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 or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. , Navigators USA has more than 100 chapters across the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and further groups in

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. 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 East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...

. 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 The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

, 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, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...

stated at a fund-raiser at

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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 Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

who has publicly told the Boy Scouts to change their wrong-headed anti-gay policy, I say 'Amen' to that!" The first Navigators Chapter in the United Kingdom started in January 2014 in

Kingskerswell Kingskerswell (formerly Kings Carswell, or Kings Kerswell) is a village and civil parish within Teignbridge local government district in the south of Devon, England. The village grew up where an ancient track took the narrowest point across a m ...

, Devon. With subsequent groups now also opened up in Cornwall, Devon, Hereford, Kent and Yorkshire and many more either as entire new groups or transferring over from mainstream Scouting Associations. In 2017, Navigators USA won a $9,500 grant for the completion of their Badge Book.

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