliefs

Purpose

The purpose of the Y-Guides Program is to foster understanding and companionship between parent and son/daughter.

Slogan

"Pals Forever"

The slogan, "Pals Forever," means that parent and child have a close, enduring relationship in which there is communication, understanding, and companionship. The Y-Guides Program encourages such a relationship by providing a means for parent and child to share enjoyable experiences, to observe and learn about one another, and to develop mutual respect.

"Pals forever" captures the essence of Y-Guides Program – the opportunity to strengthen parent-child relationships through activities that are challenging and fun!

Aims

To be clean in body and pure in heart.
To be pals forever with my parent/child.
To love the sacred circle of family.
To listen while others speak.
To love my neighbor as myself.
To seek and preserve the beauty of the Great Spirit's work in forest, field, and stream.

History

Y-Guides History

The Y-Guides Program is an evolution of the original YMCA parent-child program called Indian Guides. The father and son Y-Guides program was developed in 1926 to support the parent’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, parent–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.

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.