Expanding horizons: the role of ethics of care in a widening participation programme for first-generation students

This article explores a widening participation programme for adolescents, aged 12‐16, living in territorially stigmatised communities. The study focuses on a programme component in which university student ambassadors offer homework support. Drawing on Noddings’ ethics of care, Biesta’s concept of subjectification, and Bourdieu’s theory of social reproduction, the study examines how such programmes can foster motivation, self-efficacy, and well-being beyond simply increasing interest in higher education, while identifying challenges in sustaining motivation for continued studies. Based on field observations, interviews and focus groups, the analysis highlights that caring relationships, role models and locally anchored practices can play a central role in creating supportive spaces where students feel seen, safe and encouraged to engage academically. The findings also indicate that for encounters to develop into meaningful connections, both time and sustained engagement are essential. Student ambassadors play a crucial role in fostering trust-based interactions and opportunities for identification, which can strengthen aspirations and empower students. However, the study identifies two critical limitations: voluntary participation primarily engages already motivated students, while structural inequalities significantly constrain the programme’s transformative capacity. In conclusion, widening programmes can expand students’ horizons and support holistic development but their impact depends on the interplay of relational qualities, local anchoring and broader structural conditions, and the time needed for such relations to grow. The article concludes with recommendations for enhancing future programmes through culturally responsive practices, stronger community partnerships, and strategies to engage less motivated students.