We stayed in Gran Canaria from 3 June to 27 June 2023. The villa was provided by Eat That Frog, who sourced the funding from The Turing Scheme. This was our second time running the trip, having taken our first group in March earlier this year.

We took a mixture of ROC College students from across Cornwall, Devon and Torbay, ranging in age from 17 years to 24 years. On the staff team were Kate Vincent, Sam Martin, Jonathan Coe, Louisa Leach, Thomas Watkinson and Min Zabel.

Exploring and learning

Students and staff experienced a range of activities whilst on the island, including work experience. We visited a coffee and banana plantation, watched the sunset from the top of the mountain, visited an extinct volcanic crater, explored caves, sang karaoke, surfed and even hired a catamaran!

The banana plantation

Making memories

I had two “best moments” on this trip. The first was going to the top of the mountain to watch the sunset over Tenerife. It was amazing to be above the clouds and to drive up and down the mountain – as you can see in the photo at the top of the page.

The other was when we were sat having a meal together in a restaurant. It was clear that the students had developed a bond when one of the group was feeling a little down and every single student shared some words of encouragement for them. Staff were so impressed at how they had come together as a group of strangers and were supporting each other. Almost all of the students did not know each other at the start and they were in an unfamiliar environment.

Views from the extinct volcanic crater

We wanted to give students the opportunity to experience learning away from college and home and to visit an exciting new location. The trip also helped our students expand their social skills and get out of their comfort zone.

Our students have gained a lot from the experience. Some were flying for the first time, others were finding ways of dealing with their anxieties away from home, with new experiences and environments, and most importantly, the challenge of living together. Learning to live together was the biggest challenge for all of us! But staff are missing being together now, as we became a family unit on the trip.

We’re hoping to take another group to Gran Canaria next year, so watch this space!

You can hear more from the students in these videos:

Find out more about ROC College
  • Kate Vincent is Education Manager for United Response’s Devon services.