About the Adventure Guides

HISTORY OF THE THE YMCA INDIAN GUIDES/ADVENTURE GUIDES
     Harold Keltner, St. Louis YMCA Director, with the help of his good friend Joe Friday, an Ojibway Indian, originated the Y-Indian Guides program in 1926. Inspired by his experiences with Joe Friday, who was his guide on fishing and hunting trips into Canada.
     Harold Keltner developed a program to support parents' vital role as teachers, counselors, and friends to their children. The program now involves more than 200,000 children and parents annually in the YMCA.
     In 2003, the name was changed from Indian Guides to Adventure Guides out of respect for the Native American community.