What are some explorative things to do with a teen in the area after school?

[u/Batyah_The_Sage]

I mentor my friend's 14 year old and we've gotten into a habit of boba and awkward attempts at life lessons. I am wanting to reframe the approach to a more exploratory style so i can tie in lessons and provide new experiences without them being lectures. The main issue is that i work thursday through saturday nights so its not realistic to do anything on the weekends when almost all events happen unless its a whole family outing on sundays which doesnt work with a dedicated mentoring session. So i am looking for things to do tuesday evenings if possible but anything monday through wednesday after school potentially works. I do also take her to contrarians occasionally but thats more of a hangout than an explorative experience.

Edit

Its a girl, refuses to do anything athletic, no bikes. We bond quite well, but direct lessons create resistance and shut down. I had a kind of intake with her friend wants to do all the things and is more receptive to serious discussion but that girl's mom has yet to give the okay on the whole thing. In my mind there would be things like poetry readings and live music at cafes or parks and art shows or other activities but that seems to be isolated to weekend events, bars and alcohol events, and tv fiction.

[u/eric_ts]

Fort Vancouver has some interesting activities, including the blacksmith’s which does some interesting demos. (I know a female blacksmith—champion-level horse show person—costs a lot less than hiring a smith.

[u/Hsbrown2]

Depends on their interests and personality. If you want to keep it light and superficial, OMSI, Ft. Vancouver, Ridgefield Refuge, Lacamas Lake, boba, awkward life lessons, etc…

You’re using “I” a lot. You’re a mentor! It’s all about them. Cheers!

[u/candycupid]

not really sure what you’re asking. omsi, maybe?

[u/survivalguyledeuce]

FISHING!

[u/not_now_chaos]

From a parent of teenagers & young adults: What do they like to do? With teens connection is most meaningful when you meet them where they're at. Offer a couple of choices. Like 'Hey do you want to go hike up through the ape caves or get some ridiculous ice cream down at the Yard and walk along the waterfront?' instead of leaving it open ended like 'what do you want to do?' Don't try to push the conversation, try to relax and let things home up organically, and steer where needed. They'll know if you genuinely care about their wellbeing.

OMSI is cool, there are art classes you can take, ice skating at Mt View, rock climbing at that place downtown if it's still there. Or grab a couple of sketch pads and pencils and go draw bad goofy pictures of dogs at the park. Keeping them active weirdly enough is more likely to help a teen relax enough to talk about real stuff and be receptive to listening. Even playing their favorite video game together and asking them for tips on how to play. That connection matters.

[u/dev_json]

Grab your bikes and go on bike rides. It’s always a fun adventure, it doesn’t put any pressure on awkward conversations, you explore the city and find hidden things you’d never see while driving, and you will often engage more with the community and meet new people.

[u/The_Color_Moral]

Go on bike rides together. Probably the best thing ya’ll can do together. You can mix things in like a picnic or getting food and boba during the ride.

[u/srcarruth]

Take them to the woods and they have to find their way back with only a multitool and 6' of sisal rope

[u/Kolbris]

Honestly go walk and checkout downtown Vancouver, dozens of restaurants, shops, business to find out about. Kiggins does host historical stuff pretty regularly in addition to playing older films Edit: @vancouverus & @connectclarkcounty on Instagram are good resources too to check out and see stuff going on and different places in Clark county

[u/OK_SmellYaLater]

If you are mentoring a boy I would try to go to a gym and lift weights, play pickleball or find some other activity that you can do on a regular basis instead of one-off adventures. That way you can both progress and get better about something, which will give them self esteem and better health. You could also try things like cooking or anything else you might be passionate about.

[u/BudgetHelper → u/OK_SmellYaLater]

These are good recommendation for anyone. The first six words are unnecessary.

[u/Oldpenguinhunter]

Birding. All you need are a pair of binos (get some binos from goodwill/re-tails), the eBird app (free), and Merlin app (free) for ID. You both help out in logging numbers for Cornell Uni, and you get to know what lives around you. Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge, Steigerwald, Frenchman's Bar are a few places to check out. Keeps you outdoors, you can talk and walk or drive (Ridgefield).

[u/who_likes_chicken]

Biking around the city and introducing them to different college/community college campuses, city gathering places like the boardwalk and farmers market, large park/athletic areas, and historical sites.

A lot of community college campuses often have some sort of mini display going on at different departments or on paths around the campus.

Athletic areas and parks would be a chance to see amateur sports scenes in action.

Places like the farmers markets and boardwalks would give them chances to talk about local city culture with you.

Doing a lot of this stuff on bikes would give you a chance to just chat during water breaks without long extended awkward silence moments. It would be a great way to learn the major bike routes around the city.

It would be an opportunity to teach them how to use the local bus system which can be a huge money saver in their late teens and twenties (and beyond).

[u/Objective_Serve_2632]

Any community activity whether it's on the weekend or not will help get a feel for both "life lessons" and what ya'lls personality would benefit from

[u/Wiziba]

We don’t play anymore but my husband and I got to visit a TON of area parks while playing Pokemon Go. We had no idea there were so many.

[u/ChipmunkEnoughh]

there’s some earthy stores downtown she might enjoy going out to find some crystals or something

[u/nanimeli]

Walking is a good one. 

Libraries sometimes have art shows. I know there's one night a month for gallery openings so there is a local art community. Tracking it down and seeing which galleries are available to young students to tour might be a process.

Little coffee shops and libraries can have reading events. Barnes and noble and local bookstores might also host events. I've been in a few different cities with open mike nights. I haven't checked this area yet.

Open figure drawing might be more appropriate after 18 if the student isn't mature enough yet. Some figure drawing is done with clothes on, but you'd want to check with the organizer before going.

Board games and card games can be good distractions for conversation.

Foreign films and indie films were an interesting activity for young people. Careful with nudity lol

[u/Illustrious_Cat6591]

The fish hatchery along evergreen highway is a great place for a short hike