New Year, New Adgenda - Youth & Activities — Young Nudists on True Nudists

MemberOriginal Poster

Jan 10, 2009

Hello all.

Well it is finally 2009 and the days seem to fly and the years even more so. A lot of you have read the "Recuit Younger Members" thread that bounced around here for a while, and if you did you probably noticed that we never really came to any conclusions. Not that there wasn't a lot of good ideas, but we never really said "this looks like it will work, lets try it and see what happens".

So, for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that I want to preserve my way of life and as the median age of nudists in the US is approaching expiration, I don't want to be the last one at the nudist resort when the owner says they have to close because no one else shares my lifestyle....
Thus, I have been sorting through the younger nudists on this site and specifically writing to them. I have targeted a lot of european young nudists to see what it is that draws them, as they are a larger base than here in the US.

I have thought about starting a group to discuss this, but it seems as though the major discussions only take place in the main forums. I am open to ideas as to how to best discuss this and get some dialog going. I don't mean to continue the beating of the same dead horse, but with the last discussion, as I said, I really didn't come up with something tangible to take away.

I hope that the previous discussion participants will continue here. Please be welcome.

Ok, so lets open this thread with the idea, that we want to come up with some ideas that can be tested, or at least given to people who can test them. We talked about the waterpark in England that is nude one day a year, and that sounds great, but it's a little out of reach. England is a smaller country by far, thus travel is not as much of an issue. Also, Europe does not share the puritanical vision that the US does. Thus, I submit that getting a waterpark here in the US to offer a nudist day would be virtually impossible. However, I offer it up to anyone who is willing to try that I would be interested in supporting the attempt and visiting the park.

There are nudist venues that have been successful here in the states, like the Clothing Optional Dinners in NY. (You can join the yahoo group CODinners to get more information) and there has been nude bowling. Now, with all that in mind, I can't see that there are so many more nudist venues in Europe. I think it is more of the mindframe that the people have. However, this is where the rubber hits the road:

Would Young European nudists be interested in a Clothing Optional Dinner?
Would they be interested in a nude bowling?

What does the average young nudist in Europe do as nudist activities?

What could we repicate here in the US?

Ok, so the floor is open, lets hear the discussion!

Thanks
Jerry

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MC
Mary Clare
Jan 10, 2009
Hi, Owning a nudist resort for 14 years and having gone to my first nude resort when I was 23 years old gives me some perspective on this issue. First, nudists have ALWAYS said"where are the younger nudists?" We rarely met other nudists our age in the US until we hit our early 30's. That is just how it has always been in the US. I think there are a number of reasons for this. First, the advertising industry works very hard to make women feel insecure about their bodies. They want them to feel that unless they buy certain clothes, make up, fashion magazines, follow popular diets, and maybe get plastic surgery, they will grow up unattractive and never find a man. This negativity works on most young women as even many actresses and professional models feel insecure about their bodies and showing them. Thus, women don't feel comfortable being nude around others until their 30's, 40's, or 50's when they stop paying attention to the "women's" magazines. And sometimes women never feel comfortable with their bodies their whole lives. In Europe, they have had legal topless beaches since the mid 60's and legal nude beaches since the 70's. So young people were brought up with the idea that it is OK to be topless or nude on the beach. To them it is then no big deal to vacation at a nudist resort. A recent survey showed 1 in 7 Germans vacation at a nudist resort EVERY YEAR! Next, lots of American young people are into the partying mode, not the relaxation, socializing mode of nudist resorts. Go to Las Vegas and you will see lots of young people drinking it up, having a wild time on weekends. Most nudist resorts are not geared for this kind of behavior. Once most people reach their 30's or so, they start settling down and aren't so wild. The average age for a first marriage in the US is now 27 for men and 25 for women according to US census data. Many people with kids, normally don't want to take their kids to nudist resorts or clubs. They want it to be quality time for themselves. Many guests tell us they would love to spend more time here, but can't get the grandparents to babysit as much. Once kids hit college, parents have more free time to themselves which is normally when they are in their 40's and 50's. Next, Americans have less vacation time than ever. The US has the least amount of paid vacation time of all industrialized countries. Younger employee averages 8.1 paid vacation days a year. And 25% of ALL Americans get no vacation days. Next, the nudist industry is still a very small industry. As a whole industry, we do not have the advertising dollars of other industries. I bet 1 big Las Vegas hotel has a bigger advertising budget than the whole nudist industry. Thus, we have to rely a lot on free PR. Nudism gets some really good hits like the 3 pages article in the New York Times travel section last year (we were 1 of 5 nudist resorts recommended in that article). Or when tripadvisor.com did a survey showing 15% of Americans want to go on a nude vacation. But, nudism gets some pretty bad hits like when the media profile 70+ year old nudists. It makes our industry appear ancient. The biggest problem I see is many people are afraid to "come out of the closet" and admit they like being nude. We are pretty unique, we get all ages from 20's - 70's at our resort, because we are a vacation resort and draw from around the world. We are not a club for locals like most nudist places. But even our resort is more 40's, 50's and 60's as they have the time and money to book vacation. I rarely am able to get guests (especially younger guests) to let me use their photos to show how much fun nudism is in advertisements. They all say they are afraid their employers, parents, kids, etc will find out they are nudists. With this pervasive fear of coming out, we can't show that young people enjoy nudism too. Now AANR has done a great job with their youth ambassadors programs. Finally we have some young people who are proud to say they are nudists. And most of the time it is no big deal saying you are a nudist. Tom was elected president of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce with over 1000 local businesses voting and owning a nudist resort was not an issue. Finally, American nudists need to support the US nudist industry this year more than ever. I am always amazed by people who spend $5000-$7500 for a week long nude vacation in the Caribbean or Mexico at a place not owned by nudists and then say, "why aren't there more nudist resorts in the US?" Most American nudist resorts like ours are great values. We had our annual Christmas party this December 20th. We had a couple from Glen Eden, a nudist club over by Los Angeles come by for a tour. They were staying at the local Marriott that weekend. They said they booked the Marriott (and spent an additional $100/night compared to our resort) because they were in Palm Springs to be Christmas shopping not nude sunbathing. When we pointed out that we were cheaper, closer to the stores, they could be nude in the jacuzzi in the evening at our resort compared to the Marriott, they said, they would only stay at a nudist resort if they could nude sunbathe. The nudist industry needs the money to invest in nudism more than Marriott. Yet, some nudist club members spend more to stay at textile resorts when nicer nudist resorts are available. As Pogo said, "We have met the enemy and he is us." Look in the forums section here to see all the nudist clubs and resorts that have closed or become swinger places in the last few years due to lack of support. If you want to see nudism grow support the AANR and American nudist clubs and resorts especially this year. With more advertising and PR dollars, nudism in the US can grow. Mary Clare, Terra Cotta Inn, Palm Springs, Californiahttp://sunnyfun.com http://terracottainn.blogspot.com
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ME
Member
Jan 12, 2009
That place is about pictures and videos and has nothing to do with social netowrking.....
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ME
MemberOriginal Poster
Jan 13, 2009
Hmmm, that's good, but it sounds like a platform. I think AANR and several other groups have been trying to go down this road.

How do we attract younger people with this? What do we say to them? "It was good for me" is a great start, don't get me wrong, but what are the fundementals, what are the keys we can use to motivate? How did Obama get them motivated???

I'm not being a jerk here,I really don't know the answers....

Thanks
Jerry
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ME
MemberOriginal Poster
Jan 13, 2009
oh, and well, I don't mean to sound funny, but I've been waiting for 20 years for them to "come when they are ready" and I'm afraid that I will expire before they finally decide "they are ready". It's like some kind of slippery slope, I just can't seem to get the handle on the generations just after mine, it's like the motivation is on an entirely different scale. For entirely different reasons. It's not so much a generation gap as a generation shift. their values aren't the same as mine, they don't see the world like I do, I can't see through their eyes.
Ok, so, in a nutshell, I don't know how to take what we have thus far and reach anyone.......Next........

Thank you for all who have posted, I'll keep beating the dead horse until I get it, or someone else gets it and tells me to stop....
Thank you all
Jerry
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ME
MemberOriginal Poster
Jan 13, 2009
Gads Steve, please be wrong...... but then, I am about to stop asking for friendship with europen young nudists on here, I think I'm sending the wrong signal. I send each a message to view this and the previous discussion, but alas, I can neither gain friendship nor conversation.... *sigh*

Thanks
Jerry
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ME
MemberOriginal Poster
Jan 13, 2009
Before I forget.
Mary, thank you for your wonderful post. It has not been ignored. I am processing your information. I'm just not sure what to do about any of it yet. Thank you for the post, you took some time and effort. Actually, I need to say that to eveyone. If I seem distant and non responsive, it is only because I am listening to you, reading the posts and thinking. None of your posts are being ignored. I am checking daily. In some ways I'd like to see the thread take off and just "Listen", I'm looking for something, I'll know what it is when I hear it.

Sorry if that sounds wierd, but I REALLY would like to make some kind of breakthrough here. So, trust me, I am paying attention.

thank you all
Jerry
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ME
Member
Jan 14, 2009
[quote]Gads Steve, please be wrong...... but then, I am about to stop asking for friendship with europen young nudists on here, I think I'm sending the wrong signal. I send each a message to view this and the previous discussion, but alas, I can neither gain friendship nor conversation.... *sigh* Thanks Jerry[/quote] Believe me Jerry, I hope I'm wrong too.
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ME
MemberOriginal Poster
Jan 14, 2009
hmmmmmm
I'm pondering. I'm also still messaging young nudists. Question: If I can figure out how to draw young nudist females, will that automatically draw the males? IE: in the 18-30 age bracket, would it be prudent to say that the guys go where the women are? Or is that just the way I remember it?

Thanks
j
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ME
Member
Jan 15, 2009
LOL I think that's pretty much the way it is for guys of all ages. At least for those of us who are single
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TH
Thomas
Jan 16, 2009
The nude beach i go to is on a lake near a large college town. The $8 per person entry fee is very reasonalbe, so almost half the crowd is in the 18-40 range. It is very likesly that the cost of many resorts is a factor, especially since they do things to draw couples. One resort had a dinner and the price for a single or couple was that same. I was told that it was like a buy one get one free, but I bet if someone were to go with a same sex friend they would each have to pay single price. The stigma of being a single male needs to also be lessened for the interest to grow. If more young single males became active social nudist possible they would bring more single ladies into the lifestyle too.
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NO
Noblefriend
Jan 28, 2009
We are excited about this new adventure we are about to embark on. We get to become ourselves for once; who we were meant to be, not what society has set before us. We have started at home now and have been doing it for 4 days now. We really wished we lived out in the country away from civilization so that we could really get into outdoor nudity, but we live in an apt. building. When the time is right we'll move on. Thank you for taking the time to read and take care.
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MC
Mary Clare
Jan 28, 2009
Nuddy 27 wrote "I go to a college that is literally across from the street from a popular nude beach. I am kind of a partyer and in my over four years of college I have met many people who I know from experience or have admitted they enjoy being naked. So, therefore, a lot of college students would go to the nude beach, right? Wrong! Why not? Most common response: "I went there once and it was just a bunch of old men." He brings up two reasons why nudists resorts do not get as many younger people. First he say he is a "partyer." Nothing wrong with that for his age group. But, most people in their 30's and up are into socializing and relaxing not heavy drinking so many nudist resorts don't cater to the heavy partiers. Next, so many nude beaches are populated by too many single men. I and most women I know don't like nude beaches for that reason except for the few legal nude beaches in the US like Sandy Hook and Haulover. I have heard from so many men (at least 1 or 2 a week) that made a mistake and took their wife/gf to a nude beach for their first experience and she hated it. And now he wants to know how to get her to try a nudist resort because she refuses to go. If you go to a restaurant and have a bad meal, you don't stop eating at restaurants. If you see a bad movie, you don't stop watching movies. Yet, with women, if their first experience with nudism is bad they will usually never try it again. If all the men invited their girlfriends to nude beaches or nudist resorts, it would make it a lot more comfortable for women of all ages. If you did a college day for nudists, you would have to insist on it being gender equal otherwise it will be overwhelmed with guys. MChttp://sunnyfun.com http://terracottainn.blogspot.com
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ME
Member
Jan 29, 2009
[quote]We are excited about this new adventure we are about to embark on. We get to become ourselves for once; who we were meant to be, not what society has set before us. We have started at home now and have been doing it for 4 days now. We really wished we lived out in the country away from civilization so that we could really get into outdoor nudity, but we live in an apt. building. When the time is right we'll move on. Thank you for taking the time to read and take care.[/quote] Welcome to TN Noble! Had a really nice conversation with you this evening. If anyone has helpful advise on how to raise one's children as nudists please post on their thread "breaking the mental stigma". We've recently added two "younger" nudist couples to our friends list. They are out there and they are finding there way here. Too encourage the younger "true" nudists to stay I think it would be helpful if there was a forum page that included hints and tips on how to safely navigate this website and what to do if they are approached by someone who is not acting appropriately for THIS website. We're finding that some of the "younger" crowd, believe it or not, are not that internet savvy or just haven't had a lot of experience. Is there any way to direct new members (young or old) to the forum posts that already exist with great navigational info as soon as they join? Jen
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ME
MemberOriginal Poster
Jan 30, 2009
Mary & Jen,

First, thank you for taking the time to participate in this thread. You both bring up many valid points.

Mary, another thing that I hear from the young crowd is that they don't like seeing the elderly nude. Our society puts so much emphasis on looks that they find the realization of aging rather disturbing.

Jen, I believe that the FAQ section of the forums was designed with exactly that in mind. Maybe we need to post more information there.

Thanks everyone for continuing this thread, I don't think that we have really come to any conclusions, but maybe our continued efforts will bear fruit yet, though it may be down the road a bit.

I continue to seek 18-30 year old European Females for discussion. What I am seeing thus far is that the difference in mindset from here to there is a large part of why youth are more likely to participate in Europe than in the US. I'm not sure how one turns the tide on the perception of a nation, or even if something like that is possible in my lifetime, but I still welcome viewpoints and hope that my constant plodding will produce results.

Thank all of you and keep the ideas flowing, you never know when we might stumble into a jackpot.

Thanks
Jerry
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NO
Noblefriend
Jan 30, 2009
[quote]Mary & Jen, First, thank you for taking the time to participate in this thread. You both bring up many valid points. Mary, another thing that I hear from the young crowd is that they don't like seeing the elderly nude. Our society puts so much emphasis on looks that they find the realization of aging rather disturbing. Jen, I believe that the FAQ section of the forums was designed with exactly that in mind. Maybe we need to post more information there. Thanks everyone for continuing this thread, I don't think that we have really come to any conclusions, but maybe our continued efforts will bear fruit yet, though it may be down the road a bit. I continue to seek 18-30 year old European Females for discussion. What I am seeing thus far is that the difference in mindset from here to there is a large part of why youth are more likely to participate in Europe than in the US. I'm not sure how one turns the tide on the perception of a nation, or even if something like that is possible in my lifetime, but I still welcome viewpoints and hope that my constant plodding will produce results. Thank all of you and keep the ideas flowing, you never know when we might stumble into a jackpot. Thanks Jerry[/quote] Jerry we cannot speak for every young nudist, but we enjoy the human body in it's natural form no matter the age or size. It is amazing and most of the people here are even more amazing, caring, and helpful. Thanks again everybody (esp. cuddle - thanks for looking out for us).
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NU
nudetrucker
Jan 30, 2009
Hi, Our camp ground has started with an open house. It is free for first time visitors, it also brought in 3 young girls. They were celebrating one of theirs 21st birthday. It was the birthday girls idea to try it for the first time. They said they enjoyed the day as we were all friendly but not pushy.They along with the others that came for the day were also invited to dinner that nite if they wanted to stay for it. The girls did and we surprised the birthday girl with a cake after dinner. We have also added a student discount to get in to camp. Our biggest problem is we are only a summer season opperation and college kids go home by the time we open. So far neither of these ideas have worked out for us expanding others to visit. But then again we are a rexlaxing small campground with not a lot of activity here.
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ME
MemberOriginal Poster
Jan 31, 2009
For those unaware, the aanr travel guy has posted in one of the young naturist groups of a "Nudism Springbreak" at oaklake trails in Oaklahoma. The attendance is free for that weekend and they seem to have a nice organized event. Please see:http://collegenudists.weebly.comfor more information.... Thanks Jerry
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ME
Member
Feb 6, 2009
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