NAVIGATION GAMES

Maija was promoted to Executive Director and we hired Mikayla as Program Manager. Our highly-functioning core team was rounded out this year by Jackson, Meka, Evalin and Kieran. With an "Innovation Grant" from Boston Harbor Now, we made maps of two islands and hosted 250 orienteers at two events there. We organized an orienteering championship race for NJROTC cadets from several states. In Cambridge, we added a culminating "jamboree" event to the 3rd grade curriculum, pitting the 12 schools against each other in an exciting Score-O style team race.

With Maija's arrival as the lead executive for Navigation Games, we were able to do so much! We added middle and high school curricula to PE in Cambridge. We started working with the Public Schools of Brookline. We hosted five vistiing resident orienteers (including from the USA< Norway, France, and Mozambique). We started talking about school orienteering with folks in other countries via the International Orienteering Federation. And we rolled out our beginning teaching kit with animals designed by artist Marina Carlson.

Most of our programs were co-taught by teachers from partner schools and organizations. We gave workshops at schools and conferences.

The 3rd grade program in Cambridge expanded to a 6-lesson, 3-week unit. We started working with students at the Roger Clap school in Dorchester, and 500 students at the Sunita Williams school in Needham. We collaborated with the Appalachian Mountain Club to create a workshop in Boston. We delivered 954 classes and events, for 15,000 participants.

COVID: we lost workers but then delivered many classes both online and in person (outdoors!). Did you know you can teach orienteering via Zoom? We figured out many ways to do it!

In 2019 we put on over 650 classes and events, reached over 2500 children, and trained over 100 educators. We partner with Cambridge Public Schools to bring orienteering-based education into all 12 primary schools and started after-school orienteering teams at the middle and high schools. We have presented our curriculum at physical education, environmental education, and experiential education conferences to connect with members of the education community and expand our reach as an organization. We have started working with schools and school districts, several outside of Cambridge. 

In 2018, we continued the NEOC/CSU youth project with another four events. On the competitive side, Navigation Games helped CRLS send teams in all three categories (Intermediate, JV, Varsity) to the USA Junior Nationals. Our intermediate team won Silver; JV won Bronze; Varsity won Gold. The teams were coached by former USA Orienteering Team member Ethan Childs, Brazil Air Force Orienteering Team member Josivan Juan de Oliveira, and Czech coach Pavla Zdrahalova de Oliveira. Navigation Games hosted the first-ever middle school championships in Cambridge on June 5, 2018. The summer program for teens was led by two current and former USA Orienteering Team members, an experienced orienteer and sports event management student from Norway (Maiken Sandberg), and an environmental scientist (David Miller). 

In 2017, we continued Community School classes and orienteering units at several local schools. Former CRLS student Isak Prellner returned to co-direct the 2nd annual 6-week teen program. In the fall, we had two visiting coaches. Juan Manuel Merida of Spain brought his experience pulling together multi-school events in Madrid, as well as his natural ability to connect with kids around orienteering. Violeta Feliciano is the top Spanish female orienteer. She continued to train while teaching after-school classes in the Cambridge Community Schools, coaching the CPSD middle school teams, and recruiting athletes at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School. In both spring and fall, we collaborated with the New England Orienteering Club and Cambridge Sports Union to start the Greater Boston Youth Orienteering Series, to introduce more children and families to orienteering. 

In 2016, we brought Cambridge Street Upper School and Cambridge Rindge and Latin teams to the USA National Championships. CSUS came in 2nd in the Intermediate category. CRLS won Junior Varsity. In the summer, we held our first 6-week summer program for teens in collaboration with the City of Cambridge Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program. 

In 2016, we brought Cambridge Street Upper School and Cambridge Rindge and Latin teams to the USA National Championships. CSUS came in 2nd in the Intermediate category. CRLS won Junior Varsity. In the summer, we held our first 6-week summer program for teens in collaboration with the City of Cambridge Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program. 

In the spring of 2015, we organized after-school classes at six Cambridge schools, in-school electives at the Cambridge Street Upper School, and worked with the 5th grade classes at the Morse School. In the summer we worked with the Compass program 5th grade, and the Upton Street Community School. In the fall we provided a program for the 8th graders at the Vassal Lane Upper School, and an after school class for the Upton Street Community School. In November and December we held weekly introductory orienteering events on Sundays at parks around Cambridge.

In the spring of 2015, we organized after-school classes at six Cambridge schools, in-school electives at the Cambridge Street Upper School, and worked with the 5th grade classes at the Morse School. In the summer we worked with the Compass program 5th grade, and the Upton Street Community School. In the fall we provided a program for the 8th graders at the Vassal Lane Upper School, and an after school class for the Upton Street Community School. In November and December we held weekly introductory orienteering events on Sundays at parks around Cambridge.