NaturismRE Statement: Why We Must Talk About Naturism in Schools

Below is a statement from NaturismRE addressing the deeper urgency behind our educational proposal. It reflects the reality faced by naturist communities worldwide — and why silence is no longer an option.

For decades, global naturist organisations have avoided controversy to protect their image and maintain membership numbers. While this cautious approach may have kept doors open, it has also kept progress locked away. The result? Naturism has not advanced. In fact, it's retreating—one beach closure, one policy reversal, one biased decision at a time.

We believe controversy can be a force for good. It creates conversations. It brings hidden biases to light. It forces society to confront its own misconceptions and ask, why are we still afraid of the human body?

Teaching age-appropriate naturist values in schools—like body confidence, respect for all body types, and understanding the natural connection between humans and the environment—is not dangerous. What’s dangerous is leaving generations of young people to battle shame, isolation, and anxiety as they transition into adulthood with no tools to face it.

Naturism is not about nudity. It’s about normalising the body, separating it from shame and hypersexualisation. We cannot rely on adults raised in stigma to break that cycle. We need to begin with the next generation.

Yes, some will react with outrage. Yes, some politicians and media voices will try to twist our message. And yes—there is a real risk they will try to close the few spaces we already have. But ask yourself: are we happy with the way things are?

No, we are not. We want:

• More recognition

• More respect

• More spaces to live freely

• More understanding from the wider public

Waiting quietly while our rights are eroded is not a strategy. It’s surrender.
We don't want to be seen as exhibitionists or radicals. We want to be recognised as people who believe in body respect, mental health, and connection to nature. And we know the only way to achieve that future is to educate.

Not with protests in the streets. Not by shocking people. But by starting the conversation early, in schools, with education programs that teach children how to be confident in their bodies, how to respect others’ differences, and how to understand that the human body is not a source of shame.

Naturism will not survive if we keep hiding. It will only grow if we stop being afraid to speak up.

We are not just fighting to preserve what little we have.
We are here to build a better, freer, more understanding future.

It starts with truth.
It starts with education.
It starts with courage.