In one of our recent Monday Night Nets, the subject of how to get more youngsters into the hobby was discussed. We’re grateful to net participant Rob M0KCP for sending us the following:
Regarding the lack of youth in amateur radio… I have similar conversations about my sailing club membership on a regular basis. The sailing club membership is comprised of over 50s mainly, with only a few exceptions. Anna and I (at 46) are the youngest members by at least 5 years. Most are in their 60s or 70s. People have forecast the demise of the club for decades. The main argument is that if we don’t get youth involved there will be nobody around to keep the club going. A quick survey of the local boat owners indicates that ‘youth’ make up a very small percentage of the sailing community. On the other hand, my own observations show that there is no shortage of affluent latecomers into sailing.
So, the theory that the club (or indeed sailing as a hobby) must be sustained by long term membership from an early age is unlikely to be true.
My other hobby is motorcycling. This is often seen as a pastime for wayward teenage guys, tearing up the streets on loud bikes. Actually, the truth is quite different. Most of us are in the bike world are getting older (a fact reported in the motorcycle press frequently). Not quite as old as the sailing crowd, but in my motorcycle club, I’m at the younger end of the scale. It’s the same with many other bike clubs I encounter today. When I started out in the mid 80s , the average age at bike clubs was a lot younger, but nearly 30 years later things have changed.
It’s possible that what we are experiencing is a phenomenon that is common to many, if not most of the recreational activities in life today.
Distractions
By mid-teens, kids have many distractions. The common pattern of relationships, study, family-raising, career progression and general lack of funds is one I know very well. So, my view is that ensuring awareness of our hobbies is probably the key activity. This would be the responsibility of schools, scouting, cadets, clubs etc. Assuming this is performed adequately, we should see a certain number of youth in the hobby… but what is a realistic expectation?
We have a young generation that are unlikely to be overly excited about radio communication. They already have that by phone, internet etc. And with ‘face time’ giving video calling, a crackly conversation with a random person is unlikely to have widespread appeal. BUT… What remains is the technical hobby, the opportunity for experimentation, the chance to help others (RAYNET), radio sport and the global community of amateurs what we work with. Unless we see another 80s style CB craze, our hobby will always appeal to this limited community of young techies, engineers and experimenters.
However good our youth message is, I believe the general pattern will prevail. That is, the <=25 year olds will remain too distracted to get into the hobby in large numbers. BUT as long as there is a general awareness of the hobby, there should be enough new blood to keep us going, albeit later in life. So, having only a few hundred RSGB youth members, isn’t a big issue in my opinion as long as we maintain that general awareness of Amateur Radio.
As a final note, I believe that perpetuating the hobby requires a holistic approach. For instance, continuing our efforts to maintain a standards within the hobby, pushing technical boundaries and striving to keep our global community open, friendly and supportive.
Rob M0KCP
Thanks Rob for sending this in. Any comments? Please add them below…
Rob,We list sailing ,motorcycles and amateur radio as active hobbies.
I see the increasing age of members too.
One boy has a girlfriend at 16,he even misses sailing to
meet up with her?
He is desperate for a first motorbike but insurance costs are between £400-1000,are a huge difference on his income to what I paid.
The other lad is 12,he discovered my ft 857 and I put it into the Jeep again,he rekindled my interest.
He has been studying for the foundation,a friend and fellow Ham gave him a 570d and we have been building a Cobwebb.
The course and practical is done,the exam is on the 7/11/2016.The eldest boy is interested he listens on HF on the Jeep, but the girlfriend,his mates mean he can’t spare the comittment to study.
The sailing is easy most days in the six weeks holidays they are at the club.
They travel on the back of the motorbike,its politically incorrect and some family member disapprove but we enjoy our trips.
I nag at them for the PlayStation and the Xbox,
In the winter we race model cars,dad a motor engineer is the pit man,and the boys and their friends use their skills with thumbs to race.It followed a period where I seemed to fail to have any common ground at all.
One boy who visits,and also races the cars,fell across the radio gear.
He was massively impressed by SDR radio the colourful display on the laptop.
He showed interest in an old ft301,I explained that this was the height of technology in 1978 when I was 12
I demonstrated the radio tuning some amateur stations ,and quickly working a station or two.
He asked” Are the voices real,are they real people,can you really talk to other people”.
I was a bit shocked,the suggestion that this could be a game and the realisation that despite living in the 21st century and having technology at his fingertips that was my science fiction yet he could not seperate reality from the virtual world.
Perhaps there was a golden age of technology,things that you could build,understand and repair yourself.
At fifteen I was the only youngster at my radio club,my boy is the only youngster now.
I strung along with the old boys struggling to understand sometimes,the talks,the bands.The talk then was of course the falling standards,lack of activity,no construction,etc etc.
The good today is this site and the hundreds others for free,showing people the way,and the easier pathway into the hobby.
I took a mate sailing last week a radio amateur,took a bit of getting him to come along,and then he was hooked,figuring out the ropes and steering the boat,realising the power of the wind and the exciting free ride it gave.
I guess sailing ships are redundant technology,but a look round the coast and inland and you see lots of people enjoying and developing new idea a few hundred years after that technology peaked.
73 due g7sjd