Kids and the Hobby of Telephone Collecting

[savageje]

In the course of writing another post, I was thinking about my son and wondering what thoughts people have about children and telephone collecting.  My son is still too young to really engage in a hobby of this sort, but I can see a shared hobby as a way to spend time together doing something that is enjoyable and educational.

When I was growing up, my Dad and I got into coin collecting pretty heavily.  As I recall, it is a very popular hobby with lots of well-funded state, local, and national clubs.  Our state organization had a great show every year in Indianapolis, with lots of guest speakers, a huge sales floor, and a competition for kids to do an educational display on some aspect of collecting.  Judges were officers of the state organization and experts visiting the show.  I won some nice pieces for my collection, and one year I even won a scholarship to one of the national organization's conferences in Colorado.  When I became a teenager and discovered girls, I got out of coin collecting, but I still cherish what I learned and the time spent with my Dad.

Do ATCA and/or TCI do anything with this aspect of the hobby?  I have only been a member of each for a few months, so I am still a bit unfamiliar with what they have to offer.  I know that in the case of the coin clubs, getting kids involved with the organizations was seen as a way to boost the membership, pass the hobby along to younger generations, and preserve the history it represented.

I can already tell that my son is a bit interested when I work on phones.  He likes to watch me take them apart and explain what different things do.  I use it as an opportunity to show him how to treat things carefully, fix them up as opposed to throwing them away, etc.  Maybe I am just rambling here, but I just thought I would post some random things that were passing through my head.

[paul-f]

IMHO neither club has mounted much of an organized effort such as you suggest.  There have been many discussions over the years regarding the need for new member recruiting, but the clubs' efforts are clearly focused (and consumed) on producing several shows a year and their newsletters.

There is a real opportunity to provide some leadership in this area.  If you or anyone on the forum would like to contribute time and effort, I'm sure it would be well received.

[Jim Stettler]

Both clubs have been offering "youth" memberships over the last few years.
There has also been a lot of discussion on getting new collectors and young people into the clubs.

At 48  I am probably in the lower 20-30% age bracket for the clubs.

While discussing the forum with other club/forum members, we have joked about how the clubs want to find a way to get "new blood" into the hobby,
and it turns out all the "new blood" has their own telephone forum.
_________________________________________________

I beleive on the atca website are some educational projects for kids.
Jim

[Dan/Panther]

It just seems that if we as parents don't interest our kids in the hobby,  it is a rare occurrence for youth to engage in vintage anything.
Kids seem remotely intrigued by vintage items, but for the most part when they see how lacking they are in bells and whistles, they soon loose interest.
My kids love to use the old phones, but Radios, T.V.'s, they just seem very bored with the simplistic way that work, no challenge so to speak, and nostalgic interest just seems to be missing. Most kids seem to be cooped up indoors all the time glued to the video screen.
We can interest our own kids because you know about thew acorn, but to recruit fresh blood will be extremely difficult. Parents aren't involved with what kids are doing as much now, as years ago. We have  a hard time understanding there world, and they ours. The Tom's of the world are rare.


Listen to this song and it pretty much wraps it up.

This truly is a "Different World."
D/P

[bellsystemproperty]

Most kids, other than some of my friends, just find the phones boring. I don't think there is that much we can do to make them like the phones, unless you are a parent, then you can "indoctrinate" them. True, we have Daniel, Kenny, Gusherb, and me on the forum, but we're not normal kids. Here is my friend's response:

"Okay people, rotary phones are just dumb old shitty things of the past. If you seriously love rotary phones -a) you have no life b) you will never get laid.. Now just think about it, THEY ARE F**KIN' phones! There are so much more interesting things in the world, than phones. Okay, so why are kids like me not interested in collecting them (like old perverts such as yourselves)? Well, they are a waste of money, and the only thing you can do with them is talk to some other idiot. But most of the time, the only thing that you will do with these pieces of **** is put them on some shelves and glance at them every once in a blue moon. There is so much more you can do with this money. How 'bout you actually put your greedy money towards helping starving african children, or the BP Crisis. But no, your money is best suited for buying old crap from the past. Why don't you people grow up and get with the 21st century, or take your just take your phone cord, build a nuce, and hang yourself . Thank you." -Eric

Obviously I don't agree or I wouldn't be on the forum to begin with, this is just his honest opinion and probably how most other kids think of rotary phones. If we want children to like the phones, we will have to change their negative perception.

[JorgeAmely]

Eric is your friend?

[Dan/Panther]

BSP;
I would be curious to know what kind of LIFE Eric has.
Can you tell us how he occupies HIS time ?
D/P

[bellsystemproperty]

Basically video games and Xbox Live.

[Jim Stettler]

My kids play video games on  my old school nintendo (1988 vintage).
Jim.

[Jim Stettler]

All things considered, I think there are more young people getting into the telephone hobby than ever before.
Jim

[Dan/Panther]

Basically video games and Xbox Live.

Interesting, this guy spends all his time and money on something that is obsolete before he gets to use it, and we are the Dummies.
D/P

[Jim Stettler]

Basically video games and Xbox Live.

Interesting, this guy spends all his time and money on something that is obsolete before he gets to use it, and you are the Dummy.
D/P

I wonder if he will still be able to use his games when they are 60 years old?
Jim

[bellsystemproperty]

That's what I asked him too. Will his Xbox work or be able to go online when you're old? Microsoft has already dropped online support for the original Xbox which came out in just late 2001. He was just quiet. A lot of them couldn't go six months without burning up. (sometimes literally). Even our old phones will still work because of touch-tone adapters and ATA's and cell phone adapters a LONG time from now. (my games are on the old school Sega Dreamcast  )

[AET]

I get responses like that from people, too.  I get asked about why I waste my time and money on stuff that's obsolete and not as good as modern stuff all the time.  Why do I need so many phones?  Why don't I just get a cordless phone with Caller ID?  They're so much better. 

My Console TV's get people too, why do I sit here watching this 30" screen with no HD or anything? 

My mom always says "Did you ever notice that some people just don't get it?"
I think that's so true.

[Dan/Panther]

Tom;
Most people "Just Don't Get it".
Whether I'm into someone Else's hobby or not, I try to show interest when someone takes the time to show me something they take pride in.
D/P