Social groups for introverted, home schooled 12 year old

[HippyGranny]

My 12yo home schooled Granddaughter is shy and introverted, not at all sporty or outdoorsy, and has expressed an interest in meeting other young people. I've looked for local groups, in particular art based activities, but have drawn a blank. What can any of you suggest?

What are her interests? My very introverted niece has all of a sudden embraced drama and dance lessons. My other niece has really thrived in craft clubs such as knitting and crochet. What is she in to?

Scouts is good if she wants to meet others her age. Is there a home schooling group near to her?

Guides/scouts but of course it does require being a bit outdoor.
A choir? We have a few only for young people here.

Groups are going to likely to be specific to where you live. Put where you live into ChatGPT and describe the type of activities you want to find - age range / social for kids / no sports etc. keep prompting it and you’ll get a range of ideas.
Ask it for regular events and one off workshops and go from there. Local Facebook groups are also worth a rummage

My very shy 11 year old does guides and loves it. She isn't sporty but there's loads they do that you don't have to be. It works well for her as the leaders make sure everyone is included so there's no worries about not being "picked" etc

What homeschool groups are there near her? Homeschooling shouldn’t mean being isolated. She should be spending lots of time during the week with kids her age, and making friends there. As for activities, what does she want to do? At that age, my daughter only did things she wanted to do. She wouldn’t have been caught dead doing something I made her do.

Are you a member of your local home education groups on Facebook? There willl be at least one and it will have all of the information about what is going on in the area around you. There is no need for her to be isolated.

Maybe it’s time to question whether home schooling is best for her. She would have plenty of opportunities to make friends and build confidence in school

If near a town there are often small youth groups or art and craft cafes with groups. Scouts and guides are amazing but can be hard if you need a smaller quieter group, although in some areas groups are small. Ai pr local Facebook groups will be able to answer better than us about local things.

I really hope you don’t call her shy and introverted to her face. She will believe that’s who she is right through adulthood.

Facebook is a really good place to join home ed groups. I run a home ed community and the kids are thriving from the social aspect. Good luck with your search

Thanks @DrWhosJazzyScarf , she's into arty things but no groups in this area at the moment. I'll keep looking. Glad your niece has found her niche.

Thanks @mindutopia Her Mum and I have been searching high and low for groups but we've come up with nothing. It's not like we're out in the sticks, I can't understand it.

Good tip @HelloIsitChristmasyet , glad to hear your community group is doing well. I'm going to search FB and see what that turns up.

This the downside of home schooling yes it is a hill I will die on

Do try with scouts, (or of course Guides).

Scouts these days is 10 1/2 to 14, so at 12 she will be in the middle of the age range, which should be fine.

That's a good point @Jk987 , and as a psychologist myself I'm aware of the power of words on the construction of our reality.

Thanks @SummerT1me3 , but it was due to her confidence being destroyed by school that we took her out. She's been home schooled for two years now and still suffering the effects, although things now moving in the right direction.

Thanks @MintTwirl , I'm looking into that right now.

Scouts is a great idea @ExplodingSmittens , we'd prefer something less formal, with regard to uniform etc. but if nothing else shows up this could work.

Thanks @RandomUserName12345 , I never thought of a choir!

Where abouts are you? Just a general area like Manchester or Dorset - I've been home educating a long time and there are groups everywhere, I can point you in the right direction.
Or join one of the big home ed groups on Facebook like HEFA and post saying where you are and seeing if there are any local groups or families.

Groups that teen/tween home ed children I know belong to include:
Guides
Sea Cadets
Girls Brigade
Dance
Theatre clubs
Sports clubs
Martial Arts

Great tip @Grimbleton, I asked ChatGPT and it came up with a few ideas but nothing that really fit the bill. I'll keep trying that route though.

Good to know about the care leaders take with those that struggle, @LostTheWill29 , I'm definitely going to look into this.

Is she into geeky stuff- there may be local dungeons and dragons/ tabletop gaming groups

Is it all sports or team/individual that are harder ...just seen non sporty kids thrive through trying different things... Off the top of my head
Indoors
Fencing. Table tennis. Trampolining..
Outdoors
Rowing. Athletics, skateboarding
Same withdrama lots of different types....theres a local am/dram group that has a youth group which is a bit less intense than others..
Also music..as in learning an instrument..?? Then there's band or orchestra options if want to go further.... things like samba/ukulele/steel pan or Music tech if more into that sort of thing see if there's things at contemporary culture places don't know whete you are but Roundhouse in London has a few things ..and there's similar I'm sure in other cities
As an alternative to scouts/guides is there a woodcraft folk group?