When we think of groups for youth in amateur radio, we usually think of groups that are dedicated to getting youth licensed and initially active on the air. However, many of us fail to think about what happens after these young people get their licenses. Where do they all go?
Retention is one of the biggest issues in youth involvement with amateur radio today, although it is very frequently overlooked. There are, however, a multitude of things that can be done to help support and encourage retention in young licensees, as well as a growing number of groups whose primary purpose is to aid in this effort.
One of the most important things that more experienced hams can do to support young amateurs and keep them interested in the hobby is to welcome them. Invite them to your shack or local club. Ask them to join your contest team, attend the special events or contests you are setting up, or anything else along these lines.
After I got my amateur radio license, as a member of my school club (which was still in its early days), my world of amateur radio was very small because the only hams I knew were those affiliated with our small club. When larger and well-established local clubs began to reach out to me, I had the opportunity to learn about things that had been discussed very minimally or not at all in my school’s club. A local club’s Field Day was where I learned about CW, which is now, by far, my favorite mode. At another local club’s Field Day setup, I learned how to run a pileup…and also that I loved running pileups. I guess it makes sense that I thoroughly enjoy contesting now.
When one of the co-founders of YACHT (Young Amateurs Communications Ham Team) reached out to my mom on Facebook and encouraged her to have me join the nets they host on Echolink every evening, I joined and got to meet countless other young amateur radio operators. I became friends with a few of them, and they remain some of my closest friends even today, six years later.
This opportunity to connect with other young hams was one of the most influential parts of why I am still involved in amateur radio, which brings me to my next piece of advice on how to keep young hams interested and involved with the hobby—help them connect with other young hams.
The YACHT group was the first place I really had the opportunity to talk to more than just one or two licensed young people who were very involved with the hobby. All of these active peers of mine were more than willing to share resources such as online CW practice websites, and opportunities and events for youth like the Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DXpedition (YDXA), Youth On The Air (YOTA) camp, and the youth forum at Dayton Hamvention®.
Being aware of these opportunities and resources helped me immensely by giving me a chance to expand my friend group and Elmer network even further, and by giving me a chance to learn about new skills to develop and possibilities of what I could do with amateur radio.
One thing the organizers of these events do very well is make them accessible. Young people face an immense amount of adversity in amateur radio, including the obvious age differences from their license-holding peers, expenses for travel and equipment, and the occasional lack of parental support. While my parents wholeheartedly support my amateur radio involvement and endeavors (and even got licensed and upgraded themselves), this is not the common situation for some young people in amateur radio.
Making events for young hams accessible by paying travel expenses, providing chaperones, or scheduling events during times when young people aren’t quite as busy (summer, winter break) increases the likelihood that a young person can get involved.
Finally, the most important thing to remember when supporting youth in amateur radio is to not underestimate them. An unfortunate common stereotype against young amateur radio operators is that they are less experienced or qualified for opportunities simply due to their age. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Many young hams I know and am friends with are immensely talented, but more importantly, have put forth unbelievable amounts of work to refine their abilities and learn new things.
The younger generation of hams are motivated and constantly developing a culture of innovation, leadership, and learning, making them a group that can and will adapt to whatever the future of amateur radio will look like. They may just need some initial support and encouragement.
