As a not-for-profit, 2econd Chance is working to bridge the digital divide by providing access to low-cost refurbished computers. To support the most vulnerable in the community with access to hardware we partner with our local voluntary and community sector organisations to donate one in four of every machine we receive. With the number of requests increasing, we were delighted to launch our Refurbished Laptop Scheme in January thanks to funding from Barnet Together allowing organisations to refer individuals to receive a free laptop.
Over the last six months we are delighted to have donated 80 laptops through the scheme through organisations including DWP, BOOST, Barnet Council, Finchley Charities and New Citizens Gateway. Based on the high numbers of requests, we identified a real need to increase the number of machines to allow it to continue. We are incredibly grateful to the North London Waste Authority whose Community Fund has meant we can not only keep the scheme going but also purchase equipment to crush and replace hard drives.
The full list of organisations who received funding can be found here.
All machines that are donated to 2econd Chance have their data wiped as part of the refurbishment process. However, the ability to destroy hard drives for companies with extra stringent requirements means all data is completely destroyed. With our reliance on donations of unwanted computers the hard-drive crusher and hard drives will mean we are compliant with organisations e-waste disposal policies thereby increasing the volume of computers coming into 2econd Chance
We are looking forward to including the destruction of hard drives in our training programme, keep an eye out for videos and photos to see our progress!