Who Are We?

South Bay Voyagers is a YMCA Adventure Guides group. It’s a father-child program dedicated to providing camping and community service activities for kids to experience with their dads. The program is for kids in Kindergarten through Second Grade.

What Do We Do?

The signature events are the campouts, including Fall Camp at Yucaipa and Spring Camp at Catalina. Don’t worry if you’re not a camper! This is not hardcore wilderness camping. At Yucaipa, you bring your own tent and cook your own food, but Starbucks is just five minutes away. At Catalina, the camp provides your lodging and serves delicious camp food! (According to some…) This is a great way for you to give your kids an outdoors experience geared towards their ages.

We also have a strong tradition of contributing to the community. We run the Skechers Snow Park at the Manhattan Beach Fireworks and volunteer at other community events. A highlight of the year is the annual Adopt A Family drive, which gives the children the opportunity to brighten the holiday season for kids their own age.

Additional activities include an pinewood derby, as well as Winter Event (traditionally Pali Mountain).

How does it work?

Participants are organized into groups called Circles. Generally, Circles are father/daughter or father/son by grade, but there are no rules against mixing boys and girls, or grades. Some circles have all of the kids from the same school and some have a mix.

Each group elects a group leader known as a Navigator. The Navigator is in charge of organizing their Circle for the campouts and service activities. The workload is light, but important. The main duty is keeping track of the dads/kids participating in SB Voyagers activities and communicating participation with the Council. Other responsibilities include running pre-camp circle dads meetings to organize food (Yucaipa only) and additional equipment needs, such as bocce and ladderball. Navigators also attend the monthly Navigator meetings on behalf of their Circles.

The program is run by our local YMCA with the help of the volunteer Council. The Council is comprised of dads who are responsible for maintaining the SB Voyagers traditions and keeping things organized.  Got an idea, a new tradition, a complaint or a compliment?  Let the Council know.

Why should I do it?

Adventure Guides is a South Bay tradition that has gone on for decades. Today’s dads are pretty busy and this program provides an opportunity for dads to have dedicated time with their kids at a predictable, work-friendly commitment level. This is something that your kids – and you – will remember for years to come.  You will bond with your child(ren), they will bond with their friends (existing and new), and you’ll have a network of dads for the reminder of your child(ren)’s time in the South Bay.

How do I get started?

Find/Start a Circle: Many circles are formed by dads who know each other from the neighborhood, kids preschool and kindergarten classes, sports teams, or dads who meet at the Information Night session (See events for this years schedule).  If you need help with finding a circle, you can indicate that you are looking for one when you register.

Register With The Y: Online registration for this year’s program is available now HERE. The program fee is $65 for dad and $65 for each child (with a $10 multi-kid discount).  We ask for a second email address, in recognition of the reality that Mom manages the calendar for many families (tip:  Go to the Calendar page now and get all of these dates on Mom’s calendar).

There will be a New Navigator Orientation each year about a month after school starts in the fall. Please plan on attending to get all your questions answered.

Put dates on Family Calendar: Every year, a few kids miss out on camps due to avoidable scheduling conflicts. Don’t let this happen to your child! Be sure to get the camps and events on the family calendar right away. If the subtle hint isn’t enough, we’ll be more clear: Make sure Mom knows the dates.  Send her this link right now:  Calendar