How to encourage diversity in bushcraft

[Tengu]

Could be an education thing. I like to think our education system is open to all.

But in my limited experience the racial demographics seem to be a bit skewed.

And in my experience when minorities go on holiday they are going back to what we loosely call `the old country` (Probably with a couple of grands worth of consumer durables for the family)

They do have money but they spend it in a specific way.

(How many English families never holiday here??? Do we know?)

 

[Wander]

But there's a huge difference between actively trying to get people into 'bushcraft' and welcoming those that do pick it up.

Yes, that's how I feel.
It may be splitting a hair, but it's a hair worth splitting.
I had a friend who was a rugby development officer for Rugby GB.
His job was to raise awareness of rugby (never really got that - it's hardly an obscure sport) and get more people playing. I had trouble with that last bit as well. They even invented a version of rugby where there was no tackling nor scrums.
Never saw the point of that.
He explained it's because there are people who don't like those sorts of things and they could be a barrier to people taking part in the sport. To which I said that rugby probably isn't for them then, since they are two key parts of the game.
That is, trying to convert someone to be interested in something they are not interested in will probably be a waste of time - they probably aren't interested in it anyway.
Therefore, rather than trying to recruit people, time (and money) is better spent on improving facilities (for sports) and making sure that anyone who does want to get involved can get involved.

 

[JonathanD]

We all have different cultures. And those cultures have different interests. You can’t force or educate people who don’t want to take part in your interests to do so. Asian people have different interests and culture to black people and so on. Ethnic cultures are divisive by nature and people hang out with their own groups. Same as white folks generally hang out with those of the same upbringing. The utopian view of the TV adverts will only ever work with a small minority crossover. Each to their own. If someone has an interest in a hobby or subject and they want to do it, they’ll do it. As Bushcraft is a relatively solitary experience, that’s no problem. I don’t think many people here wouldn’t encourage people to getting this subject. Quite the opposite. It’s a friendly culture Is ours. So there isn’t really an issue to address is there?

 

[Broch]

I confess I tire of an attitude that says this or that work/activity/sport isn't inclusive enough where the solution is 'encourage more people to do this that or the other'. If there are true barriers to participation they should be taken down, but, for example, just because 50% of the population is female doesn't mean that 50% of engineering jobs should be occupied by women. There should be as many women in engineering that want to do it (to use one example close to my experience).

It even comes down to an arrogance that suggests the activities I like doing are better than the activities that someone else likes doing and I should be persuading them to change! It's almost like a religion!

 

[henchy3rd]

My general observations:
When we were young we traveled far & wide by foot or bike because no one had nowt so couldn’t compare or brag, we just our freedom.
Was out all day in the hols or weekends come rain or shine with no drink or anything to eat.
Did the usual boys stuff, camping, making fires,dens,climbing trees, ruff play, hedge hopping, scrumping, put ourselves at danger. you get the gist.yet here we still are.
Life wasn’t simpler, it was what it was, that’s all we knew?
.mum & dad forced us to visit family members??dragged us on an endless car journey & explored new surroundings, we drew pictures of the day when back home.
There was an untold understanding that big kids looked after the young ones..we knew the dangers?
Our average roaming range was 6 .miles.

Fast forward to today’s generation & things have changed for little Jonny?
Latch key kids,Moly codling, fear of being taken, suing(blame culture),technology is a major factor as virtual friends are at a push of a button, drugs,gangs,intimidation.to much telly(corrupts the brain).
His roaming range is the garden with swings, trampoline & a slide?
We never had them?
Yet he’s more clued up about the world in general with crime & weirdos..albeit with strange ideas.

we are all turning into sheeple..do as I say, not as I do.lazy can’t be bothered?
I’m to blame as much as the next person, I can see it.
Go on holiday & no need to leave the complex if you don’t want to as everything is there.

All it takes is a little time & effort, maybe force yourself to go out, let them make mistakes, let you’re children free to the elements.
My kids could make fires with flint & steel,pluck & skin pheasants at age 7 & 9.. sure they moaned about everything, but so did we.
The rewards are endless in the end.
we all still talk about the great outdoors & adventures when we was all young.
Sit around the table or camp fire & talk like a real family should do..warts & all.
My kids(adults now) would have a beaming smile on their faces after a days walk or camp & draw pictures of us when back home, then fall asleep because their worn out..job done mum & dad?even now they talk about it.
So are they really that different,Maybe we are seeing through rose tinted glasses.
When they are parents, what will they be saying, probably the same thing?
To me bushcraft is just being out there, being in the nature & enjoying.

 

[JonathanD]

I confess I tire of an attitude that says this or that work/activity/sport isn't inclusive enough where the solution is 'encourage more people to do this that or the other'. If there are true barriers to participation they should be taken down, but, for example, just because 50% of the population is female doesn't mean that 50% of engineering jobs should be occupied by women. There should be as many women in engineering that want to do it (to use one example close to my experience).

It even comes down to an arrogance that suggests the activities I like doing are better than the activities that someone else likes doing and I should be persuading them to change! It's almost like a religion!

Quite. Well put.

 

[MrEd]

dont know, but i ensure i offer the same 'bushcraft' opportunities to my niece and my nephew, my nephew takes me up on it probably 5 times for every 1 time my niece does, and there interests are wildly different - he is all into shelter building, knife craft, archery, where as she loves making a fire and cooking stuff on it, and foraging for things in the woods so i am not sure really......

 

[Broch]

dont know, but i ensure i offer the same 'bushcraft' opportunities to my niece and my nephew, my nephew takes me up on it probably 5 times for every 1 time my niece does, and there interests are wildly different - he is all into shelter building, knife craft, archery, where as she loves making a fire and cooking stuff on it, and foraging for things in the woods so i am not sure really......

And that is how it has been for hundreds of thousands of years; we'll not change overnight because someone says it's politically correct to do so.

 

[Woody girl]

Anyone want to join my knitting club? All are welcome, young old, male or female, ....
The point being we tend to get exclusively white women aged over 60, not because that it's a club for them alone, but its mainly the interest of that demographic.
But you'd be welcome, and plenty of tea and cakes and grannies willing to teach you a skill.
Still no takers?
So you see, not everyone will be interested in my interests, or be willing to even try them. As is their prerogative.
Just because we all find a particular activity beneficial , relaxing or fun, not everyone will, and that's fine.
Kids will enjoy messing about in the woods and learning skills, but eventualy life will take over, and though the joy of being outdoors may well stick with some, not all will carry it on in their adult lives, and that's fine too.
Live and let live, and let's not worry about being "woke" or politically correct.

 

[Tengu]

One in eight British households has no garden - Office for National Statistics

The percentage of homes without a garden is higher among ethnic minorities, with Black people in England nearly four times as likely as White people to have no outdoor space at home.

www.ons.gov.uk

Diverse nature: does nature conservation represent society?

For over a century British nature conservation has led the way - but is it truly representative of today's society? How can we involve and inspire people whatever their background, asks Ben Hoare.

www.discoverwildlife.com

natural england minorities access to nature - Bing

Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.

www.bing.com

You might like to substitute MUSEUM for NATURE

 

[Erbswurst]

I think most people try to achieve more comfortable circumstances, and there is only a very small minority that is interested to try out a more simple or even spartanic lifestyle.
And surely most of them grew up with the silver spoon in the mouth.

I think, after owning a car became affordable for nearly everybody, most hiking and especially trekking rucksacks have been sold to students.

A few years ago I did hang up in shops in Stuttgart posters for a classical concert. Stuttgart isn't only Porsche and Mercedes Benz, there is a lot more of heavy business. And do you know what people did wear in town? Mainly expensive outdoor brands! No business suits any more, no, they mainly did wear Fjällräven clothing!

 

[Van-Wild]

This is another one of those questions (OP) that should only ever be answered with 'you do you, and I'll do me'........ no need to be anything but you.

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk

 

[MartinK9]

Anyone want to join my knitting club? All are welcome, young old, male or female, ....
The point being we tend to get exclusively white women aged over 60, not because that it's a club for them alone, but its mainly the interest of that demographic.
But you'd be welcome, and plenty of tea and cakes and grannies willing to teach you a skill.
Still no takers?
So you see, not everyone will be interested in my interests, or be willing to even try them. As is their prerogative.
Just because we all find a particular activity beneficial , relaxing or fun, not everyone will, and that's fine.
Kids will enjoy messing about in the woods and learning skills, but eventualy life will take over, and though the joy of being outdoors may well stick with some, not all will carry it on in their adult lives, and that's fine too.
Live and let live, and let's not worry about being "woke" or politically correct.

I would love to, but you would have to provide Men only toilets. I don't like tea so coffee is required and cakes are no good for my diabetes so low carb only.

Can we only knit things that I want, it's only a few little changes to your club, surely you won't mind? It's to make it more inclusive don't you know.

* Sarcasm mode off

 

[Fadcode]

I have read this topic now a few times, and the one thing that does strike me, is, what exactly is "Bushcraft"? I know we had a similar thread about the meaning of "Bushcraft", I beleive that you cannot define what Bushcraft is exactly as we ll have our own opinions about it, for instance when I go out I always carry a lighter, am I cheating?, I wouldn't dream of sitting for hours carving a spoon, I'd probably die of hunger anyway...............I think it would be near impossible to find someone who did not have a skill that could be associated with "Bushcraft".

Now some people will take learning new skills a bit further, others are quite happy to only participate if forced to, eg: car breaks down, house floods, looking for the kids(tracking), etc, etc.
Some people are quite happy, watching TV, going the Pub, fishing, mountaineering, all aspects of Bushcraft, maybe not mentioned in books about bushcraft but all the same, getting away from the normality of life, and escaping for a brief time.

There are no barriers to Bushcraft at all, even the residents of London can get out into parks, woods, its surprising how much countryside there is in London, you dont have to pay for a licence, and i assume you own a pair of shoes, and a coat, and bsically you dont need anything else.
Bushcraft is not about going up to Glen Coe, nice though it is, it;s not about going to the Brecon Beacons, its all about doing something you enjoy.

I even think you can equate Knitting to Bushcraft, because you are making something, you are using your skills, that is Bushcraft..............in my opinion.

 

[TeeDee]

Anyone want to join my knitting club? All are welcome, young old, male or female, ....
The point being we tend to get exclusively white women aged over 60, not because that it's a club for them alone, but its mainly the interest of that demographic.
But you'd be welcome, and plenty of tea and cakes and grannies willing to teach you a skill.
Still no takers?
So you see, not everyone will be interested in my interests, or be willing to even try them. As is their prerogative.
Just because we all find a particular activity beneficial , relaxing or fun, not everyone will, and that's fine.
Kids will enjoy messing about in the woods and learning skills, but eventualy life will take over, and though the joy of being outdoors may well stick with some, not all will carry it on in their adult lives, and that's fine too.
Live and let live, and let's not worry about being "woke" or politically correct.

I went to sign up for the local Women's Institute because I wanted to learn knitting and jam making and all of that stuff ( and the other stuff not openly talked about ) but I was declined on grounds of my gender.

Didn't seem very fair tbh

 

[Woody girl]

I would love to, but you would have to provide Men only toilets. I don't like tea so coffee is required and cakes are no good for my diabetes so low carb only.

Can we only knit things that I want, it's only a few little changes to your club, surely you won't mind? It's to make it more inclusive don't you know.

* Sarcasm mode off

Martin, we have unisex toilets, so absolutely no discrimination there.

Coffee, no problem, always a choice.

Cakes, some of the members are diabetic, so that is catered for.

Everyone knits what they want to anyway.

See you there!

 

[Stew]

I went to sign up for the local Women's Institute because I wanted to learn knitting and jam making and all of that stuff ( and the other stuff not openly talked about ) but I was declined on grounds of my gender.

Didn't seem very fair tbh

My Dad once gave a talk to a WI about jam making. Always makes me chuckle a bit when I think of it.

 

[Woody girl]

I went to sign up for the local Women's Institute because I wanted to learn knitting and jam making and all of that stuff ( and the other stuff not openly talked about ) but I was declined on grounds of my gender.

Didn't seem very fair tbh

The clue is in the title... womens institute. It's where women go to get away from hubby and the kids for a few hours.

Men usualy go to the pub.

If you want to learn jam making etc, do what I did, buy a book, and follow the recipe.

I've never been to a WI meeting, but I've beaten them, and won cups with my baking and jam making in the local village shows more than once!

 

[Woody girl]

My Dad once gave a talk to a WI about jam making. Always makes me chuckle a bit when I think of it.

My best friends hubby makes the best blackcurrant jam, and various chutneys. Better than some of mine.!

 

[TeeDee]

The clue is in the title... womens institute. It's where women go to get away from hubby and the kids for a few hours.

Men usualy go to the pub.

If you want to learn jam making etc, do what I did, buy a book, and follow the recipe.

I've never been to a WI meeting, but I've beaten them, and won cups with my baking and jam making in the local village shows more than once!

Boy Scouts used to mean the same thing.... A bastion for young men to bond within their own gender. But that was made to change.

One rule for one...


You are right, I will go to the pub instead and become a curmudgeon.