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It’s not always easy to find others that share our common survivalist and prepper interests (or the understanding of the absolute necessity of it). With that said, there are quite a few of us out there. In fact, various statistics put us at roughly 3 million strong.
Despite the numbers, it still can be difficult to find other survivalists in our local area. Quite frankly, it’s not like we endeavor to broadcast our existence to the world given the fact that most of us aren’t too keen on releasing such information to the general public. That’s one reason why I’ve always thought that the National Geographic Channel show “Doomsday Preppers” is a somewhat odd and curious thing. But that’s neither here nor there.
While you might be reluctant to reach out to other survivalists, there can be value in it. Being able to interact with and exchange ideas – and when it comes down to it – have a helping hand and a ready friend when things finally go south will be useful.
Beyond the People You Know
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for survivalists comes down to the fact that there are only 3 million of us in this country (how they even got that statistic, I’m not quite sure). That means less than 1 in 100 people have adopted the survivalist mentality. That’s going to make things a bit difficult if we’re going to locate other like-minded individuals.
And then, there’s the issue that we survivalists often tend to be the black sheep in our social circles. If we’re lucky, then our immediate family is onboard – and really lucky if members of our extended family are with us, as well. But usually, we tend to feel somewhat alone in our survivalist endeavors.
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Since it’s not exactly easy to find fellow survivalists, then perhaps it’s time to think outside the box. Here are three stellar ways to find the one-in-100 person like us. What I like to think of the awesome, down-to-earth, smart folks like us!
No. 3 – Churches, Bulletin Boards and Tear Tabs
If it’s anonymity that’s the problem, then perhaps it might not be all that bad of an idea to simply allow our fellow survivalists to continue to be anonymous but recruit at the same time. How can we do this?
Well, let’s get them to come to us instead. For instance, take advantage of known places where people regularly gather together. And although you’re not necessarily hopping atop of a soap box and yelling, “Hear ye, hear ye, my fellow survivalists!” you could still catch the attention and intrigue of the anonymous, nonetheless. Let’s face it, they’re probably in search of other like-minded individuals as well.
If you’re a churchgoer and you’re allowed access (or you simply need to win over the favor of the church secretary) to the bulletin board, start a survivalist group. You could do this by posting a flyer that comes furnished with those fun little tear-tabs, which should have your contact info on them. It won’t be long before you start seeing emails pop up in your inbox asking for more info on what you’re all about. Also, this doesn’t just have to be something you only do in church either. You could use this method in just about any social gathering spot from coffee shops to your local American Legion.
The key here is that you’ll want to ascertain whether you’re allowed to put your survivalist group advertisement up there with all the other bits of corkboard literature.
No. 2 – Local Online Forums and Social Media
I live in Pennsylvania, so if I were to scour the web for online local survivalist resources then I’d happen upon my friendly neighborhood Pennsylvania Preppers Network. Of course, it’s only going to be a matter of time before a Pennsylvania prepper would begin to find all kinds of other local resources, including those of the human persuasion.
There also are social media resources as well. Although I might caution the engagement of social media to a certain extent, I will say that this could still help you make quality connections.
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Regardless of your location, I’d simply hit up Google first. There are quite a few national resources for survivalists that can connect you to your local forums, such as the one from the American Preppers Network and PrepperGroups.com. The reason why I’m fond of forums for this purpose is because they’re engagement-based online communities that tend to be fairly active.
Also, think outside the box on this as well. There are no shortage of survivalist and prepper-type forums out there that will be useful. For instance, there are TONS of gun forums, bushcraft forums, etc. And since you’ll have the ability to message others privately and anonymously, then that makes it easy to break the ice.
No. 1 – Meetup.com
Granted, I have already covered ye olde online resources, but this site has worked extremely well for me time after time – so I decided to give it a pointer of its own: Meetup.com.
Basically, Meetup is a place where people go to meetup with other people of like minds. If you’re into art, then you can find artists. If you’re into dog walking, then you can find other dog walkers. And of course, if you’re into survivalist activities … then you’re able to find other survivalists.
Now, you might have to drive 50 miles or so to make it to these get-togethers. But make no mistake, unless you live in the middle of nowhere, then chances are you’re going to find a local survivalist group within a reasonable transit distance.
In fact, there are likely going to be quite a few resources to look in to, such as survival classes and even like-minded political groups. The cool part is that you can join up with multiple groups and it’s not uncommon to see a fellow member of your survivalist group showing up to the local Tea Party gathering later on in the week. So, give Meetup.com a try. Worst-case scenario, you could start a group of your own there (that will cost you a box-of-Hornady-priced monthly fee).
Like Minds Will Converge
While you might end up finding yourself feeling rather alone in your survivalist activities at times, there is one thing that I can guarantee. There are DEFINITELY more than 3 million of us in this country. How so? Well, consider that the statistic came from a survey. How many survivalists would have actually identified themselves?
If anything, I say to my fellow off-the-grid friends this: Simply be yourself and don’t be afraid to open up to other potential survivalists. I believe that the survivalist lifestyle is not one that is founded in fear, but based on love and leadership for those in our circles of influence.
So, don’t be afraid to tell others – even strangers – what you’re all about. Who knows, while that person might not be a survivalist today, there’s a good chance that you’ll have a hand in the creation of a new survivalist or prepper tomorrow. Good thing you’re already a leader, because your new greenhorn survivalist is going to have a thing or two to learn about this business, that’s for sure.
What would you add to this list? Share your thoughts in the section below:
