ABOUT

The University of Kent’s Outreach and Widening Participation Team works closely with the Kent and Medway Progression Federation, a collaborative partnership of higher education providers, colleges, schools and community organisations.

They work together to ensure young people from all backgrounds are able to reach their full potential.

THE BRIEF
They needed a sensitive and effective way to support care-experienced young people considering higher education.

The challenge was twofold. First, to share authentic student stories that addressed common concerns around accommodation, funding and the transition to university life.

Second, to do so in a way that protected anonymity, built trust, and could be used consistently across outreach activity with schools, colleges and social care professionals.

OUR APPROACH
We proposed a series of short animated films rooted in real lived experience. Rather than relying on abstract messaging, we interviewed care-experienced student ambassadors and used their own words to shape the scripts, ensuring the content felt honest, human and grounded.

Animation allowed us to explore difficult topics with warmth and clarity, while avoiding the pressure of appearing on camera. Recording the voiceovers with the ambassadors themselves ensured their voices were heard directly, preserving authenticity while maintaining anonymity.

Each film focused on a specific concern, enabling the content to be used flexibly across different outreach settings and conversations.

THE OUTCOME
The finished films are distributed via YouTube and embedded on the Target Outreach website, where they support ongoing widening participation activity across Kent and Medway.

They are also used directly by social workers and partner organisations as part of face-to-face outreach, helping young people see themselves represented and better understand what university life can look like.

By using real stories and designing with care, the project created practical, reusable resources that continue to support informed decision-making for care-experienced students.

"Digitom were patient to give time for feedback and suggestions, and the final product is more than we could ever have hoped. Feedback has been really positive; the process was the embodiment of our collaborative approach to work." Shauna, Target Outreach Manager