How can my dd increase her friendship group?

[Neolara]

Dd is in Year 10. When she moved to secondary, she was painfully shy and didn't really talk to anyone. In Year 8 she decided to turn this around and started trying to talk to kids. She built a little group of friends and seemed reasonably happy. However, towards the end of year 9 she told me that her group was pretty much made up of all the shy kids and while she liked them, she didn't feel she had much in common with most of them other than the shyness. Having met some of them, this seems a pretty fair assessment.

Dd has grown enormously in confidence over the last 3 years and now isn't particularly shy. She would really like to expand her friendship group but doesn't know how to go about it. Apparently everyone is in established friendship groups already.. She says she is friendly with lots of kids in lessons but doesn't know how to move from casual acquaintance to friend. Also, she thinks if she makes new friends, her existing friends will be sad and she doesn't want to upset them.

Any ideas about what she could do?

Explorer Scouts. Awesome for friendships and adventure. age 14-18. Oh, and social media seems to do the trick..

Out of school activities.

She will meet kids from her own school and other schools. Increase her confidence and her friendship circle.

Whatever she's into. Choir acting a sport?

I'm middle aged and still have friends from dancing as a teen.

I had friends /acquaintances at school but the ones I spent my free time with were from groups and sports teams away from school who I actually had things in common. Where there was cross over we spent time together at school as well as outside it.

Thanks for your suggestions. She is already heavily involved in scouts and explorers. It's been completely brilliant for her and one of the reasons that her confidence has grown. She really likes her scouting group but unfortunately, there is no crossover with anyone in her year at school. It is at school that she would like to make more friends. Its the breaking into established school groups and breaking away from her school group without upsetting anyone that appears to be the challenge.

Are there any lunchtime/after school clubs she could do at school? Would widen her social circle, especially if it involved travelling to away match venues, or concert venues, or overnight trips.

Tbh there is no way to dump one group of friends and migrate to a cooler one without some hurt feelings. She may just have to accept that and crack on.

I would agree with the last comment. By this age groups are well established so hard to break into, and moving away from her current group will result in hurt feelings. She may have to wait until she moves to 6th form when friendship groups change.

She may have to wait until sixth form. It’s been a game changer for DD. More friends, etc and still friends w previous ones too. Many people have more than one group.,