Associated Press (via Seattle Post-Intelligencer): Nudists try to attract younger following (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Young_Nudists.html)
To draw 20- and 30-somethings, nudist groups and camps are trying everything from deep discounts on membership fees to a young ambassador program that encourages college and graduate students to talk to their peers about having fun in the buff.
"We don't want the place to turn into a gated assisted living facility," said Gordon Adams, membership director at Solair Recreation League, a nudist camp in northeastern Connecticut that recently invited students from dozens of New England schools to a college day in hopes of piquing their interest.
The median age is 55 at Solair, where a yearly membership is $500 for people older than 40, $300 for people younger than 40 and $150 for college students.
Finally, the American Association for Nude Recreation is taking steps to address what I believe is the single biggest issue facing social nudism today: the age disparity.
I have been active in the AANR since I was 27. I am now 34 and still among the youngest people to be seen at many of the clubs and resorts. What frustrates me the most is that the members of some clubs don't seem to want to accept younger people. It can get very cliquish among the RV and retiree set.
What they fail to realize is that attitude is what will doom the future of the lifestyle.
Perhaps the issue that the AANR must address is club fees. Most young people can't afford to join clubs and resorts. It costs a single person $600 a year to belong to Paradise Lakes in Florida. (And that's just the gate fees. If you want to buy drinks or stay the night, open up the wallet even more.) So, many younger nudists are sticking to the beaches where the cost is much less prohibitive.
But that doesn't do the AANR any good because it doesn't collect membership fees that way. The less membership money that is taken in means the less money available to advance the organization and protect the rights of nudists.
Societal attitudes today are an open door to reaching younger nudists. College students and young adults are more open than ever the thought of the no-tan lines look.
So, bravo to the AANR for getting the word out to younger people. Now, work to bring the prices down.