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Youth in naturism (survey results)Youth in naturism
In August, 2007 questionnaires were sent out to members registered as families and to just over 100 clubs and swims across the UK, so that we could attempt to gain an understanding of where we stand with the younger participants in naturism.
We decided to do this because those of us who grew up in a naturist environment have seen a decline in youngsters going to clubs. Ten years ago it was common to see lots of children and young adults running around, swimming and messing about. They would come to clubs with Mum and Dad or friends. Now, however, as seen by new members too, it is common in some clubs to have only a handful of youngsters or none at all.
We wanted to know why and, following on from that, what can we all do to bring youth back into naturism?
YBN now has approximately 200 members which is great news. A lot of these members are new to naturism, so we are attracting some new people into our lifestyle choice. A majority of our members are in their 20s - they have left home, begun discovering things for themselves and eventually joined BN and in turn YBN.
However, the aim of the questionnaire was to find out about those younger than the core YBN age. Clubs and families were sent different questionnaires to get the best from the target audience. Response rates were OK, but not great. If this were a blanket survey to the general public, the response would have been good, but, as we are already a niche target, results were surprisingly low. Overall, we had a 40% response rate from families and only a 25% response rate from clubs and swims.
Results from clubs and swims
It is clear that there is large percentage of children who go to clubs below the age of 12. Then the percentage suddenly drops significantly between 13 and 30. From 5 -1 2 and 13 - 15 it drops by over half.
It is a good sign that over 64% of members from clubs that responded know about YBN, but the question has to be asked why is this not 100%, as all clubs have been sent flyers to display, YBN is in the BN magazine and we are talked about on the forum - how else can we communicate? If you are a member of a club and want to know more, please contact us and we will send you information. (Contact details at the end).
33% of the results here relate to youngsters losing interest in one way or the other, and some families have said that they left because the children lost interest and the family couldn't commit to club and other activities, so that figure could be closer to 61%. The other large proportion is the issue of being body-conscious, especially during adolescence: this is only natural and is also reflected in the family questionnaire results, but it would be interesting to see if this is more of an issue now than it was ten years ago? Has the media changed people's opinions?
What it does highlight is that there needs to be more available at clubs for children and teenagers to get involved in - whether this be increased internet access, x-boxes, etc., areas to plug in I-pods, more sporting events and challenges with other clubs, to name but a few.
Some other results proved quite interesting. It appears that some clubs are not that interested in families or young people.
Does your club hold events for young people?
Would your club like YBN to attend?
Would you be interested in a youth event being held at your club (10-years-old up)?
It is great that most clubs want to see YBN, but also disappointing to see that some do not want YBN to attend or to consider a youth event being held. Where clubs have stated that more information is needed, the reasons have been valid: limited space, limited facilities, etc.
Does your club have a reduced rate for students?
A lot of clubs responded with the extra comment that they do not currently have a reduced price, but this has now got them thinking about it. So if you're a student, watch this space!
Results from families
These results represent the views of 20 families (45 children). The questions were aimed at the parents and their children.
Most people agree that it is harder to keep children interested in naturism nowadays - the main reasons families gave were peer pressure, body image and other life-style choices.
44% of respondents' children where still interested in naturism. The age breakdown and interest of the 45 children are shown below.
When asked why those who left did so, the results it mainly mirrors those of the clubs questionnaire above, but the issues of puberty and body changes feature more heavily as reasons for leaving.
So what keeps the younger ones interested? Swimming wins hands down among the activities favoured - over 90% of respondents said they love swimming and events that are pool-orientated. Miniten and meeting new friends were also popular, but surprisingly volleyball wasn't mentioned as a sport that they play. A few respondents even said that they are sticking with it because they want to join YBN. Result!
Among those families with children under 16, a lot of people said that they did not know about YBN. This is a shame, as this is sometimes a reason for people to stay interested in naturism. When we go to clubs and events, we have managed to re-kindle some youngsters' enthusiasm to come back into naturism. They know there is something out there for them when they get older. As an existing BN member, if your child is near the YBN age then with parental permission they can join YBN in an unofficial capacity - so they can join our communication board and get to know what's going on. It is also worth remembering that every year there is the INF Youth Rally, which is open to those of 14 years and upwards.
When people were asked if their textile friends know that they are naturists, the following results were found:
This is encouraging to see, although 62% say no, but I am sure if this question had been asked 10 years ago you would have had a much higher figure in the “No” column. It is good to see that youngsters are confident in telling people that they are naturists.
Unfortunately, one youngster admitted to have been bullied because people knew that they were a naturist. But on the flip side of the coin, one teenager had encouraged a friend to come to his club and join in.
Those members that belong to a club were asked: If you belong to a club, do you feel they try to encourage younger members? The result was as follows:
When asked how we can attract more youth to/keep more in, naturism, the following suggestions were put forward:
From the results shown it does seem that there are things we can all do to encourage increased involvement. The ideas to keep up involvement are not impossible. We have to admit that younger naturists are leaving the lifestyle behind when they get to a certain age. But hopefully, by making sure we have things on offer, we can make some more stay or at least come back when they are ready, knowing that there are things to do.
YBN have already started to run events for younger members at BN- organised events like Nudefest and Alton Towers, and organising Splashdown, which is open for everyone: these have always gone down well. In 2009 we are also hosting a family event at Manchester Sun and Air Club on 28 - 31 August, 2009. Our work will hopefully encourage more families to other events, but we cannot do it alone.
Youth culture, peer pressure and the macro-environment are impacting on the way youth today view their values. Naturism needs to change and adapt for this audience.
We understand this won't happen overnight and will take some time, but we want clubs to have youth playing again, taking part and feeling good about naturism.
When visiting different events this year across the country, YBN have been speaking to some of the younger members of clubs. They reflect what has been said here - they would love more sports to be organised for them, and more activities to be held for them to join in with. We appreciate there are other activities that will form an important part of their life, such as football practice, music lessons, study, etc., but when they do want to chill in the sun and relax, we want naturism to be a positive option for them.
If you would like any more information on YBN or have ideas on events to be held please contact either Youth Officer Leah on youth@british-naturism.org.uk or me on swyouthrep@british-naturism.org.uk
Paul South-West Youth Rep |
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