to think it's tricky finding good activities for teens on school holidays

[necromumda]

Really struggling. I'm finding lots for younger kids but it's a hard one for a 14-year-old. Area-specific or same where you are?
(any suggestions would be welcome as well)

He's old enough to do his own thing, he'll probably get together with friends a lot of the time. Mine did at that age.

Reading this with interest, because I've realised that, after next summer, DD will be too old for the summer schemes she and DS go to and not sure what I'll do!

There will be some Jewish youth things she can go on, but those will only cover a week or two. I have heard about some cool 12+ events in London, but she'd have to get herself to them in all likelihood.

PGL is brilliant for a week away, expensive though.
Dd16 mainly hangs out with friends, they like long walks, taking photos, shopping occasionally, eating out, cinema, board games, sunbathing in the nice weather.

Mixture of friends and organised activities for mine, one is doing a drama workshop, the other will be doing a few sessions of tennis, football and hockey coaching. Swimming club continues till next week too. Other options locally are gym, climbing wall, swimming, cinema.

This won't be everyone's cup of tea but how about the £20 challenge...my daughter and her friend were one team and my friends two sons were another team. Each child was given £20 and were challenged to get as far away as possible and home again within a set number of hours. We gave them challenges and rules: each bus or train ticket had to bought as a return, they had to try and join the local library, but a local paper, learn a few facts about the town, photo local landmarks, find out if the town was twinned with anywhere etc etc.

The winning team was the ones who went the furthest away and amassed points for all the challenges.

Our kids talk about this years later as being one of the best things they've ever done

(We live in South Wales and the teams got to Birmingham one year and Exeter another girl)...pretty impressive I thought

Could he be a volunteer at your library's Reading Challenge? Not terribly exciting, but it would get him out of the house!

Not sure my 13 year old would want me organising activities for her. She doesn't see her school friends much in the holidays but she does she out of school friends. We do short breaks with friends instead of a big holiday as the kids enjoy it more (a group of us go camping, haven caravan park with my BF and her kids who they've known all their life etc). We do a few days out (London, Brighton etc). She's working for her parents for 5 days in August to earn a bit of money (they have their own business). I'm also giving her time to lay around and watch Youtube/draw/chat to friends on whatsapp and all that other teenage lazy stuff which is good for them to do sometimes.

A mate’s dc volunteered at a shop for a little while just for the experience then was paid for walking all the local dogs. He had a brilliant time, made some amazing contacts and was then taken in a helicopter to go beating. Lucky lad, but he worked hard to make his contacts.

OP, wild generalisation, but boys can be really hopeless at contacting each other and arranging to meet.

I am sometimes quite blunt with mine and say 'contact so-and-so and arrange to go swimming / cinema / into town / to come round and BBQ your tea in the garden / etc.

Mine had activities planned well ahead. Things like -
Youth orchestra summer school.
Youth theatre summer school
Work experience from year 10
Volunteering and when qualified, working at a watersports centre
Camp Suisse as student then volunteer mentor then staff.
Ballet summer school
Flying scholarship
Holiday with family.
Holidays with other families
School work
Church pilgrimage to Lourdes as volunteer
DofE work
Day trips to support learning
School trips like PGL in Dordogne

Not enough time for everything!