Autumn is in the air and with it a sense of new beginnings.
That’s apt for our Teenvine Plus programme as September heralds the start of a new 12-month cycle that, like the seasons, will move through the return to routines Autumn brings, the resource building and quiet reflection of Winter, the renewal and productivity of Spring, and the joy and activity of Summer.
But we couldn’t fully start our next chapter without first sharing a few highlights from our summer camp out…
Each August, we celebrate teenagers who have completed our Teenvine Plus intensive development programme strengthening the lives of young people aged 13 to 18 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Coventry.
The 2026 Teenvine summer camp had a real community feel, bringing 28 young people from this year’s programme together with former “graduates” who wanted to return to share news on how they’re doing.
15 Teenviners stayed overnight in the cabins with our staff, with one young person spending their first ever night away from home without their family.
Skylar* became the first young person from Teenvine’s sister programme, Next Steps, to stay over with everyone with lots of encouragement from our project worker Poppy who she has worked with over six months and gotten to know and trust well.
Our Teenvine project workers Sarah, Laura and Poppy introduced some relaxation techniques to help the young people wind down before bedtime. And it worked!
Laura said: “Of all the camps we have done before, this felt like the least stressful – from planning through to the end of camp. This is due to excellent planning, great staff and volunteer support and the young people really getting on board.”
Although siblings Henry* and Carrie* had attended this year’s programme together, Henry still felt able to join us for the daytime event and night-time sleepover while his sister was away on holiday.
He celebrated with a bacon sandwich for breakfast the next day.
Jenny* painted, danced and smiled her way through the day, volunteering for first turn on the go karts and wooden Cresta run. With her reputation for “bringing the fun”, it was no surprise she also led everyone in singing Happy Birthday to her for earlier that week!
Kev* was worried about being able to sleep in the height of August’s hot temperatures (37 degrees on camp day) so some time outside watching the bats and a hare under the stars was needed to cool off and calm down before bed.
It helped Kev get a good night’s sleep.
Seth* marked 12 months of growing his independence by spending the day chatting with everyone and making his own choices on what to eat at the BBQ and what activities to try. He even signposted others to find what they were looking for.
Now he’s travelling independently too, his horizon is really opening up.
A message sent in the WhatsApp parents’ chat read: “Thank you so much for everything! What an amazing thing you guys do! You all have been stars xxx”
Lucy* returned to share how she’s getting on, two years after her time on Teenvine Plus. When we met Lucy her world was small and she was distrustful of adults who only seemed to ask her why she wasn’t attending school. She’s back in education now and is enjoying art (and talking about it) the most.
We are proud she has found her voice and is using it!
A big thank you – not only to Teenvine project workers Sarah, Laura and Poppy – but also to the wider Grapevine staff team, seasoned volunteers Daz and Ange, and the Village Hotel Coventry who joined us for the day.
The hotel raised over £600 through a charity quiz night to go towards holding our summer camp out this year. They also donated food for our BBQ and breakfast, their chef’s expertise for the day and time helping out with the young people. Thank you!
Congratulations to all 37 young people who have completed 2025/26 on our intensive development programme Teenvine Plus.
Building their strengths, confidence and relationships to take them forward into the next chapter of their lives and the opportunities that await.
*Not their real name.
Strengthening Lives
More about our Strengthening Lives work can be found here. Read our five-year strategy here.