After the last Train The Trainer report we have done a lot for the ham radio youth – main focus on the camp Nordics On The air. The camp was held 19.-22.4.2019 in Leirisalo in Southern Finland. With the help of a total of 14 organizers we made it possible for 32 international youngsters to have an amazing time creating networks across borders while participating in amateur radio related activities. You can read more about the camp from the news here at ham-yota.com.
A lot of the Finnish Youth team’s time this year has been used for planning NOTA, but we have also remembered the coming summer and autumn. We will have a pre-planned youth meet in SRAL’s summer camp and the traditional Polar camp for Finnish youngsters will be re-organized in October. Not to forget the annual DYM operating weekend in December. We also have a great team of three participating in this year’s YOTA in Bulgaria.
Our problems in getting new youth into amateur radio are still the same as before. Finding time for the hobby and networking as the main ones. The brand of the hobby needs a facelift, since it is seen as weird and “nerdish”. We feel that Train The Trainer is a good initiative to face the problems together.
We still don’t get any information about newly licenced youth, but we do know that at least a couple very young radio scouts have recently gotten their licenses and they have been integrated to SRAL’s youth.
Our official social media pages are NOTA’s (Nordics on the air) Instagram @nordicsontheair and our new Nordics On The Air Facebook page which will be updated frequently. On top of that we have WhatsApp group chats for Finnish youngsters and our Youth team and Telegram groups for both Nordic co-operation and NOTA 2019.
