Power to Connect

The Pitch

Problem statement

Ofcom estimates that over 1m children in the UK do not have access to a laptop, desktop or tablet at home and many rely on a mobile phone for connectivity. Low-income households are more at risk of digital exclusion. Only 51% of households earning between £6,000 and £10,000 have internet access (ONS). 10,385 children in Wandsworth are part of 6,000 income deprived families; 2,000 more are now vulnerable because of the pandemic. In January 3 ex-Education Secretaries asked government to urgently help 'children on the wrong side of the digital divide' after the promised laptop allocation to schools was cut by 80% and the EPI reported that many disadvantaged children had fallen behind at school.

Solution

P2C believes that devices should be recycled, reused and redistributed within the local Wandsworth community, reducing waste as well as cost, and reusing unused devices generating local benefit. P2C has collected, refurbished and delivered 1,272 devices, devices donated by local businesses and individuals. These have been delivered to 71 local schools + 10 community organisations in the past year. Schools have told us that donated devices are “life-changing” for disadvantaged families and children. Funding will pay for our project director to generate more laptop donations from local businesses, coordinate our tech and transport volunteers and launch our Digital Skills sessions in Schools.

Why are we best placed to deliver?

We believe that local groups are best placed to respond to local needs, especially when they work in partnership. P2C are the only laptop recycler in the Wandsworth area, focused solely on delivering in the borough. We work with 71 schools, as well as businesses (including BPSDC), Wandsworth Council and community groups. Our board and advisory group are led and run by local residents with lived or relevant experience in working with young people. We have a proven track record of safely + reliably delivering devices to the most disadvantaged, excluded children using council deprivation data and we are nationally recognised for our good practice. We won the Tech4Good award for Community Impact

Focus Areas

Delivery plan

Budget breakdown

Beneficiaries

40 people

Expected impact

We have seen the positive impact laptops can have in supporting disadvantaged children's education, during Covid and beyond. 72% of schools who responded to our P2C survey told us that children who had received a laptop had improved their digital skills. Over 90% of laptops are used for home activities including homework, some are used in school. As well as participating in live lessons, devices allowed children “to access online resources, complete and submit homework, communicate with other students and their teachers” during the lockdowns. Importantly having a device made young people feel “connected” not excluded or different, during the pandemic. One school told us: ”Our deaf students used ZOOM to continue engaging with their SALT and Therapy sessions during lockdown.” It is clear that P2C must ensure all disadvantaged children have access to a device, particularly if we go back into lockdown and schools close again. Digital Inclusion for all is key to our mission

Track record

"We have been pleased to work with the Power to Connect initiative, providing over 160 laptops ourselves and engaging other local businesses to donate devices. It’s fantastic to be part of such a wonderful project with local volunteers who have given up their time to get involved and bring relief and joy to so many families.” Wandsworth Councillor - Will Sweet "DevicesDotNow has been working with Power to Connect for over a year now. In that time we have watched the project grow from a small grassroots organisation to a leader in the digital poverty space. P2C has shown that local groups are best placed to respond to local need, especially when they work closely with local partners. P2C was the inspiration behind the Reboot Playbook and without it we wouldn’t have been able to offer so much advice across the country to countless others. We look forward to continuing our work together." Head of Public Benefit at Social Business Trust - Chris Ashworth

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