2xw said:
The BCA would probably slow down/stifle anything for younger cavers at the moment.
Mark does make a point about non-university cavers (unfortunately SUSS can no longer accept under 18s), but Ido wonder how you would engage with them - the scouts do a pretty good job but I guess that's through an organisation where the young people are already there. I guess professionals would play a role but where would they then point them to?
I certainly don't claim to have an answer to it but if anyone is likely to have an answer it's the professionals as they are the ones who are most likely to have regular contact with potential cavers in schools and youth groups.
I started caving when I was in the scouts though this wasn?t as organized as it is today, and was also lucky enough to have a PE teacher at school who took us out climbing and caving in the late 70's. I was even allowed to rig a set of ropes in the school gym and practice my SRT skills while the rest of the class kicked a football around. I can't imagine that sort of thing would be allowed these days though.
It was certainly very difficult to join a club and it was only through my dad working at Sheffield University that I was introduced to SUSS via Paul Mackrill, who happened to take his Premier carbide lamp into the Mech. Eng. department to have it mended, that I ended up joining. I was actually only 14 when I joined SUSS in 1979 and was then lucky enough to join their 1980 Austria expedition. But for that, I would probably not have continued caving.
Remember professional cavers are subsidised by the rest of the BCA membership to the tune of +/- ?5K a year due to some perceived idea that professional cavers provide a significant benefit to the wider caving community by introducing new people to caving. If this is the case then I'd be happy to support some sort of subsidy. Personally I'm not convinced but would be happy to see the evidence to prove otherwise.
Maybe Cap?n Chris can enlighten us all on the youth and development work I am led to believe he is currently doing at Wookey Hole and make some suggestions as to how the rest of us can help the development of younger cavers.
Maybe other professional cavers could tell us about the youth and development work they are carrying out around the country and what success it brings.
For some years I have been involved in running a climbing wall in the Kidz Field at Glastonbury Festival and we have helped introduce very many young people into climbing and given their parents valuable information on how to help develop their child?s climbing further. We usually have over 1,000 kids on the wall during the Festival.
I will be speaking with the festival organizers in a couple of weeks about the possibility of taking the BCA cave down there for the 2019 Glastonbury Festival. 2018 will be a fallow year.
Admittedly, it?s a lot easier for kids to get involved in climbing at their local wall than it is for them to get involved in caving, and as 2xw says, where would they be directed to if they did develop an interest.
I wonder what experience those who have taken the BCA cave to other events have had?
What are clubs doing to bring in younger members?
Children who's parents cave are well catered for but what about those, like me, who's parents weren't cavers?
Mark