What We Do
Adventure & Have Fun!
Yomechas provides a variety of fun and adventurous events and activities for you and your child(ren) to enjoy throughout the program year (Aug-July). Everything is entirely optional so you participate only in those activities and events that you and your child(ren) are interested in and available for.
Tribe Gatherings
You and your child(ren) become part of the Yomechas community by joining a tribe in your neighborhood that will typically gather every 4-6 weeks, as determined by the tribe’s leaders. These gatherings are the heartbeat of our program where families, typically from the same elementary school, come together to form close-knit friendships and share unforgettable experiences together.
Children participate with their classmates while making new friends with schoolmates in other grades and parents foster new friendships with other parents in their neighborhood. All participants strengthen their ties with their community.
Tribe gatherings are usually about 90 minutes long, designed to be fun, engaging, and focused on structured parent-child activities. Gatherings range from nature scavenger hunts and visits to the bison herd at Fermilab, or maybe as simple as backyard games and crafts, or story time, sing-alongs and, of course, always delicious snacks!
Federation Events
Each month you will also be invited to enjoy larger Federation-wide activities. These are optional events inclusive of all members, from all tribes, across all Nations. Most are funded by your annual Federation dues and open to all family members, including spouses and siblings, at nominal or no additional cost to you.
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Museum Overnight
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Canoe on Wheels (Pinewood Derby)
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Fishing Derby
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Fall Pumpkin Hunt
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Bowling Party
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Holiday Party
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Roller-Skating
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Kite Flying
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4th of July and Holiday Parades
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Floor Hockey… and way more!
And Best of All... Legendary Campouts!
Throughout the program year, each of our Nations invites their tribes to join three Campouts in the fall, winter, and spring seasons. Held at nearby, professionally-staffed YMCA camps, these are paid overnight outings where tribes bunk together in well-appointed bunkhouses and enjoy meals prepared by a dedicated staff. You get to spend the weekend bonding with your child(ren) over adventurous fun and growing together in the beauty of nature.
Like going to sleepaway camp with your child(ren) for a weekend, you'll enjoy common grade school level recreation and camp activities together. Options differ by camp, and by season, but generally include a rich variety of fun and exciting opportunities:
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Horseback Riding
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Canoeing
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Fishing
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Hiking
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Archery, Target Sports
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Obstacle Courses
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Climbing Tower
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Ziplines
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Sledding, Tobogganing, Tubing
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Bullet Slides
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Crafts, Games
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Campfires, Comradery… and much more!
Giving Back
Members are also given the opportunity to learn the value of community service and understand that a "community" extends beyond the local neighborhood. Yomechas engages in several community service projects each year and supports various Native American groups.
Sioux YMCA on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota serves one of the most impoverished Native American communities in the country. They operate youth, recreational, and camping programs that serve families throughout the impoverished reservation. Starting in 1981, Yomechas Federation has supported this community by donating tens of thousands of dollars for equipment and repairs to the Sioux YMCA.
Downers Grove FISH Food Pantry is a volunteer operation that provides essential services to families in need across the Downers Grove, Westmont and Lisle areas. Every December, the Yomechas Federation celebrates the holidays with a food drive, donating thousands of dollars worth of canned goods and other essential shelf-stable items to this local charitable organization.
Feed My Starving Children is a Christian based non-profit that donates nutritionally complete meals, specifically formulated for malnourished children in impoverished communities around the world. Every year Yomechas Federation members help turn hunger into hope with their own two hands by packing nutritious meals for hungry children around the world, at FMSC facilities in Schaumburg and Aurora.
Metropolitan Family Services empowers under privileged Chicago-area families to learn, to earn, to heal, and to thrive so they can reach their greatest potential and positively impact their communities. During the holiday season each year, Yomechas Federation members take pride in donating hundreds of Christmas gifts to MFS for children that might otherwise not receive any gifts at all.
Community service is a vital way we teach our children about caring and sharing. While participation in these efforts is encouraged, it is always voluntary.