Young Star Navigator Award
Young Navigator Star Award (YNSA)
The focus of the Young Navigator awards is to encourage exploration and journeying in local areas using simple maps such as street maps, pictorial park maps and orienteering maps. There is a gradual learning progression via One Star (bronze), Two Star (silver) and Three Star (gold) levels with certificates and badges available for achieving candidates.
The awards can be delivered by any competent adult who has the confidence and knowledge to do so. A resource book produced to support tutors is provided when registering initially. Further copies can be purchased at a cost of £5 each.
The awards are aimed at all age groups and abilities. The Young Navigator Star courses are fantastic for youngsters to actively learn outside the classroom, and the Gold level is often used as a lead-in for the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award.
The syllabus content is structured to allow flexible teaching approaches to suit the candidates and type of maps available locally.
The syllabus outline below indicates the main intentions at each level.
One Star (Bronze)
Make simple maps of interior and exterior building features
Undertake journeys around the inside and outside of a building using a map
Orientate the map at different locations
Two Star (Silver)
Follow a defined route around a large school grounds or small park using prominent paths or tracks
Orientate the map against handrails and major point features at regular intervals
Understand the use of basic map symbols
Discover and investigate points of interest during the journey
Three Star (Gold)
Plan and follow a journey around a large area using prominent paths, tracks or roads
Identify prominent collecting features on map and ground
Discover and investigate points of interest during the journey
Understand basic walking safety issues
Outdoor Discovery Awards
The Outdoor Discovery Awards are currently being developed to replace the Young Navigator Star Awards in the future. Once the timescale for the transition from YNSA to ODA is known, providers will be informed and information will be given on the website. The ODA will continue with the core ethos of the YNSA, to encourage exploration and journeying in local areas using simple maps such as street maps, pictorial park maps and orienteering maps. In addition the ODA will be ideally suited to 'not-so-youngsters' or for people who need to learn basic navigation skills at a slower rate, encouraging them to gain and improve personal confidence to get out and get active.
If you have any ideas for the development of the ODA please get in touch.
