£30 gift for a 15 year old boy that I know nothing about. Help?!

[YerAuntFanny]

Our town does a "giving tree" every year for children who are cared for/in care/supported by social services department.

DS picked a 15yo boy to buy for, we know absolutely nothing about him or his circumstances except his age and have a maximum budget of £30.

DS would like to buy him a cool Hot Wheels car but eventually took in when I explained that a lot of 15 year olds wouldn't be into those so now he's at a loss as am I!

My thinking was something practical and something fun but I'm struggling with the fun part. I've seen a boxed Bench (plain black) hat and scarf set, maybe the big Lynx tin that's half price in Tesco which would leave me with £15.

Also considered a Kindle Fire but that requires WiFi and an account which may not be readily available.
Shopping vouchers are out because they might need to travel which may not be practical.
Chocolate is out incase of allergies etc etc.

Any suggestions?

I think if it was me I'd try and get a backpack and pop a few things in it

Things some teens I know like;

Wallet (with cash in if allowed)
Exploding kittens as other people have mentioned
A pen that's a multi tool
A decent torch
Hat
Stacking cups game (can be played alone or with others)

Branded clothing

I would go toiletries, Lynx, decent hair gel, good quality comb & brush, decent shower gel - Radox do a good one in a large tube shape that my DSs both love. Also Boots have a small kit of men’s nail clips, etc in a small gift pack and it’s in the 3 for 2.
Also what about a Costa or Starbucks voucher or a cinema voucher? It would mean they could treat themselves which could be out of reach normally. Also could allow them to join in with friends which again they may not always be able to do.

I personally wouldn’t go with clothing as you have no idea if they are tall and skinny or small and round. Teenagers are so different at 13-15 as they grow at such different rates.

We do a similar scheme with the police and they request no vouchers - they sometimes can't get to the shops / live in refuge or temp foster care and may not be there long enough to get delivery / parent finds out and takes it to sell for cash for the them

Kindles are kind of crap though if you don't have Amazon Prime.

You don't need to have Prime, but you do need wifi, and access to an Amazon account, to download stuff. This lad may not have those.

I wouldn't get clothes. He may be a skinny 5ft 4in or a strapping 6ft. Hat, scarf and gloves, backpack, toiletries, stationery/desk accessories, an age-appropriate annual, would be good. As pp said, with a selection of things, you'd hope to hit on something he likes.

Fgs don't get Costa or Nandos vouchers if you're in Highlands (assume you know this!)

Lynx in tin, hoodie, stationery sound like good ideas. Or a half-zip waterproof top? Headtorch? Multi-tool?

I'd get a Holister/Superdry rucksack/sports bag/wallet/after shave. Not clothes because you don't know the size, but labels are v v important to kids (sadly!).

LtGreggs, yes I know this although we do have 3 Costas in our town alone so I don't think it'd be that much of an issue. Our closest Nandos however is a 45 minute drive!

I think I'll build a wee backpack hamper :o

I agree with a selection of treats that hopefully some will hit the spot. He might appreciate some little luxuries. Nice chocolates, branded beanie, sports socks, branded toiletry set, backpack, book (young adult or a biography) hair wax, lounge pants etc.

Backpack hamper with a multiple sounds fab!

Backpack hamper sounds great :-)

I was just imagining some poor kid having a rough time and then receiving a nandos voucher that would require a ferry and an overnight stay!

My boy is a little older but he loves those white socks! As do all his friends 🙂

He loves smellies and chocolates and horror books. Hype backpacks are popular if you were going that route.

I would get a branded backpack...Nike or Adidas probably.

A lynx set

A Wallet

Socks(again Nike ones are the most popular around here)

One of those wallet ninja things (found one in pound land which is quite good)

Branded water bottle from Sports Direct
Sweets

Costa Voucher

With regards to the kindle, as they are amazing, could you not get the kindle as well as a memory card with books and things already downloaded onto it? Someone you know will probably know how to do it and that way even if he just has to go to the library or a friends to set it up he doesn't have to pay for a load of books and apps already? A kindle and an amazon gift card could even work as he'll be able to connect to the internet somewhere and then he can either buy things for the kindle or buy things straight from amazon?
As 15 year olds are usually doing their GCSEs this school year he may need revision aids that he doesn't have access to at home and if you put a few of those on it could help.

Is Converse a bit naff out of date these days?

Quite like this and would still leave £15 in the budget :)

My ds is 13 and would be happy with a converse backpack, but then him and his friends don't seem massively brand orientated.

Sports direct have loads of reduced backpacks atm

You can get Adidas and Nike for around the £15 mark or airwalk for much cheaper

bags

Starbucks or Costa voucher would be my suggestion. One or other in most towns and as you say tech stuff wouldn't be great in case it's useless due to family circumstances. Exploding kittens actually sounds like a good idea.

I always pick the older ones myself and then panic

Should rtft sorry OP!

Hamper sounds like a good idea, of course with some stationery

Nike or adidas backpack and similar sports water bottle ( not the basic ones but the more pricy ones ) with some lynx type smellies. Plus a Costa voucher if cash left over.

They don't just use headphones with gadgets though, they were essential in school for working on the computers and laptops. I'm sure they would be appreciated. Portable speakers, water bottles and reusable coffee cups are popular with the teens I work with. Highlighter pens, chocolate, Pringles will always come in handy.