Where do young adults meet others nowdays

[racierach]

My DS 19 would like a gf. He says the apps are full of women that he would not choose to go for.
he goes to the gym but it’s a bit of a meathead gym. He goes to a martial arts class but again it’s full of men.
he doesn’t particularly like going out drinking and doesn’t think he will meet any suitable women.
any suggestions I can make ?

He could look for a social group on meetup.com.

Church. Might not be his thing but there’s a huge youth and 20’s/30’s section in our church

Church definitely not his thing. But thank you for suggestions.
I’ve looked at meet-ups and nothing aimed at young people.

I cannot understand why young people don’t get chatting in any social setting!
I definitely got to meet people in pubs, clubs ,friends and work places. Find it really baffling TBH !

What sort of girl is he looking for? What's he interested in?

Our running club is 80% women. The trick is to pick a fun sociable run club rather than a more competitive male ego type athletics club.

If he's into fitness, crossfit/hyrox have plenty of women. Also running and tennis.

DS1 met his gf through a shared sport at university aged 19. They are still together 9 years later.

DS2 is 23. His current gf works in a coffee shop.. They got chatting when she served him and he asked for her number. He met his previous gf via online dating when they were both students in the same city.

I second this suggestion. I met my partner through one of the groups on there, and have friends who have also.

Would recommend it to people of any age tbh, whether looking to meet someone to have a relationship with or to make new friends.

He might need to look further. Has he checked to see if there's groups in the next town/city over?
Also have a look on local Facebook groups as groups/activities are advertised there.
You sometimes get groups like Bingo or pub quizes but aimed at the younger crowd.
Game cafes?

Has he actually met up with any women he has seen on the apps?
You said he didn't like the look of any of them - but surely he needs to actually meet up with them once in a while.
People can be different when you meet them in real life.

Someone I know took up dancing. Lots of women and not many men. Latin dancing eg tango, samba seem to be a sexy evening.

Is he at college or university, sports clubs or societies are a great way of widening your social circle, as is working in a bar with a youthful workforce and cliental. My son's friendship group is a mixture of boys and girls and having girls as genuine friends is a great way to increase your social circle. Boys tend to get recommended to other girls if they aren't dicks to their female friends!

Running club

19? This is the perfect time to meet people at work.

Retail work, coffee work or event work - all are brilliant for camaraderie and a rotating cast of youngsters. Plus, you get paid. Starbucks or local gig place or retailers like Waterstones.

What are the type of women he’d go for if tinder etc has none of them?
his best bet is things like meet-up, even if they’re not targeted towards young people there will be younger people at them plus growing a friendship group out, meeting friends of friends will be good for him, and his type of women (whatever that maybe) will be on OLD he just needs to be clear about what type of person he’s looking for etc

Some young people are less socially adept than others in those kinds of settings

Dd aged 21 seems to get chatting to people on Instagram that are friends of friends and who respond to her stories - it’s sort of like a dating app without being obviously a dating app…! Of course that depends on how many people he knows etc in social media. It can be a bit stalker ish otherwise. Dd is currently chatting to someone who “liked” her latest story (a pic of her she posted) and they’ve been messaging since. He’s sort of a distant friend of a friend.

You’d be surprised how many young adults don’t really ever leave their houses!

thank you so much for suggestions.
he doesn’t want to go on apps he (and younger ds) both say they are just full of women wanting hook ups and that’s not what he wants.

I am going to suggest he changes his gym or joins a running club/ hyrox.

he works in engineering as apprenticeship- very few women and college for same things but again very few women.

Take up ice skating! It’s a very female dominated sport. At 19 and a beginner your son could go down the adult competitive route it’s not the elite aiming for the Olympics avenue. Lots of choices singles freeskate or if he doesn’t want to jump ice dance either solo or in a couple. Pairs skating takes a lot of strength and the male partner has to lift and throw the female partner. Or even Synchro skating in a team. Often there is a lone male in a team of upto 16 female skaters.

could your son get a part time job in a coffee shop? Lots of young people and high staff turnover. My eldest dd met her partner whilst they were both working for Costa in the local Odeon.

Park run

Agree with running club. Or a singing group - usually heavily female weighted. Or volunteering. In general, if he would like to meet more women, go and do things that more women like to do.

DS had more luck on apps when he got really specific about what he wants. Your DS could try them, but specify that he wants a girl who is interested in martial arts (they do exist - I know some) or fitness, not a drinker, and interested in a LTR not a fling.

DS got really clear on what he was looking for and within weeks he'd met his first serious girlfriend, and after they split he met the girl he is still with.

Do people meet at Park Run? When I did it, I was so focused on the run I wasn't very aware of others around me except the mate I ran with. But I wasn't looking to meet someone. Is it a good place to chat people up?