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The results were
well worth the effort.
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Many of our clubs have
outreach programs designed to introduce model aviation to
people in their local communities. The majority of these
programs are designed to attract young children and
teenagers through organizations such as Scouting, Civil Air
Patrol, and local parks and recreational programs.
Although this effort works well for many of us, there might
be opportunities to reach other age demographics that we may
not have considered. I received an interesting letter from
AMA member Robert Clark. With his permission, I'd like to
share parts of it with you.
"In view of the concern that we all share about the future
of model aviation, I thought that you might find my recent
successful model aviation recruitment experiences to be of
interest.
"For a number of years, I have served as a club trainer and
have greatly enjoyed the opportunities that I have had to
share flying with youth groups such as the Boy Scouts.
However, it has always been frustrating to me that the
percentage of youth who find the RC flying experience
exciting, but then actually pursue an active interest in
modeling is very small. I suspect that much of the reason
for this is the additional need for a supportive adult to
provide the assistance required to successfully pursue the
hobby.
"Last year I decided to try something new, focusing on a
somewhat more accessible age group—senior citizens. My
experience confirms that it is indeed a very successful
method for attracting "new" modelers and may provide an even
more effective method for reaching youth (something called
grandfathering). An obvious advantage is that almost all
current senior citizens were once active modelers in their
youth and just need some help to return to the hobby. So, I
contacted the director of the local senior center and
offered to speak to any interested seniors.
"The director was immediately enthusiastic about the
suggestion. She scheduled a meeting time with one of the
existing groups (the "computer group") and asked me to write
up an announcement to include in the monthly newsletter.
When I asked how many we might expect, she said about 5 or 6
usually attended their monthly meetings.
"When the actual afternoon of the meeting arrived, we were
stunned to discover 15 enthusiastic seniors in attendance.
What an experience. We found that without exception all had
enjoyed model aviation in their youth and just wanted to
know how to get started again. Most of that afternoon we
talked about new developments such as electric park flying
and the new technologies, which have made this part of the
hobby both accessible and affordable.
"We offered free flying lessons to anyone interested and at
last count, 3 have soloed. More are expected to follow. We
also helped the center obtain a flight simulator system for
the computer room which is used on a regular basis.
"The most satisfying aspect of all this has been hearing
those who have become involved, express their feelings that
they can hardly wait to share the excitement of model
aviation with their grandchildren. This could very well
provide the missing element of our previous efforts to
attract youth to modeling by guaranteeing the existence of
the needed supportive adult for the full involvement of
youth in the hobby.
"I think that the real beauty of this approach to
recruitment is that there are undoubtedly thousands of other
seniors across the nation just waiting for the help
necessary to return to the joy of model aviation that they
enjoyed so much in their youth. They don't need to be sold
on the idea; they just need some help to return."
This is an outstanding concept that obviously has had
excellent results for Robert, and I suspect may also work
well for many of our other clubs. The "grandfathering" idea
presents a real opportunity for us to introduce more young
people to model aviation through their grandparents. Why not
give some thought to incorporating Robert's ideas into your
club's outreach programs?
While we were at the AMA Expo in Ontario, California, my
wife and I had an opportunity, along with AMA All-Star Nick
Maxwell and AMA District III Vice President Bob Brown, to
visit one of the local children's hospitals.
As you know, the hospital becomes a home away from home for
many seriously ill children. Hospital administrators are
always looking for something that will appeal to their
patients and help take their minds off of their illnesses
and help eliminate what can become the daily boredom of
restricted activities.
The afternoon we visited, we were greeted by kids ranging
from approximately 5 years old to early teens. While we
handed out AMA activity books and pilots' wings, Nick put on
a number of flying demonstrations.
The looks on the faces of the children and the questions
they asked made it clear that they really enjoyed our visit.
Frankly, it made all of us feel good as well for being able
to do a little something that put a smile on the faces of
these kids.
Many local communities have children's hospitals and, like
the one in Ontario, I'm sure they are always looking for
something to brighten the days of their patients. A call and
an offer to visit will probably get you a chance to
experience what we did. The results were well worth the
effort. MA
See you next time ...
Dave Mathewson, AMA president
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