In the YMCA Adventure Guides program, a 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.  The program focuses on skills, values, habits, and fun. Parent participates (Guides) use the program Compass Points (family, nature, community, fun, and character-development values) to provide a focus or sense of direction to this role.  The YMCA Adventurer Guides program supports the vital role parent splay as teachers, counselors, and friends.  In this program, parents lead by example as they set their children (Explorers) on a path through life.  In the early years, the journey is taken side by side; eventually, children are launched into more advanced, independent activities.  In the YMCA Adventure Guides program, the journey happens within the context of small Circle Communities.

Throughout the program you will references to the term “parents” which we define broadly to include all adults with primary responsibility for raising children.  These include biological parents, adoptive parents, guardians, stepparents, grandparents raising children, or any other type of parenting relationship.  All are welcome and encouraged to be guides in raising children for whom they are responsible or to whom they’ve committed to being a good adult role model.