The Triangle area is consistently recognized as one of the best places in the country to raise a family, and one of the biggest reasons for that is the Y Guides program which helps make the Triangle family-friendly.
What Are Y Guides?
Sponsored by the Triangle YMCA, the Y Guides program was created to build father-child relationships. It accomplishes this by facilitating opportunities for fathers to spend time with their kids camping, volunteering, creating crafts, learning new things, or just having fun.
By spending this one-on-one time with their kids, the fathers naturally become more engaged and involved in their lives, which has well-documented benefits for kids, including achievement at school, social behavior, and self-esteem.
Photo credit: Y Guides: YMCA Website
About The Y Guide Program
Y Guides is a three-year program, starting with children in first grade. Groups of about ten father-child pairs are formed into “tribes” that meet monthly to engage in fun, educational activities like crafts, games, and outdoor activities.
Explore, Bond, & Learn With Y Guides
In the fall and spring, Y Guides hosts weekend-long outings at YMCA camps near Raleigh and Arapahoe, N.C., near the coast. At the outings, dads and kids spend the weekend fishing, boating, swimming, and spending quality time together. These are massive events, with hundreds of dads and kids all having fun together.
Tribes are also encouraged to go on excursions on their own. These are up to each individual tribe, but can include everything from volunteering at a food drive to running a 5k or going camping in the mountains.
Y Guides In The Traingle
The Y Guides program is not unique to the Triangle; it’s offered through YMCAs across the country. What’s interesting is how popular it is in the Triangle. The Charlotte YMCA, for example, just a couple hours away from Raleigh, caps its Y Guides program at around 200 people. Participation in the Triangle Y Guides number in the tens of thousands.
It’s so popular in this area that it’s become a part of the culture. Families have had multiple generations go through the program. It’s a beloved institution, with dads giving each other a knowing nod and an enthusiastic “How how!” (the official Y Guides greeting) if they see each other wearing a t-shirt from one of the program outings.
Y Guides is an undeniably positive influence on the Triangle community, providing an avenue for thousands of area kids to have meaningful relationships with their fathers. It’s one of many reasons the area is a great place to live and raise a family.
For more information, visit the Y Guides web site.
Posted by Larry Tollen on
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