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.

Stop UK hunger

Child poverty in the UK is at its highest in 30 years, with a reported 11% of secondary school children nationwide skipping a meal at least once a week due to financial pressures. 

Trussell Trust are an anti-poverty charity and community of food banks providing practical support to people who can't afford the essentials, and campaigning for a future where none of us need to use emergency food to get by.

The charity's youth participation group, Stand for Change: Young People Against Poverty, are using their lived experience of financial hardship to build understanding about the causes and impacts of poverty, and encourage more people to stand for change and end the need for food banks.

Honesty and authenticity

A key consideration for us was to ensure that the film's design and visual style told the stories of young people in a way that felt authentic and aligned with their experiences. It was important not to patronise or talk down to the audience. The film had to communicate the emotional aspect of living with poverty, without feeling overly sentimental.

A sense of hope

Despite the serious subject matter, we wanted to maintain a sense of hope. and to showcase the amazing work the Trussell Trust are doing to help young people living with poverty. 

Through the Stand for Change campaign the charity have created bonds, shared ideas, and helped the young people grow in confidence in a safe space that they have built together. And this is just the start, the project aims to help:

– Break down stereotypes and negative attitudes about the causes of poverty and how it affects young people.

– Use our own voices and create platforms for other young people’s voices, to advocate on the issues that matter most to us.

– Change minds in the UK about the causes and impact of poverty and inspire others, whatever their age, to see that they can be part of making a positive change for all.

Story planning

It was really important to let the words of the children that had contributed to the project take centre stage, in a way that felt true to their experiences, but also told the story in a compelling way. We created a script that set the scene to add context to the issue, then brought to life the experiences of the school kids involved. 

We wanted to create a film that felt real and authentic for the young audience watching it, but that wasn't too bleak, hopefully allowing them to share their own experiences and feel comfortable talking about a difficult subject. We show some of the ways that poverty and hardship can affect the school day in a totally honest and unembellished way. 

Art direction

We created a textured artwork style, which adds a sense of humanity in its imperfections. Combined with relatable and accessible character designs, and a fluid mix of keyframed and frame-by-frame animation, the film is infused with a sense of feeling but still feels authentic and true to the experience of the children who shared their stories.

Animation process

We used a combination of keyframed animation and frame by frame to give the film a fluidity and momentum. Individual stories are shown as vignettes with a lot of negative space around the main action, enabling the viewer to focus their attention on the human story being told. These are weaved together to show that all of these experiences are happening in the same school, at the same time by many children.

Digital assembly

The film will be shown in high schools all over the UK as part of the Trussell Trust Stand for Change campaign. 

Designed for teachers and young people, The Trussell Trust digital assembly and accompanying teacher’s pack features true stories from young people who have experienced hardship, and will allow young people to start conversions in their classrooms to help break down the barriers, stereotypes and stigma that young people facing financial hardship often experience.