Of course he loves the “spurts” - he is 17!!
First let me say how sorry I am for the loss of your other brother.
I have two boys ages 16 and 17 and I’ll fully admit they use each other for a lot of their entertainment. They are currently canoeing with a couple of girls. You said you are in an urban location so many of my suggestions probably wouldn’t be great as we are in the suburbs. A “key” to get buckets of golf balls for the driving range has been a big hit with them both.
They also both volunteer one day a week at the hospital complex downtown, but they had to get that set up months ago. You didn’t say how your other brother passed (and it is none of my business) but is there anything he can do to work in assisting others in his situation if applicable?
Other than that, we have a puppy, a large yard that always needs something done, team practices, girl friends, and my favorite… my youngest has a job at a doughnut shop. I barely see them (but I occasionally find a bag of wonderful doughnuts on the counter). Unfortunately these probably won’t help you.
Again, I’m sorry for your loss.
Maybe some day – and I’ll run it by him – but I think for right now it would be better to find things that take his mind elsewhere. We did home hospice care at the end (cancer), and it was a difficult passing, so that’s a very traumatizing memory.
I don’t know, maybe I’ll ask around and see if I can pull in a favor, get someone to find him a place to work. I can’t think of any friends who’d be in a position to get him a job directly, but a friend of a friend perhaps.
Get him an xbox. That sure passes the time and gets your mind elsewhere. Not necessarily constructive, but effective anyway.
There are ads on craigslist all the time for short term odd jobs. If he lived here I would put him to work detailing my car, organizing my garage, etc.
Is he artistic? Painting, pottery, cooking classes? How bout a foreign language? I’ve heard good things about Rosetta Stone. Or get him a Kindle and a bunch of book money. How about a model or some kind of kit he has to assemble?
2 weeks will go by fast.
Sorry for your loss.
He could earn money mowing or otherwise caring for lawns.
Lots of cities have programs where young people can help the elderly, whether it is exercising their dogs, painting the house, or helping them sort through stuff. If the city doesn’t have such a program, I bet a nearby church or temple might.
How about pet care services? A neighbor of mine started a pet care business that mostly consists of walking dogs when their owners are work.
Does the local library need volunteers?
Parks and Rec often need older teens to play or supervise younger kids playing tee ball or basketball down at the park. Maybe he can teach kids about bicycle safety.
He can take classes online if he has the self-discipline to do so, but I think it might be much better for him to get involved with real people instead of electronic images.
Hey VarlosZ, I’m sorry for the loss of your brother. Must be tough on you both.
How about tutoring or helping other/younger kids? Sounds like your brother might be an academic type, maybe a summer school or library program could use him. Helping others can be very therapeutic.
What kind of stuff is he into? There are internship sorts of things going on all the time that people might be able to get him in on, but some of them, viz. the ones I know about, are pretty niche.
Colleges and universities definitely also run summer programs for high school students but most of them are probably earlier and longer commitments. Worth checking into, though, with the number of colleges there are nearby. If one is starting up at the right time it could be perfect. Stuff like writing workshops and art classes, especially, are good bets to be starting and ending at various points during the summer.
Alternatively, you could have the Straight Dope ship him from town to town like one of those “where in the world is…” things that elementary school classes do with stuffed pigs or whatever. Perfect time to travel!
Could you get him a digital camera? Maybe suggest some themes or look some up online…