Younger Members/Involvement

[NW Mailing List]

There have been several good suggestions on how to encourage young(er)
memberships and involvement. While these are a great start, they will
not necessarily address the disconnect many may still feel within
organizations. This is not necessarily directed at the N&WHS, but more
of general observations.

Here are a few thoughts:

Relevance: one of the biggest turnoffs to organizations is a lack of
relevance of the subject matter. The "Why does that matter too me?"
question. Just because a historical society exists, it does not mean
your relevant. This is not to say that every Arrow has to be a
cliffhanger that grabs everyone, but what it does say is that the
overall theme of the organization should express why this stuff is
important and why it matters today and how an individual can make a
difference. Sometimes I assume everyone is interested in signal
evolution like I am, but not everyone shares my passion for railroad
signal development. But, as a researcher and a potential author, I
need to convince people why they should find it somewhat interesting
as it relates to their experiences. Do historical societies do this at
all?

Engagement: as parents of millennials, one thing we’ve noticed is this
generation really values authentic engagement. This engagement takes
on many forms, it may be direct hands-on, it may be indirect through
social media. It just depends on the individual, but it has to be
authentic. Our oldest son, also an active railfan, would love to take
advantage of immersive activities that may be sponsored by historical
societies, especially if they involve current operations. There are
ways of tying all of this stuff together from historic to current
perspectives. This all requires a lot of work, a lot of planning,
involvement, and oh did I mention a lot of work? :)

Value: I hit on this before...a person wants to feel valued if they
ask questions or provide feedback. This is a skill we all need to work
on for that matter, but it comes from mentoring and taken someone
under your wing. This is a hard ask for people, especially from a
generation that is labeled negatively.

Fees:  I do not think this is as big of a barrier as it may be
perceived, but, this is only tied to the perceived value of the
services provided. If you waive a fee, you're saying you do not value
what you provide. I think this is a flawed approach.

Just my rambling thoughts...

Eric Davis
Formerly of Ashville, Ohio
N&W Columbus District