Indian Bowl
The realization of a vision...
We are currently fundraising to restore the Indian Bowl. If you are interested in helping with the Indian Bowl Project, please contact our Executive Director, Andrew Boyd-Goodrich.
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A brief history of the Indian Guides
Former YMCA staff member Harold Keltner is credited with beginning the Y-Indian Guides program, in the 1920’s, after being inspired by his good friend, Joe Friday, a member of the Ojibway tribe.
In the beginning, this YMCA program sought to foster companionship between father and son through activities based on the qualities of Native American culture in local tribes; such as patience, endurance, spirituality, feeling for the earth, and concern for the family.
Over the years the model has been used to form the Y-Indian Maidens (1951) for mothers and daughters, and the Y-Indian Princesses (1954) for fathers and daughters. Later, the program would change names to the Y-Adventure Guides, Y-Trail, Y-Braves, Y-Voyagers, Y-Guides, Y-Westerners, and Y-Small World. But while the name of the programs changed to reflect contemporary values and cultural sensitivity, the focus of the program remained on the parent-child bonding and an appreciation and respect for nature and for all people.
Hundreds of parent-child programs still exist across the nation. The use of “Indian” themes has been discontinued, but the importance of creating worthwhile parent-child bonding yielding Friends Always, Pals Forever, and Friends Forever remains.