by Ondine Brooks Kuraoka

As the school year closes, parents of adolescents are up against weeks of potentially unstructured time. “I’ll just hang out with ... More

by Ondine Brooks Kuraoka

As the school year closes, parents of adolescents are up against weeks of potentially unstructured time. “I’ll just hang out with my friends,” the kids say. Some downtime to relax with friends is essential, but an entire summer of unstructured time may drag your young vacationer into couch potato inertia. A special challenge exists for “tweens,” who are not quite old enough to get a job, but may have outgrown the traditional “marshmallows and campfire songs” summer camp. So, what to do? Find balance in compromise, but don’t budge on making a plan with your young teen to give summer break a purpose.

Volunteers age 14 and older can participate in team activities without a parent through Volunteer San Diego. Jennifer Hamilton, director of youth and education programs, explains, “Teens get a chance to socialize and meet a role model in the team leader. One option is to help out at a food bank. It’s great to see where the food from a food drive goes. They get a deeper sense that there’s someone on the other side of the can.” A small sampling of other opportunities includes assisting with therapeutic horseback riding for disabled individuals, beach cleanups, removal of non-native plants at local parks, making crafts for a cause and serving seniors. There are many more, and the beauty of Volunteer San Diego is the flexibility to try many different activities.

Or try a deeper involvement in a specific organization that reflects your teen’s interests. For instance, teens with an affinity for animals could volunteer at an animal shelter. Kids younger than 14 can collect pet food for the Rancho Santa Fe Helen Woodward Animal Center (HWAC) Animeals program, which, in conjunction with Meals on Wheels, feeds homebound seniors and their pets. Kids can also make animal toys or coordinate a blanket and towel drive. Trisha St. George, HWAC public relations supervisor, offers a simple toy idea. “Stuff old socks with catnip. You don’t even have to sew it — just knot the end of it.”

Volunteers must be at least 16 to work directly with the animals but teens 14 and older can volunteer in the education department and assist during the Critter Camp, helping staff prepare activities and working with younger kids.

For teens with an entrepreneurial bent, summer is a perfect time to start a business. Ruben Garcia, Small Business Administration District Director of San Diego, points to the administration’s online Teen Business Link as a starting point.

When brainstorming business ideas, Garcia advises teens to think about what they really love doing. The next step is to formulate a business plan. “If you want to bring your dream to reality you need an idea of how to get it going,” he says. “What kinds of materials and money will you need? The website explains business start-up regulations, too. Do you need a business license? And remember that taxes are inevitable whether you’re 15 or 55.”

Summer months can be an ideal time to explore a possible life path and learn new skills. The non-profit Maritime Learning Center (MLC) in San Diego offers hands-on maritime training with a range of volunteer opportunities and programs. The Maritime Explorers is a vocational job exploration program open to ages 14 to 20. The program takes place on Saturdays and is free of charge, other than the yearly $8 insurance fee. Captain Jeff Bentley, executive director of the MLC, says, “For young people who haven’t had exposure to hand tools, we are able to instruct them in those skills through the Explorers program. We start with basic tools like hammers, screw drivers and wrenches. We give teens the opportunity, under carefully controlled circumstances, to use tools in project-based learning at the center and on the vessels. As they get older and show promise with these tools, they will be able to advance to more industrial-type air and electric tools.”

Rather than sitting around playing computer games, why not learn to create them? David Livingston, director of instruction for Digital Media Academy (DMA), says, “The key to our program is in keeping the level of instruction just as high for teens as for professionals. Courses are taught by high-level creative professionals, game designers and filmmakers, giving teens a first-rate experience rather than babysitting in front of a computer.” DMA offers teen-specific camps at UCSD and Stanford University. Teens age 13 and older can reside on campus for the week. Students who complete courses through DMA at either campus can receive continuing education credits from Stanford, where the program originated.

During the day they work with creative professionals in courses such as game design, filmmaking or digital photography. The Stanford campus hosts courses in filmmaking for action sports such as skateboarding and mountain biking. In the evenings, teens participate in supervised recreational activities.

For an active adventure, get out on the water. Mission Bay Sport Center is the largest water sports facility in SD and a pioneer youth aquatic center. Teen camps for 13- to 16-year-olds include wakeboard and waterskiing, surfing, catamaran, sailing, windsurfing and multi-sports. General manager Zach Funston says, “The first day, we give a brief introduction and then get out on the water. We’ve never had a student not be able to get up, waterskiing or wakeboarding. We get a lot of first-timers. We have kids who come all 12 weeks, all day. Some kids come back year after year and they end up as instructors.”

Your young teen may react with initial disenchantment at being required to get off the couch this summer, but once they get involved in a meaningful activity of their choice they are likely to be grateful. You will be, too.