Help us get laptops to our schools to give children access to education & support
Level Up Laptops is a campaign to help children who do not have access to IT equipment for remote learning and longer-term education needs.
Many households are struggling during lockdown, even if they have one device already, as parents are working from home and often there is more than one child who needs to join online lessons or use a laptop to access educational resources online. It is estimated that 2.6 million school children live below the poverty line in England alone, and Ofcom estimates that about 9% of children in the UK – up to 1.7 million – do not have access to a laptop, desktop or tablet at home.
Level Up Laptops is asking Sussex businesses to donate unwanted devices or funds to cover refurbishment costs. Monetary donations go through Level Up Laptops’ charity partner, Tarner Community Project. Laptop refurbishments are carried out by Tech-Takeback, as part of the Brighton & Hove RevaluElectricals service which is provided by Tech-Takeback, The ZeroNet and is supported by Brighton & Hove City Council and Material Focus’s Recycle Your Electricals campaign.
. We want to ensure children from all backgrounds have the same access to learning and educational resources during and after these challenging times. To find out more about the Level Up Laptop campaign click here.
Donate your Spare Devices
We are also accepting your unused laptops. Please fill our DONATION FORM and we will arrange pickup / drop off. For us to refurbish devices to the standards required by schools, devices need to meet the following requirements.
Laptops: 12” screen / Has windows 7, 8 or 10 installed / Wi-Fi capabilities and a webcam.
Chromebooks: 2016 or newer
Tablets: iPads – 2016 or newer / Android – 2016 or newer
The Tarner team will be using their local connections with schools across the Sussex region to make sure that all devices secured by the Level Up Laptap appeal reach children who are struggling to access vital online
Emma Jacquest, CEO at the Tarner Community Project explains how these devices will help Sussex school children;
“Covid has accelerated the amount of education conducted online and it’s critical that vulnerable children don’t fall behind because of a lack of access to learning resources. We’re excited to be involved in this project to tackle the digital divide across Sussex and have every confidence in the generosity of local businesses.”
Ryan Welmans, SoPro’s CEO and the mastermind behind this initiative explains why the project started:
“When I heard on the radio how a lack of devices is making it impossible for some of our most vulnerable families to homeschool, I knew we could help. So many businesses have old laptops lying around and we can reach the with our Sopro prospecting technology quickly to raise awareness and gain their support. We’re also donating staff time to handle the collection, refurbishment and fundraising plus our fantastic charity partner the Tarner Community Project already has links into local schools and the council. To get the campaign of to a flying start, SoPro are funding ten laptops for ten local kids immediately.”
Level Up Laptops is a charity initiative created by Brighton based social prospecting company SoPro. It’s asking Sussex based businesses to donate laptops and other computer equipment that can be given to local school children struggling to access online learning resources.
Level Up Laptops will also take monetary donations through its Sussex based registered charity partner the Tarner Community Project. All funds raised will be used to cover refurbishment costs or to purchase new machines for local children.
Level Up Laptops will accept any laptop that runs Windows 7 or later plus tablets, which many younger children need for their studies, refurbishing them and then connecting with local schools who will distribute the devices to children struggling to maintain their education remotely.
Many households are struggling even if they have one device already as parents are working from home and often there is more than one child who needs to join online lessons or use a laptop to access educational resources online.
It is estimated that 2.6 million school children live below the poverty line in England alone, and Ofcom estimates that about 9% of children in the UK – up to 1.7 million – do not have access to a laptop, desktop or tablet at home.
More than 880,000 children also live in a household with only a mobile internet connection.
About SoPro
Privately owned and funded, SoPro is one of the fastest growing B2B marketing technology businesses in the world. In four years and with zero capital investment, SoPro has built a highly skilled team passionate about technology, customer service and results resulting in an annual turnover that now exceeds £3m.
SoPro’s social prospecting format connects businesses with their target customers on a 1-to-1 basis with personalised, conversational email introductions, designed to flow naturally into the sales pipeline. Facebook: @SoPro.Prospecting
