Children and Naturism: Part One – The War Against Youth Camps

Still, Morley Schloss is optimistic about the future of naturist youth camps. “I don’t see a crisis”, he said, “Naturist camps that have had problems have taught the children that they must be careful and distrustful, that naturist resorts are unsafe. Let’s be proactive. In words and photos, we must portray children and their families having fun at naturist resorts and naturist youth camps.”

Stephane Deschenes of Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park agrees. “We certainly must not give up on this point. Some naturists/nudists believe that we should keep quiet so that there won’t be any scrutiny. In fact, many people criticized AANR for running the (2003 New York Times) story about children’s camps in the first place. I disagree. When you keep something quiet and people find out, they are more likely to be shocked because it is a surprise. If we keep talking about it, then it normalizes the situation. That’s why I make sure that there are always lots of pictures of happy children on all our marketing materials.”

Although Rep. Mark Foley’s attacks failed in Florida, Texas was successful in banning the youth camps, and in Virginia, the requirement that parents or guardians always be present effectively killed them in that state, too. In addition, according to Paul LeValley of the Professors and Researchers Special Interest Group of The Naturist Society, the numbers of children overall at the youth camps has “plummeted“. The only exception is at the Sunsport Gardens Youth Camp, where attendance grows every year. Only two other camps took place last year (2011) in the United States, one was at Juniper Woods in New York, and the other was at Shangri La Ranch in Arizona.

This controversy over the youth camps is a clear illustration why nudists and naturists need strong representation from national organizations. While Foley failed in Florida, his demagoguery was damaging, and lasting. It’s perhaps just a matter of time before another “Mark Foley” comes forward to attack naturists, and all of us need to be prepared to push back and fight for our parental rights. When the attacks come, they will be at the children, not just on the youth camps issue, but on their participation in general.

Next: Children and Naturism Part Two: Exploitation

Mr. Kresiak is a member of the AANR Public Relations Committee. Follow him on Twitter here.

For a detailed history of nudist and naturist youth camps, and further reading about the 2003 Mark Foley fiasco, please visit here.

Article Resources:

Sunsport Gardens Youth Camp

Original New York Times article on nudist youth camps from June 12, 2003

February 2010 NAC Newsletter: Florida Officials Deem Youth Camp Photos Okay

AANR Nudist Family Values

The Naturist Society FAQ

Virginia Bill HB 2806

The Naturist Action Committee

South Florida Free Beaches

Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park – Children in Naturism

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