How Do We Get The Younger Generation Involved?

A lot is about marketing.

http://www.media-marketing.com/en/o...ng-strategy/

As someone who doesn't have any kids and generally prefers to avoid other peoples' kids, I do sometimes wonder how tomorrow's stamp collectors will get their start.

For me it was a new fifth grade teacher at my school who collected and started a stamp club. While the club didn't last my interest did. My mother would stop at a small stamp shop from time to time and pick up cheap US commemorative year sets. I also received stamps from a couple different approval services.

I didn't keep it up as a kid, and those stamps I had were given away long ago by my parents.

I'm not sure how best to introduce kids to a hobby that generally requires patience and at times delayed gratification. In today's world, that is a tough sell.

I'd perhaps look at programs targeting elementary teachers, showing them ways to integrate stamps into history, geography, science, etc. The landscape is ripe with opportunities and the sea of cheap stamps is wide and deep enough to make it doable.

Just my two cents,

Dale

The entry point of some folks might have been at a young age but we clearly are also seeing a large number of people enter our hobby at a later age. These >35+ years old folks have inherited or been given an accumulation of stamps, have the free time and income, and most importantly have an interest in heritage/history.

So while I understand the desire to target younger people, we should not overlook the low hanging fruit.
Don

One thing I would like to see is a beginner's album, either bound or loose leaf, that is printed on one side only. I remember having a bound worldwide album early on that was printed on both sides of the page. After hinging a number of stamps I ran into the issue of stamps on facing pages catching each other and pulling one another loose. I also damaged a few stamps because of this, but thankfully they were low value common stamps. Still it left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

Does anyone know if a beginner's album with the pages on one side only exists?

Dale

There are a lot of great ideas in these posts. Some of the comments though suggest that kids will find stamp collecting too old fashion not enjoyable to this next generation. I disagree whole heartedly.

I have been working with grade school kids for the past 19+ years in a before and after school program, and I can tell you this, interest can be cultivated in these young ones---you just have to make it relevant to their interests and present it in a format that is: 1) developmentally age appropriate; and 2) hands-on (more doing and less talking).

I have done this a number of times with my kiddos over the past 19 years and have gotten a lot of positive feedback.

Also, many schools welcome after school clubs that are onsite and begin when school dismisses. I say if you want to get the youth of today involved, then go where they are, namely schools.

Ok, I'm going to risk the unpopular opinion here buuuuuuut....

Licencing and popular culture is a great way. Now I've seen people hate on the idea of overly commercial stamps and how they cheapen the hobby or are gaudy. On some points I'll agree: Simpsons series being a good proof of how it can go very ugly and wrong. BUT the few times I've been able to share my collection with teens or younger the majority have been most interested in my Japanese albums. Why? "Oh! It's so cute!" as they point to Hello Kitty and the bright, interesting patterns of traditional art.

When the Mexican paper cut series came out and then the bright summer treats series I heard a lot of collectors complain about how they were too eye catching but guess which part of my US album gets the most attention?

'
The idea that paying attention to the subject of a stamp is only for the weak-minded who cannot see the deeper beauty and significance of paper types & watermarks is so, like, 1893.

We need to just roll our eyes & hold our tongues, and let Harry Potter sucker them into playing with a few stamps and, don't worry, eventually they'll see beyond the pretty colors and charming designs and engraver's wizardry ... and they'll start wondering what the little dents around the edges are all about.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Some already do. Not all kids are topical collectors, although most are.

Yep, Ikey! I've had a number of collectors roll their eyes at me when I'm honest about subject being a big part of my attraction to stamps versus hunting down obscure varieties. I'm just dipping my toes in the water of classics and it's a slow process with lots of confusion but so worth it. I just fail to see why both approaches aren't equally acceptable to some collectors.

Of all the things to be snobbish about I don't see why some people focus on other people's collecting likes.

Alas, there have always been elitist collectors. It was worse 40 or 50 years ago.

Ironically, I'm more of a topical collector in my old age than I ever was as a kid.

So I had another idea on this.
What about an animated short to teach and entice younger generation into the elements of stamp collecting?
There are a number of approaches that could work too. Think "School House Rock", or theme it... maybe a different approach for girls from boys. Hello Kitty gets a lot of love and attention, then again Pokemon could attract both. (I still like the "gotta collect'em all" approach, which Pokemon is already known for).
I can tell you having lived in Japan for 15 years, "cute" is certainly a central theme here for catching the attention of today's generation, as Derpinatrix pointed out.

Edit: And the School House Rock has the advantage as well as hooking the 35+ crowd, just from the "nostalgia" standpoint... win-win.

"Elementary, my dear, 5-5-2's flat plate.
Elementary, my dear, 5-9-4 is rotary."

You're not alone. After 60 years that's me too.

One can create all sorts of videos but how do they see them? There are videos on youtube of variable quality.