This is a 4 week animation Saturday Club for students in Years 7, 8 and 9 running from 7th - 28th March 2026.

Event details

  • 7 March 2026 - 28 March 2026

    10:00-14:00 (GMT)

    UCA Farnham

    Apply Here

In this exciting 4-week programme, students will explore the world of 2D digital animation using Adobe Animate. Over the course of the programme, participants will learn how to design and animate characters, objects, and environments, as well as create text animations and compile a professional mini portfolio. Each week focuses on a new skill, giving students the tools to bring their own ideas to life while developing creative and transferable skills such as storytelling, timing, design thinking, and visual communication. 

Workshop - Week 1 – 7 March: 
Drawing & Simple Object Animation – Learn the basics of drawing clean objects and turning them into short, animated loops. Students will create animations such as bouncing balls, blinking characters, growing flowers, head turns, facial expression changes (shocked, laughing, confused), and simple lip movements. 

Workshop – Week 2 – 14 March: 
Background Design & Environment Animation – Explore how to design backgrounds and animate elements within a scene. Students will animate trees swaying, vehicles moving across a cityscape, and aircraft landing or performing dramatic motion, learning how layers and motion combine to create depth. 

Workshop – Week 3 – 21 March: 
Meme Animation & Simple Action Sequences – Bring humour and expression to animation by creating short meme-inspired loops and simple action sequences. Students will explore exaggerated character reactions, fun impact effects, and fast-paced animation, encouraging creativity and personal style. 

Workshop – Week 4 – 28 March: 
Text Animation & Portfolio Compilation – Focus on motion graphics and presentation skills. Students will design animated text and effects, compile all their work into a mini-animation portfolio, and create a polished video reel showcasing their projects from the previous weeks. 

Lunches are provided for participants each week. 

Applications close 23:55 on Monday 23 February. If you have any questions, please email outreach@uca.ac.uk.

Useful information

This activity is suitable for students who are studying or have an interest in creative subjects and would like to develop their skills and portfolio. 

The aim of the course is to provide an opportunity for young people to access free art and design tuition from a higher education institution to support them in the development of their portfolio of work. It's also designed for students who may not otherwise have the chance to access such an opportunity. This work is funded through the UCA's Access and Participation Plan's commitment as approved by the Office for Students (OfS). The programme is aimed at supporting students who are under-represented in Higher education. For further information and a list of the under-represented groups, please refer to the OfS approach to access and participation.

We welcome applications from all, however priority will be given to applicants who meet one or more of the following criteria:

  • are the first generation in their family to study at higher education level (e.g. Degree, HND, HNC)
  • are currently eligible for Free School Meals
  • come from a neighbourhood with low overall progression rates to higher education (determined by postcode using POLAR 4 data)
  • are from a black or minority ethnic (BAME) background
  • are in, or have lived under local authority care
  • have caring responsibilities for a family member
  • have a disability
  • are studying without the support of family 
  • are an unaccompanied asylum seeker/refugee
  • are from a military family
  • are from a Gypsy, Roma or Traversal community
  • attend a KaMCOP, KMPF or HEON partnered school (a list of eligible schools is included below)
  • live in HEON or KaMCOP target postcode area

This information will be gathered via the application form and will be assessed by the University’s Outreach Manager and Outreach Officer.

Once the application deadline has passed, we will consider all applications against the priority criteria listed above to determine who will be offered a place. A decision will be sent in writing to confirm whether a place on the programme has been secured, and successful applicants will be asked to confirm their place in writing. Where the programmes are oversubscribed, unplaced applicants who meet the criteria outlined above will be kept on a waiting list and allocated spaces should they become available.

If an applicant decides not to accept their offer, they must inform UCA staff via email as soon as possible so spaces can be reallocated where possible: outreach@uca.ac.uk. 

UCA processes data in accordance with the General Data Protection Rules (GDPR). The university's data protection policies and privacy notices can be viewed here.

Refer to the Outreach & Widening Participation Privacy Notice

You have the right to review information held about you. If you would like to do so or to notify us of a change of your details, please email outreach@uca.ac.uk. If, you believe there is no legitimate reason for us to continue processing your data and wish us to delete it, please contact the Data Protection Officer dpo@uca.ac.uk