This Is ‘IT’ – Schools
Overview
Financial stress is one of the major blockers to students successfully engaging in secondary education. The Federally funded youth engagement program, Youth Connections, showed that of the 14,566 disengaged or disengaging students across Victoria, 4,939 (33.9%) identified that financial distress was one of the major factors for their disengagement.
In the South East region of Melbourne, made up of the City of Greater Dandenong, City of Casey and Cardinia Shire, the percentage of young people that identified financial distress as one of the major factors for their disengagement was 52.4%, that is 54% high than Victoria’s average.
There are several major expenses in getting secondary students to school. Uniforms, books and computers. Where families are struggling to make ends meet, there are programs to assist with the costs of uniforms and second hand book options, but nothing to assist in providing laptops.
Partnership Model
The owners of three Dandenong businesses recently launched the not-for-profit This Is IT Schools (TIIS) organisation aims to engaging Government secondary schools across South East Melbourne in a project that repurposes top of the line laptops from the Corporate sector.
- Simon Whitely, CEO, Corex Australia;
- Todd Hartley, Managing Director, Hilton Manufacturing
- Tyrone Landsman, CEO, Future Recycling
- Andrew Simmons, CEO, SELLEN
- Sandra George, Manager, South East Business Networks (CGD)
Looking for additional ways to engage with and support local communities, these five people proposed the idea of focusing on the supply of repurposed laptops was borne.
Testimonial
“Schools are trying to prepare their students for the future, this is extremely difficult when students do not have access to the tools they require. Computers are an absolute necessity and this initiative is a game changer for the students lucky enough to be the recipient of a laptop.”
Secondary School Principal
“This will allow me to complete my work and stay up to date when I am on work placements and cannot be at school. I will not have to stress about going to the library or staying at school after hours to complete my work.”
Recipient of a computer through the This Is ‘IT’ initiative.
