Community engagement & youth voice
Their story. Their voice.
Animation and visual storytelling are the natural language of young people. We work with councils, charities, youth groups and support networks to reach people others can't, help them be heard, and turn their lived experience into films and interactive experiences that make a real difference.
Made with young peoplenot just for them
Heard, not ticked offreal voices, real change
Working with communities alongside
- YMCA
- ADHD Foundation
- Stoke-on-Trent City Council
- VAST
- The King’s Trust
- Middleport Matters
Why it matters
Too many young people don't feel heard.
Surveys and consultations reach the usual voices. The young people with the most at stake are often the least likely to take part, and the first to spot a tick-box exercise. Visual storytelling gives them a language they already speak, and helps them find the words.
Reach the hard to reach
Engagement that feels like something worth joining, not another form to fill in, so the quieter voices show up.
Help them find the words
Drawing, characters, games and film give young people new ways to express what they think and feel, on their terms.
Turn it into change
What they create becomes something decision-makers can watch, share and act on, and evidence funders can see.
Community & youth engagement projects
Think differently. Do differently.
From a single workshop to a year-long programme, every project is shaped around the people it's for.
Co-created films & animation
Young people shape the story, the characters and the message. We bring the craft, so the finished film captures their lived experience.
For voice and lived experience
Engagement & consultation tools
Games, interactive experiences and hands-on activities that gather real views from people who'd never fill in a survey.
For councils and funders
Animation workshops
Hands-on animation, games, filmmaking and digital art sessions that build skills, confidence and aspiration, delivered by working creatives.
For schools and youth groups
Events & installations
Pop-ups, screenings, interview pods and interactive hubs that bring people together and get them talking.
For community events
Campaigns & promotion
Character-led campaigns and event promotion that speak to people where they are, without feeling like an announcement.
For charities and public services
Evaluation & impact films
Show funders and partners what changed, through the voices of the people who took part.
For reporting and future funding
How it works
Funded by you. Built by them. Made with us.
Young people lead. Our team makes sure the finished work says exactly what they mean.
- Listen first
We meet young people where they are and find out what matters to them, before anything is planned.
- Create together
Workshops where they shape the ideas, characters, story and design, often starting with pens, paper and play.
- Check it's theirs
They review the messaging at every stage, so the final piece captures how they really feel.
- Share and act
A film, game or interactive experience that's shared, celebrated, and gives decision-makers something to act on.
Our approach to technology
Speak their language. Protect their wellbeing.
We make digital things, but we're not fans of more screen time for its own sake. Young people already deal with enough pressure from screens and social media. So we avoid gimmicks, and every project is designed to help, not add to the problem.
- Hands-on first: drawing, making and play before screens
- Built to be finished and put down, never to hook
- No endless feeds, no pressure to post
- Only the data a project genuinely needs
- Safeguarding at the heart of every session
Our community work
Stronger, healthier, happier communities.
Shining a light on Stoke's next generation of role models
YMCA – New Avengers
Local young people became a new generation of visual heroes, using character-led storytelling to celebrate inspiring talent and paint a brighter future for Stoke.
Health messages that don't feel like announcements
Stokie Street / VAST
Vaccination, exercise and mental health, told as short, character-led stories rooted in everyday Stoke life, with real voices that make them feel human.
Understanding, through young people's eyes
ADHD Foundation
Working with young people to share their lived experience, helping others understand and support them better.
80+ films about why people love Stoke
Love Stoke 100 / Framescape
For the city's centenary, people across Stoke-on-Trent made their own short films, supported with guides, resources and a film-based evaluation.
So many young people don't feel listened to. Give them a language they can express themselves in, and they'll find the words we can't.
Daniel WatermanCo-Founder, Carse & Waterman
The difference
Ticking boxes vs changing lives.
Traditional engagement
- Surveys reach the usual voices
- Young people feel like a tick-box
- Views get lost in a report nobody reads
- Tech for tech's sake
- The project ends, and so does the impact
Engagement with C&W
- Hard-to-reach young people take part
- They lead, and they're genuinely heard
- Their story becomes something people watch
- Digital only where it helps
- Skills, confidence and evidence that last
Good questions
Community project questions, answered.
- How do young people get involved?
- Through hands-on workshops where they shape the story, characters and message, often starting with pens, paper and play. Our team then brings their ideas to life and checks the final piece says what they mean.
- Can you help with our funding bid?
- Yes. We can help shape and cost the project, describe the activities and outcomes, and build in an evaluation film that shows funders what changed.
- How do you keep young people safe?
- Every session follows our safeguarding policy and works alongside your youth workers and staff. We only collect what a project genuinely needs, and we design digital pieces to be finished and put down, not to hook.
Got a community that deserves to be heard?
Tell us who you're trying to reach and what you hope will change, and we'll help you find the way in.
