The Navy League of the United States, a private organization of individuals interested in the Navy, sponsors two youth programs. Their activities are aimed at educating and training young people in citizenship and maritime matters, exposing them to naval history and tradition, educating them in the importance of maritime forces to our nation, and explaining to them the opportunities available in maritime careers.
There are two coeducational programs: the Naval Sea Cadet Corps (NSCC) for ages fourteen to seventeen and the Navy League Cadet Corps (NLCC) for ages eleven to thirteen. There are approximately two hundred NSCC and NLCC units in the United States and Puerto Rico with more than seventy-five hundred officers and cadets involved. Sea Cadets receive their training aboard ships, planes, and in shore installations of the Navy and Coast Guard. In addition, they are authorized to attend a two-week recruit training experience. Graduates are eligible for advanced training through special shipboard programs held during school holidays and summer months.
Programs for younger people (NLCC) do not include training aboard Navy or Coast Guard ships or aircraft. The education covers naval history, customs and traditions, water safety, first aid, leadership procedures, and physical training. Several field trips to Navy and Coast Guard facilities complement the lectures. Both Sea Cadets and Navy League Cadets wear modified Navy uniforms.
Membership in the Sea Cadets permits firsthand experience with the Navy and Coast Guard. Cadets who decide to enlist in the Navy may be eligible to do so at an advanced pay grade based on their cadet records. A scholarship fund is available for those interested in higher education.
SEA EXPLORERS
The exploring program of the Boy Scouts of America works for the improvement of the individual in these areas: vocation, personal fitness, citizenship, social service, and the outdoors. Specifically, the Sea Explorers operate activities such as the following:
The National Sea Explorer Sailing Championships is a program that originates with local councils, involves area and regional sail-offs, and climaxes with national competition under the supervision of the United States Racing Union.
Sea Explorer Rendezvous, usually held on a council, area, or regional basis, gives the Explorers a chance to demonstrate through competition many of the traditional, yet practical, skills of seamanship.
Oceanography Seminars are also growing in popularity. These are usually conducted in cooperation with federal and state agencies, universities, and similar research organizations.
Cruising is popular with Sea Explorer ships. Some cruises are held by individual ships, while others involve several ships operating as a flotilla. Rivers, lakes, coastal waterways, and the open ocean are typical cruising sites. Often long-term or short-term cruises are available through the United States Navy or Coast Guard.
High Adventure Gateways, operated by the Boy Scouts of America, are available to Sea Explorers. Of particular interest is the Florida High Adventure Gateway offering underwater exploration, skin and SCUBA diving, and sailing in the Florida Keys. The Land between the Lakes Gateway in western Kentucky and Tennessee also offers experiences in sailing and power boating.
Other areas of interest are found in Traditional Sea Exploring, which centers on the sea, life and duties aboard ship, and maritime customs. In some areas this program is known as the Blue Fleet. Careers in Inner Space, forms the basis for activities in the marine sciences, fisheries, oceanography, marine architecture, and others. Persons in this program, often called the Red Fleet, frequently work with professionals in the careers they wish to enter. The exciting leisure activities of aquatics, sailing, boating, and SCUBA, form a part of sea exploring; in some regions this program is entitled the White Fleet.
Young adults, ages fifteen to twenty-one, may join Sea Exploring. Most ships are coeducational; however, some are all male, others all female. There are more than fifteen hundred Sea Explorer units with over twenty-one thousand young people involved. Many groups own their own vessels.
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