Photos from Thursday's annual celebration event for our young people with SEND—aka the Teenvine Plus Summer Camp Out '26 🥳 Food, fun, family time, crafts, creativity, awards and lots of hydration at Alfrey Activity Centre in Meriden. Reflecting now ahead of meeting our next 12-month group how we...

A-level and GCSE results incoming, our summer celebration for teens with SEND completing Teenvine Plus and Next Steps in two days time. Some not attending school now are, other have succeeded in other ways. But capability, strengths, confidence, relationships keep going long after our time together.

We need places in common such as public libraries, community centres, parks, benches, flower beds of vibrant wildflowers, local post offices and corner shops. Not because they're "efficient" or "profitable", but because they're places which bring connection & heart to society.

At Grapevine we listen to the people we walk alongside, our team and our partners—and let what we learn change what we do. For August's team meeting theme of working as one team across projects, we asked: What is working well? Where are the opportunities for crossover? What more could we test out? ✨

If you think you might know what our health team project worker Herbie is holding in this photo then you are probably right! Made by colleague Emma, it forms part of our Top 2 Toe sessions for autistic people and people with learning disabilities on their individual Help and Connect journeys. 1/2

Thank you to Village Hotel Coventry who ran July's quiz night for us as their charity partner. We raised over £600 which goes towards hiring the venue, food and activities for our Teenvine Plus summer camp next week—celebrating what our young people with SEND have achieved over 12 months with us 💜

The government has announced one of the largest shifts of fiscal power to local places in decades. With this, we reflect on why handing power down to regions and communities is central to the government’s plan to turn around the UK economy and politics. www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...

Historic devolution plans provide an opportunity for lasting change

The government has announced one of the largest shifts of fiscal power to local places in decades. With this, the Lab reflects on why handing power down to regions and communities is central to the go...

ucl.ac.uk

Kirk’s Help and Connect journey has seen him go on a literal journey with Grapevine connector Michelle—to Coventry train station, via a detour to a helpful rail worker and a final stop at his favourite pastime, trainspotting. More on confidence, capacity and strengthening lives: bit.ly/4fYCUHf

How's your summer? Here's our community organiser Ari with a quick update on Coventry's Green for All partnership. Also how urban parklets help stop people in their tracks for a chat about nature and how YOU can get involved in greening our city for all. Email afairgrieve@grapevinecovandwarks.org ✉️

Our Strengthening Lives projects form one of three interlinked cornerstones to our work in Coventry and Warwickshire. These stories illustrate how we create confidence and resilience-building opportunities to bring real future choices, challenge limiting expectations and grow lives bit.ly/GVstrength

Got a few minutes to read stories by members of Connecting for Good? First sparked by Grapevine in 2018, shaped and led now by local people bringing ideas and passion to improving Coventry together. 👥 Community organising 🧱 Collective power ⚖️ City-wide change 🔗 www.connectingforgoodcov.com/blog

News | Connecting for good

Read the Connecting For Good blog for stories, top tips and words of advice from our change makers and community organisers. Local people local change

connectingforgoodcov.com

EVENT TOMORROW! 🚨 We invite you to join Need The Loo campaigners and our Connecting for Good community organisers to talk toilets and help form Coventry and Warwickshire's first Loo Alliance! Business owner, event specialist, urban planner, public health worker.. we'd love to see you! bit.ly/4hnMZ1p

11 months into our year-long Teenvine Plus intensive development programme for teens with SEND—this is what creative self-expression looks like! Individual exhibitions created and curated by them with Museum of Me. Museum star or event organiser—a purpose for every young person: bit.ly/4vjJpJ0

Village Hotel Coventry hosts a charity quiz night tomorrow for their charity partners... us! Each £12 ticket includes entrance and food. Half the proceeds will go towards our summer camp out in August for teens with SEND. Book your ticket by emailing coventryhub@village-hotels.com ✉️ See you there! 💜

Our Coventry Youth Activists (CYA) believe locking disabled young people out of the internet removes a vital lifeline to friends and community — connections that can't be forged "in real life" when traditional community venues are either inaccessible or closed 🚫 They're calling not for an... 1/2

Message from Coventry's Need The Loo initiative in collaboration with our city's Green for All partnership for anyone who enjoys visiting green spaces, but would like the comfort of knowing a clean toilet is close by should they need it! Share your thoughts and experiences forms.gle/T6AgnTy7iPCD...

Joey from Coventry Youth Activists and our deputy CEO Mel join the panel on 'How can we grow the field of young people's disability justice organising?", hosted today by the Alliance for Youth Organising. Wishing them both luck for an interesting discussion with lots of audience participation!

MORE HARM THAN GOOD 🚫 Coventry Youth Activists believe imposing a complete ban on social media for under 16s will cause many disabled young people to lose one of the only ways they can talk to others—increasing their chances of an isolated youth. They want government to instead focus on 3 things 👇

Last night, we welcomed guests from politics, civil society, philanthropy and the arts to the new V&A East Museum for an evening exploring how storytelling can connect rather than divide us, and build a stronger sense of shared belonging.

Our fourth Pride in Place community drop-in session is this Thursday (25 June) at Wood Side Family Hub from 3-5.30pm. Join us if you can to let us know how you think £20m should be spent over the next decade in Willenhall, Coventry. Lots of ways to get involved beyond this conversation too!

Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire@grapevinecovwarks.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Willenhall in Coventry is one of the first 75 areas selected to receive part of the government's £1.5 billion Pride in Place investment over the next decade. As community organisers working in Willenhall over many years, we want to help ensure local people have their say on how this money is spent..

Happy Small Charity Week 💚 Quick shoutout to a few small charities in Coventry who we know are creating connection, opportunity and hope where it's needed most: LTB Showrooms, Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre, Coventry Foodbank, Clothing Coventry, Langar Aid, Open Theatre Company, Ego Arts... 1/2

People with learning disabilities, health conditions, other disabled people, people living alone, older people, children under five should take extra care staying cool and hydrated 🥵 Please check in on anyone at higher risk from heat. Easy read @mencap.org.uk advice www.mencap.org.uk/help-and-adv...

Stay safe in hot weather

mencap.org.uk

Happy Autistic Pride Day 🌈 and also Learning Disability Week! Today we're at Friargate for the council's Professionals Fair—where our connector Michelle is meeting other people working alongside people with learning disabilities. Here's how we Help and Connect people in Coventry: bit.ly/GVstrength

Willenhall in Coventry is one of the first 75 areas selected to receive part of the government's £1.5 billion Pride in Place investment over the next decade. As community organisers working in Willenhall over many years, we want to help ensure local people have their say on how this money is spent..

Teenvine Next Steps is designed for teens with SEND not attending school regularly, if at all. Project worker Poppy helps each one express themselves, self-advocate and plan for their future. Travel training helps reduce anxiety and build confidence in community around them—every small step counts ✨

Growing confidence, resilience, skills, friendships and ambitions helps young people with SEND take charge of their lives, build stronger futures and embrace new opportunities. Here's some of our Teenviners during a recent session on personal care, washing Barbie's hair in a sensory friendly way! 🪮🫧

Our Connecting for Good community organising team hosts a free event with People's Economy on 20 June exploring how power and the economy shape communities—and how people-led alternatives can build a fairer future. Join organisers, activists, community leaders from 10am to 4pm. Free ticket link 👇

Meet two new members of our team—senior operations officer Lucy Gilbert and campaigns coordinator Grace Lewis! Lucy leads on all operational activities while Grace works with Coventry Youth Activists to develop and disseminate their campaigns far and wide www.grapevinecovandwarks.org/grapevine-ne...

We've spent 20+ years building relationships and power in disadvantaged communities in Coventry. Our new blog with @futuregovforum.bsky.social provides 5 tests for inclusive renewal in Pride in Place funded areas that allow local people to lead, not be crowded out in the rush to act: bit.ly/3SsF1JY

In a fractured Britain, hope is growing for a different kind of politics—one which shares power, backs local leadership and believes strong communities build foundations, not barriers. Our Coventry community organising stories feature in this new Nation of Neighbours report: bit.ly/4eokizu 1/2