Far too many children in Leeds don’t have access to a laptop and the internet, but schools operate on the assumption that they do. Without equipment these children fall further behind. And statistics tell us that once they fall too far behind, it impacts their life chances. Not because they did anything wrong or because they didn’t have the ability. But because they didn’t have a laptop.

So what can you do? You can give us your spare laptop. And we can upgrade it and give to a child that needs it. And we’ll match your gift with a gift of data. So even if the parents don’t have the internet, the child does. So the child can keep up at school and grow in confidence and improve their life chances. All because of your laptop. But they need it now. So please act today. Thank you.

About Tech Angels

Leeds Tech Angels is a collaboration project between Digital Access West Yorkshire and Solidaritech, and is supported by Leeds City Council, Ahead Partnership and Zero Waste Leeds. Tech Angels is funded by Leeds Community Foundation.

Solidaritech was founded in 2017 to help Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Yorkshire & Humber. We do this by setting up community Computer labs with refurbished IT equipment. Since 2017 we have donated 250+ machines to some of society’s most marginalised and cash-poor people. Our work supports refugees setting up small businesses and helps people study to convert their qualifications to British ones.

Digital Access West Yorkshire (DAWY) was founded in April 2020 to be a community-based, democratic and participatory response to digital exclusion in Leeds and the surrounding area. DAWY has donated around 50 machines out to digitally excluded children and young people in Leeds since.

Community Partners

Your donations will go directly to help Children and Young People working with these community organisations across Leeds who have requested laptops to help their digitally excluded attended catch up with their school over lockdowns.

Why we are needed

23%

of pupils were taking part in daily live or recorded lessons online during lockdown.

21%

of pupils in the most deprived schools had communicated with their teacher in the past week.

37%

teachers report over a third of students studying at home would not have access to a device.

36%

teachers in deprived schools felt over a third of students would not have internet access.

Source: ‘COVID-19 IMPACTS: SCHOOL SHUTDOWN‘ by The Sutton Trust