Teens+ – Transitional Education Extra Needs Support

About Us

TEENS+ is an Edinburgh-based, full time, transitional education project for young adults aged 17 to their 20s, with complex and severe communication needs, such as autism, who have left school and are entering adulthood.

We have over 30 fully trained staff members and one of the leading facilities in our field. We’re split over two centres in Edinburgh, Ravenscroft and Liberton brae which tailor to different groups.

The project runs for 4.5 days a week, Monday to Thursday, 9 am to 4.45 pm and on a Friday 9 am to 1 pm

TEENS+ is a unique service which provides further education, life and social skills, offer work placement support, transition to ownership of tenancies and lifelong learning, to young people who, due to their needs, would ordinarily be excluded from accessing any form of further education once they have left school. Our main philosophy is everyone is entitled to lifelong learning regardless of challenges.

How You Can Help

Donate

TEENS+ is a charity and we rely on the goodwill and donations of others to continue to offer the high standard service that we provide at the moment.

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Volunteer

TEENS+ relies on the good work and will of volunteers and we’re always looking for people to lend a helping hand.

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Our Services

Lifelong Learning

At TEENS+ we provide a service for young people with complex communication needs, autism & it’s complexities, and behaviours that challenge traditional services. One of our primary goals is to help individuals with complex needs to achieve their full potential through gentle, lifelong learning.

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Transitional Education

Our Transitional Education service at TEENS+ is designed to assist young adults who are not quite ready to take the step into post school education, work or to a new home. We employ a person-centered education plan that aligns with the needs and aspirations of our students, and provide the compassion to help see it through.

Befriending

Our Befriending service provides a continuation of the TEENS+ support out with the normal hours of our service operation. The service is tailor made and structured to each individual student and the family’s needs. From 24 hour support to 3 hour at the weekend we’re here to be flexible to your family’s needs.

Latest Updates

AUGUST

Teens+ Comedy Night

The Stand are holding a Comedy Night for TEENS+ with all profits from ticket sales and the raffle coming directly to TEENS+!
The raffle prizes will include a Kindle Fire, a litre of Bacardi and a prize from Experience Days.

The comedy night will be held on Wednesday the 30th of October. Doors open at 7.30pm with the show starting at 8.30pm. Tickets are £7 each. Please contact us at enquiries@teensplus.org.uk for tickets.

The Reid Memorial Church Coffee Morning

On Sunday 11th August our CEO, Jane Ansell was delighted to receive a cheque for £400 from Rev. Alex McAspurren of The Reid Memorial Church. The money was kindly donated by the church following a fundraising coffee morning held in the on 15th June. Jane talked to the congregation about TEENS+ and thanked them for raising money on our behalf. We are so pleased to have made new friends within the local community and look forward to developing a long lasting relationship with The Reid Memorial Church.

JULY

Here is a small introduction to the rights of young people with complex needs.

We are proud to announce the launch of the Rights of Young People video that some of our students were involved in. This new piece of legislation is vital to having young peoples voices heard with regards to their choices and rights.

Rights of Young People

TEENS+ Went Gung-Ho - Raised £430+

Well done to some of the team from our TEENS+ Ravenscroft Centre who took on the Gung-Ho 5k fun run challenge on 11th May at the Meadows in Edinburgh. It wasn’t just any old 5k fun run though – it had the added complication of being held over HUGE inflatable obstacles with inviting names such as Danger Zone, Under Pressure and Maniac! This didn’t deter our intrepid gang though and they stayed the pace to raise more than £420 for their TEENS+ centre.

Thank you to Friend of TEENS+ Conor Dempsey - Donated £920+

Conor Dempsey, a friend of TEENS+ took on the challenge of the Tour de Forth to raise funds for TEENS+. On Sunday 2nd June 2019, Conor completed a 97.3km route around the River Forth via the Forth Road and Kincardine bridges finishing at Ingliston in Edinburgh. Conor said this was by far the longest cycle he’d ever done but it was worth it as he had raised more than £920 for TEENS+.

Everyone at TEENS+ would like to thank Conor for his fantastic achievement and kind donation.

TEENS+ - Charity of the Year for BTO Solicitors, Glasgow - Donated £868

A huge thank you to BTO Solicitors in Glasgow who have kindly chosen TEENS+ as their Charity of the Year and are holding lots of events to fundraise on our behalf. We were delighted to receive a whopping donation of £868 they raised recently by holding a Bake Sale and a Jumble Sale (I think we’ve sparked a revival!).

First Ever TEENS+ Jumble Sale - Raised £975+

TEENS+ held their first ever Jumble Sale at our Ravenscroft Centre in Gilmerton on Sunday 9th June. We were absolutely delighted with the quantity AND quality of the ‘stuff’ that was donated for us to sell and the buyers who came along certainly didn’t go away empty handed! This was a bit of a pilot event to see if there was interest in a good old fashioned Jumble Sale – and we’re delighted it was such a success having raised more than £975! This will now be an annual event and we’ll be going bigger and bolder next year, so watch this space.

Thank you to everyone who donated things and a HUGE thank you to those who helped set up in advance, man the stalls on the day and clear up afterwards.

JUNE

97.3km Tour de Forth Cycling Challenge for TEENS+

Conor Dempsey, a friend of TEENS+ is taking on the challenge of the Tour de Forth to raise funds for TEENS+. Taking place on Sunday 2nd June 2019, this cycling event raises vital funds for locally based charities. Conor is taking part in ‘The Classic’, a 97.3km route that goes around the River Forth via the Forth Road and Kincardine bridges and finishes at Ingliston in Edinburgh.

Conor said “At 97.3km it will be by far the longest cycle I’ve ever done so please give generously using the Donate Now button to support the amazing work being done at Teens+. My work will be matching the donation amount up to £200 so everything donated up to that amount will be doubled! Please help us reach the target, as every little helps.”

If you’d like to support Conor in his challenge, you can donate via the link below;

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/conordempsey1?page=2#donationsList

Everyone at TEENS+ wishes Conor the very best of luck – and some kind Scottish weather!

Community Coffee Morning to benefit TEENS+

Thank you to Reid Memorial Church, West Saville Terrace, Edinburgh who are holding a fundraising Community Coffee Morning on Saturday 15th June 2019 10am to 12 noon. Admission is £2.50 and includes coffee or tea, cakes and scones. Everyone is welcome and funds raised will go towards purchasing resources for TEENS+.

MAY

We celebrate World Sleep Day with a presentation from CEO Jane Ansell

World Sleep Day is an annual celebration of sleep and a call to action on important issues related to sleep. Getting the right amount of sleep is as important as eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Jane used this day as an opportunity to present a lesson to our students & staff, highlighting the critical elements of sleep and how we can increase the quality of our sleep.

Research has linked poor sleep quality and lack of sleep to obesity, depression and impaired learning. This is particularly relevant at Teens+, as we place a huge focus on creating opportunity for our young people to learn everyday. Many people are falling far short of the amount of sleep they need each night which can have a truly detrimental effect on their physical and mental health. The Mental Health Foundation has stated that “sleep deprivation is a seriously neglected health issue in our population”.

To read more about the importance of sleep, and how to promote healthy sleep in children and young people, please see our sister website Sleep Scotland.

A Fantastic February Fundraiser at Pumpherston Bowling Club

On the 10th February 2019, there was a fundraiser held at Pumpherston Bowling Club in order to raise funds for Teens+. Professional singers gave their free time to sing at the event to raise funds, and a great time was had by many. The club committee & committee members gave up their free time also to come along and make this a fantastic event. We had many raffle prizes on the day and successfully raised the grand sum of £1700 which will be used for great things in our charity.

At Teens+ we recognise the importance of keeping in touch with the local community. Having a sense of belonging in our lives significantly increases happiness and well-being. This is something we implement in our workplace, and strive to promote with both our staff and students.

A Sincere Thank You to all ~120 people who attended. We hope to see more at our next fundraisers!