Teenagers report spending almost five hours online daily. They are outdoors far less than teens in earlier generations, and spending so much time on smartphones and computers almost certainly contributes to the crisis of declining teen mental health. What if all third graders were part of a program that introduced them to a fun way to be outdoors throughout their lives, encouraged vigorous exercise, taught them to use maps and developed other important life skills? Could that help instill in youth a desire to spend more time outside and less online?
Cambridge Public Schools has a promising program for its 450 third graders, developed in collaboration with the Cambridge nonprofit Navigation Games. The group provides outdoor orienteering opportunities to youth, families and adults.
Orienteering is a racing sport in which participants use a map to find a series of checkpoints. Many people take part simply for the joy of being outside and exercising their brains. There is no mandatory route, so it’s up to the participants to determine where they need to go and how to get there. It’s a spatial puzzle.
Exposure to orienteering can lead to happy surprises, such as for one Cambridge mother of an 8-year-old girl who exclaimed, “I have never seen my daughter run before!” According to Maija Pratt, executive director of Navigation Games, it is not unusual for children to run 2 miles during an orienteering class or an organized Jamboree for all the Cambridge third graders, simply because they are enjoying themselves. The games are a kind of treasure hunt.
Most orienteering events are in parks. Navigation Games even organized an activity on Halloween night in Danehy Park called “Vampire-O” that attracted 250 participants.
The orienteering experience
It is not just third graders who are involved. Adults and families can participate in a variety of organized events, and orienteering activities may be tailored to children as young as kindergarteners; they look for pictures of animals in a supervised area outdoors, an activity called “Animal-O” for “animal orienteering.”
Older participants use a specially prepared map, sometimes a compass that helps them orient the map and a timing device the size of a credit card that is tapped against preset targets to keep track of which were found, in what order and at exactly what time. Navigation Games supplies the equipment, as needed. (“Animal-O” players need not use a map or compass.)
Depending on the activity, the maps may be simple or complex. Some show multiple levels, such as above and below a bridge. Using paper maps is a useful skill but it is increasingly unfamiliar to many people who may listen to turn-by-turn directions from a phone.
Orienteering also requires critical thinking and, for team events, skillful communication and collaboration.
As an example of an event accessible to anyone, in August the nonprofit collaborated with Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park and the New England Orienteering Club for games on Peddocks Island. More than 250 people participated, including many families, some with young children. A variety of skill levels were available, from novice to expert, following maps of different courses on the island. Those who wanted to time themselves or compete could do so, but that was not necessary. The only cost for participants was $2 for parking near the ferry from Hingham to Peddocks island. Sponsors paid for the round-trip ferry ride. The weather was good that day, making for a fine family outing.
Orienteering is moving into high schools as well as elementary schools. Cambridge Rindge and Latin School now has a team of more than 20 students. The sport appeals to some students who like school and others for whom the usual classroom experiences are unsatisfying and who may even be antischool.
A recent orienteering event for CRLS invited young people from other jurisdictions. The goal is for a growing number of local teams to eventually compete against one another.
About Navigation Games
Navigation Games is unusual in its focus on children and schools compared with other orienteering groups. It was founded in 2015 by Barb Bryant, now its president, who worked with elementary and physical education teachers to bring the sport into Cambridge schools while her daughters attended. Now, almost a decade later, she says her dream is that “every kid in America gets to experience orienteering.”
Before the pandemic the organization served 2,500 people per year, and is on its way back to that figure. Even with a small staff of 1.5 full-time employees, plus dozens of volunteers, the organization is able to develop curricula, produce orienteering kits and work with companies interested in team building as well as with families and schools. As with many other small nonprofits, funding remains a challenge, but the group increases its reach by collaborating with other groups, including Cambridge Camping and Massachusetts Audubon.
Orienteering is a popular sport in Europe, which has an International Orienteering Federation founded in 1961; Orienteering USA followed 10 years later to organize a team that competes internationally in addition to promoting orienteering to newcomers. Navigation Games is a member, as well as being one reason Cambridge produces excellent orienteers such as Keegan Harkavy, a former CRLS student now at Harvard who competed internationally. Barb’s daughter Izzy became a member of the U.S. team too, and last year competed at games in Edinburgh, Scotland. European athletes affiliated with the International Orienteering Federation have come to Cambridge especially to work with Navigation Games.
Time spent outdoors is important for people’s physical and mental well-being, especially for young people. In today’s digital world outdoors-oriented nonprofits, including Navigation Games, have an increasingly important place.
A stronger
Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day.
We are now a 501(c)3 nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible.
Please consider a recurring contribution.
Thanks, Andy Zucker, for lifting up a relatively unknown local organization that is enriching so many lives. At Cambridge Volunteers we love referring volunteers to Navigation Games because they offer such diverse opportunities and marvelous support whether people are helping behind-the-scenes or out in the fields.