The Queensland Government Customer and Digital Group (QGCDG) are proud to be partnering with an inspiring young entrepreneur, Jack Growden, who is the founder and CEO of an organisation called LiteHaus International (LiteHaus), based in Townsville.
LiteHaus exists to bridge the digital divide in Australia and overseas by providing students with their very own device, free of charge. LiteHaus receive donations of end of lease devices, laptops and desktop computers from industry and refurbish them so that they can have a second life. These devices help young Queenslanders access digital learning and services at home without being limited to school or libraries to connect.
Being a regional Queenslander himself, Jack is passionate about addressing the digital divide across regional Queensland. LiteHaus has already delivered 3800 laptops to high school students across regional Queensland with about 65 percent of the beneficiaries being First Nations students.
Over the next 12 months, a further 2000 laptops will make their way into the hands of young Queenslanders as part of an initiative supporting the Digital Professional Workforce Action Plan 2020-24, with over 500 laptops about to be distributed to students in Cape York communities.
Half a million digital devices a year end up in landfill in Australia so what better way to reduce e-waste and get devices to students who need them to participate in the digital world. Devices will be coupled with digital literacy education and critical e-safety skills required by students to safely navigate the digital world. These devices will not only build digital capability within the students and their families but will have benefits extending to their whole community.
A lot is being done to address digital connectivity in the regions to fix communication black spots however Jack says, “having internet without a device is like having a sail but no boat, or ink with no pen, it’s really useless”. If you’re interested in finding out more about the work LiteHaus is doing across Australia and abroad visit – https://litehausinternational.org/