AANR-NW has a new club. WIne Country Bares became a provisional club this fall. Wine Country Bares is a new travel club centered around Yakima and Moses Lake.
You can check out their website at http://www.winecountrybares.org or get information from info@winecountrybares.org. I know that they will appreciate any support that we can give them.
If you are cruising on the Big Nude Boat, there will be a meet and greet opportunity for those of us in the Northwest. Look for more details later.
The World Record Skinny Dip is returning on July 13, 2013. It is being cosponsored by AANR and TNS. Follow http://www.aanr.com/world-record-skinny-dip for more details.
Two big issues facing AANR today are nudist acceptance and membership. One is outward facing; how do we get others to accept us. The other is more inward facing; how to we retain members and add new ones.
One idea I have about increasing acceptance is letting the textiles that we live and work with know we are nudists. By doing this, we are no longer ‘other’. It puts a non threatening face on nudism.
Each of us has their own individual comfort level about who knows they participate in social nudism. I propose that each of us takes a small step out of the clothes closet. This will be different for each of us. I am very open about being a nudist. However, it was a stretch when I agreed to enter a Toastmasters Humorous Speech contest with a speech titled “How to pack for a nude cruise”. But I did it. It was well received. Afterwards, I was asked questions and was able to to talk about the various nudist venues in the area. Another example of a stretch for me was including on my resume that I wrote the AANRMobile app for Android.
My challenge to you is “Are you willing to take a small step out of your comfort zone?” Not only will it help nudist acceptance, but it can be very freeing to conquer a personal fear.
I wish I had more ideas on how to grow AANR-NW membership. I do know that it means retaining current members and attracting new members. I am asking for your help. If you have any ideas about membership, please send them to president@aanr-nw.org. I will compile them and publish them. And I will present them to your board at the AANR-NW Board Meeting.
