Navigators USA is an American non-aligned Scouting organization that was founded in 2003 in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. , Navigators USA has more than 100 chapters across the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and further groups in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. Navigators is open to all genders between ages 4 and 18. Navigators is based on ideas of consensus and allows for multi-age interactions where children can mentor each other. It is open to all regardless of sexual orientation or religious belief. The mission of the Navigators is:

History

In 2003, Navigators USA was founded by a group of volunteers serving children in need in East Harlem, New York. They wanted to offer a Scouting experience for boys and girls that was non-discriminatory and secular. They felt there was a need for an alternative organization that approached Scouting from a different perspective than the established organizations. Robin Bossert started the Navigators after facing a moral dilemma. The

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

, besides not allowing girls or gay youth, also required that boys believe in a supreme being. Due to these exclusionary practices, Bossert created the alternative Scouting group that would become the Navigators USA. In the fall of 2010 a 188-page Navigators guidebook was completed and the new group became public. Bossert credits the guidebook for an increase in current interest. Not only does the guidebook teach outdoor skills it also has all the information to start Navigators. In 2011, incumbent Mayor of New York City

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...

stated at a fund-raiser at

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...

that "by belonging to the Navigators, boys and girls get the guidance and adult-supervised adventure that only Scouting can offer—in an atmosphere free of any stigma about sexual orientation. And as a proud Eagle Scout who has publicly told the Boy Scouts to change their wrong-headed anti-gay policy, I say 'Amen' to that!" In 2017, Navigators USA won a $9,500 grant for the completion of their Badge Book.

UK Navigators

The first Navigators Chapter in the United Kingdom started in January 2014 in Kingskerswell, Devon, with groups subsequently opened in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

. In 2019, there were five Navigator groups operating in England.

Program

The organization has three program sections: Stargazers, for children ages 4–6; Junior Navigators, age 7–10; and Senior Navigators age 11–18. Junior Navigators have three levels: * Mira * Vega * Polaris The Senior section has four levels: * Shadow * Tracker * Pilot * Navigator The program's top award is the Summit Achievement Award.

References

External links

Navigators USA Homepage

Navigators UK Homepage

Yorkshire Navigators UK Homepage

Mother Jones: Gay-Friendly Scouting Organization Doubles Its Numbers in One Year
{{Scouting in the United States Organizations established in 2003 Non-aligned Scouting organizations in the United States Youth organizations based in the United States 2003 establishments in New York City