Is she into any sports or art that she can practice in the summer with a camp? That is a way to meet kids.

We moved here a while ago and our 15 year old is also having a tough time making friends - I wouldn't say she is mature for her age, but not into the same things the girls at school are into. She's friendly enough with them, but no really good friends. She likes anime and almost anything Japanese, some alternative music, is also into equal rights and especially gay rights, is well travelled and also struggling a little with body image (I think she looks fine, but she is no stick insect!). Happy to get the girls together if you think this sounds like a possible fit - we couuld meet up at a local Starbucks to take the pressure off ...

She might enjoy being friends with adults who share her interests. Don't limit your horizon to just other teenagers. . . . Book groups at politics & prose? social justice groups at the ethical society?

Anonymous wrote:Church youth groups.

+1 and maybe an older Girl Scout troop? You need something that is more weekend focussed that will continue once school is in session.

Church youth groups.

I'm in a similar boat. My stepdaughter spends the summers with us and is far from her out-of-state HS friends. Last summer at 15 we enrolled her in a few arts camps. She met some kids but no one she got close to to stay in touch with. She just turned 16. This summer she is taking some SAT prep classes and doing some volunteer work. We are hopeful she will click with some kids this year.

I'd suggest as others have to line up some activities where she will be around other teens -- a PT job, volunteer work, classes, etc. And Meetups may work too. Also, you might have luck asking around friends and colleagues and neighbors -- does anyone have kids near her age you could plan a "set up" with?

Part time job

She might not make close friends but she will make work friends to hang out with during the day.

I would plan ahead and make some get togethers on different weekends with people she knows in Northern VA. A trip to an amusement park, the movies, etc. would be fun.

If you look on meetup.com and put in your zip code you'll see that there will be groups in your area. You can search on her interests or for teens specifically. Parks and Rec usually offers things for teens during the summer. She may not make amazing friends but it will get her out of the house.

She could volunteer for a cause that interests her, e.g., in an office setting. Paid jobs seem to be pretty slim pickings for teens. Museums, nature centers, historic houses need docents and volunteers if this would interest her. If she likes working with kids she could try her hand at camp counseling.

If she likes outdoor stuff, Calleva camps have a lot of activities for teens.

There are different summer programs at Montgomery College.

Summer jobs are OK, but to meet kids with whom she might really click and maintain longer friendships, she could find summer opportunities that emphasize her interests and beliefs, because other kids there will share her interests from the very start.

If she's into sciences, find science summer programs/camps for teens. Lots around here. One is the Army GEMS program (not related to the GEMS program at some elementary schools for girls in science). Local universities have summer science and STEM programs for teens. And so on.

Since she's also into social justice issues, she could volunteer with nonprofits or charities that support such issues--League of Women Voters comes to mind, though I don't know if they have a specific teen-oriented program (but it's worth it to check).

If she's into the outdoors she might like being a camp staffer; my own daughter makes a lot of buddies fast during summers at the one-week Girl Scout day camp where she is a teen staffer. The staffers all train together and hang out together at lunchtimes etc. so it's not all about being just with younger kids all the time!

One other thing -- programs and camps fill up early in the year around here, especially STEM-type programs, so her best bet might be volunteering if she's not already signed up for things; however, there are always kids who drop out of things at the last minute, so it's always worth checking to see if there are last minute openings.

I went to boarding school - I totally get it.

I think a PT job at a place wih a lot of teens is a great idea- pool club, etc. Or have her take a summer class geared towards high school kids.

This is hard for sure.

Yeah, I would say she should look for a job where a lot of teens work. Maybe a water park or movie theater, something like that.

Maybe becoming a camp counselor at one of the local camps. Is there something she enjoys or would like to learn (yoga, dance, art etc).

Your daughter sounds like a lovely girl! 15 is a hard age.

Summer theater, a part-time job, a 2- or 3-week camp?

We're new to the area and I would love some ideas for ways my 15 year old daughter could make friends.

She attends a boarding school, so will not be at a local school, but will be home for weekends (sometimes) and summers. Some of her friends from boarding school live in northern virginia but that is too far for her to casually hang out with them. We are in Rockville/Gaithersburg.

She is very mature for her ago (wants to go into neuro science), and is very well traveled. She's very open minded, but very pro equal rights - will campaign for same sex marriage, gender equality, etc. She's somewhat shy and doesn't want to call attention to herself (and is somewhat uncomfortable with her body- she has a Marilyn Monroe body type, and wishes she was a size 0, which adds to her shyness).

Any ideas of where to start looking? Is there a version of 'meet up' for teens?

She is really struggling, and I'm a single mom with a younger son that has acclimated very well and already has friends in the neighboorhood, etc. I think if she could just find two or three friends to hang out with she would be fine. She just needs to connect with someone who isn't mom She is an amazing kid.

Posted here because I thought the off topic forum may include more general recommendations for suggestions of where to start . TIA