A powerful animated film to share the experiences of UK school children living in poverty, to help destigmatise talking about hardship and to discuss the effects it can have on the school day.
Challenge
The Trussell Trust needed a film that could help young people understand the realities of growing up in poverty, while breaking down the stigma that often surrounds financial hardship. Created as the centrepiece of the Stand for Change schools programme, the film needed to tell authentic stories from young people with lived experience in a way that felt honest, relatable and hopeful—encouraging empathy rather than judgement.
Solution
As Creative Director, I developed an animated film that places the voices and experiences of young people at its heart. Working closely with stories shared by the Stand for Change youth participation group, we created a textured, handcrafted visual style and expressive character animation that brought warmth and humanity to a difficult subject. The storytelling balances moments of hardship with optimism, allowing audiences to connect emotionally with the realities of poverty while recognising the resilience, confidence and hope that can emerge through community and support.
Result
The film became the cornerstone of a nationwide digital assembly programme, shown in secondary schools across the UK to spark conversations about poverty, challenge stereotypes and encourage greater understanding among young people. By combining authentic storytelling with empathetic animation, the project helped transform lived experience into a powerful educational resource—demonstrating how creative direction can shift perceptions, inspire compassion and give a platform to voices that too often go unheard.
