Your old tech is positively impacting lives!
Do you want to support initiatives that are using old IT devices to make a difference?
You will know if you have visited our site before or have worked with us: the Reconome team advocates a partnership approach. We work with businesses every day using this approach to help support the growth of our young, passionate company. But we also actively seek partnerships where we can support big-brand initiatives to help make a positive difference in others’ lives.
Thanks to extensive press coverage over the last 12 months, many more businesses (and households) are aware of a dire situation affecting far too many people across the UK – the lack of access to a device that allows connectivity to family, friends, and the wider world. This situation is often referred to as the ‘Digital Divide’.
Feelings of loneliness and isolation during the last year’s enforced lockdown periods have affected many of us. But for the most vulnerable in our society, this has had a devastating effect.
Over the last year, large and small corporations and charities have been rallying to take positive actions to address the issues; and the results are outstanding. The Reconome team is proud to be supporting O2’s Community Calling and The London Grid For Learning.
This article shares how these, and other companies and charities, are making a huge difference.
The BBC’s Give a Laptop Campaign
This BBC led campaign aims to make a difference within communities by working with local radio stations to collect and redistribute unwanted laptops and tablets to schoolchildren struggling to stay on top of schoolwork because they have no access to a device or share one with several siblings.
The results so far…
Since the campaign’s launch, over 46,000 devices have been donated, with businesses pledging a further 70,000 devices over the coming months.
The appeal has also generated awareness resulting in the generosity of individuals, trusts, foundations, and local businesses to achieve donations totalling £917,890 (so far!).
Vodaphone’s Great British Tech Appeal
Vodaphone UK launched its Great British Tech Appeal in 2020 with charity partners Barnardo’s to distribute refurbished smartphones and tablets to disadvantaged people who lack connectivity.
The results so far…
To date, 3,500 mobile devices have been donated, data-wiped, refurbished. Those devices have been redistributed to those who need them most.
The Great British Tech Appeal runs in conjunction with their schools.connected programme. So far, it is estimated that 350,000 data SIMs have been successfully distributed to disadvantaged schoolchildren.
The Good Things Foundation’s DevicesDotNow Campaign
The DevicesDotNow campaign centres around appealing for financial donations to help buy tablets, laptops, sims, dongles, and mobile hotspots. Those devices and forms of connectivity enable society’s most vulnerable people to access digital technology and stay connected during the pandemic and will benefit them into the future too.
The results so far…
The DevicesDotNow campaign has delivered 4,270 devices through 349 community partners to date, which along with securing funding to support an additional 5,921 people, means they have exceeded their original goal of helping 10,000 people! They have set their next goal at 50,000…
O2’s Community Calling Campaign
The Community Calling Campaign is simple. When individuals or businesses donate old smartphones, they are cleaned, data-wiped an refurbished (by Reconome!) and redistributed to those in need.
And the campaign goes further. Each phone comes with 12 months free data (generously provided by O2) and access to free digital skills training.
The results so far…
So far, almost 4,000 smartphones have been redistributed to new owners.
The London Grid For Learning
We are also involved in other similar initiatives managed by the London Grid For Learning. They help source old tech from public organisations (mainly) that we then data wipe and refurbish. These are then distributed to the schools that need them.
How can you help?
We hope that once the pandemic is over, the good vibes continue! Because there is so much that can and should be done to break the Digital Divide.
From these examples, you can see that when we consider how and then act, we can all make a big difference to others’ lives.
You can help immediately by adding your support to any of the initiatives we’ve highlighted. Or you can talk to us if you want an ITAD company to help dispose of the end of life IT in your business. Because we are not your average ITAD company. When we collect and refurbish your old IT, we make sure it begins its second life with schools, charities, and start-up SMEs at prices they can afford.
Contact us now to find out more.
Note: the results shared in this article were correct at the time of posting