Connecting Children, One Laptop At A Time
Think about all of the ways that you’re connected to the world – your smartphone, your tablet, your laptop or desktop computer, your television. Think about the ways that those devices give you a broader understanding of the world around you, and the ways you use them to educate yourself and fulfill the social aspect of your lives.
Now imagine that you didn’t have any of that. Could you make it in today’s technological society? Probably not – but that’s the situation thousands of aboriginal children in our very own country are facing right now. They are living in the northern territories and on reserves, without the resources necessary for a modern education. One Laptop Per Child Canada (OLPC Canada), in cooperation with One Laptop Per Child, has been hard at work trying to help this, and that’s why we’ve chosen them as August 2016’s Group of the Month.
What Are They Doing to Help?
Since 2007, One Laptop Per Child has been supplying children around the world with low-cost, power-efficient, and durable laptops, custom designed for the unforgiving weather and living conditions that many of these children endure every day. As of 2011, they had distributed over 2 million laptops to children around the world, and they have distributed countless more since then.
In 2010, OLPC Canada recognized the need for a similar system here in Canada and began their efforts, to date assisting more than 9,000 Aboriginal youth in this country.
Tell Me About the Laptops!
One Laptop Per Child’s custom “XO” laptops allow these children access to the latest learning materials available, without dealing with the expense and logistics of acquiring hard-copy textbooks. The laptops are pre-loaded with nearly 30 different educational programs, covering everything from reading and writing to even musical composition and basic computer programming.
With the laptops, whenever One Laptop Per Child is able to provide a reliable and low-cost access point, the children are often able to access the internet. Even in cases where internet access is impossible or infeasible, the laptops are still capable of networking with other nearby laptops, allowing the children to share information and work cooperatively.
The XO laptops supplied by OLPC Canada are also pre-loaded with apps and books which highlight Aboriginal languages and history, providing a valuable tool for the preservation of Aboriginal culture.
Why Laptops, Though?
The platform is based on specifically supplying laptops, as opposed to a desktop machine or community-access centers, because of the importance of mobility. When the children are able to take their laptops home, their entire family can engage in the experience, broadening the reach of One Laptop Per Child Canada’s mission.
The Group of the Month
We take for granted a lot of the luxuries that are available to us in the digital age – the same tools that we use to look up a trivia answer when we want to settle an argument, or to figure out where we want to go for dinner, can open up limitless possibilities for children who simply aren’t so lucky. What One Laptop Per Child Canada does doesn’t just affect these children in the moment; the developmental tools that they’re given are useful to them for life.
That’s why, as our group of the month, One Laptop Per Child Canada will be the default donation recipient for every order placed with ContactsForLess.ca in August 2016! Of course, if there’s another cause that’s important to you, our list of over 50 different charities and non-profit organizations is always available to choose from during checkout!
Whatever your cause is, just remember that at ContactsForLess.ca, we’re not just about saving you money, we’re about saving the planet!