March 11, 2013
Year 12 student Lauren Cross knows she can make a difference, and she hopes “you can” too.
The “You Can” schools program, run in partnership with Sony Music, aims to raise funds for CanTeen’s youth cancer centres around Australia by collecting used mobile phones.
Lauren has brought the program to Kingaroy State High School and hopes to collect 2000 used phones by the end of Semester 1.
But why is she doing it?
“At the end of last year I went to a University of Queensland Young Scholars Program camp at St Lucia in Brisbane,” she said.
“There were keynote speakers and leadership activities. At the end of the camp, they challenged us to go out into the community and do something to make a difference, to benefit other people.”
After a lot of thought – and Google searches – Lauren came across the You Can project.
KSHS Business Communications and Technology teacher Mrs Melissa Kempson agreed to be the school contact for the project.
Lauren is officially launching the recycling project at morning parade tomorrow (Tuesday).
An introductory DVD explaining what the project is all about will also be shown to all form classes next week.
Lauren then hopes the phones will start flowing in.
She has started the collection with an old phone of her own, and her parents and their work colleagues have also handed over phones. She’s hoping that most students at the school – and their parents – have an old phone lying around somewhere.
The bonus with the scheme is that donors will go into the draw to win a prize, sponsored by Sony Music, and the value of this prize will increase depending on the total number of phones brought in.
There is also a major prize for the high school that collects the most old phones … a performance by a Sony Music superstar – either Jessica Mauboy, Reece Mastin, Justice Crew, Johnny Ruffo or YMS.
The phones are collected by You Can and sent to a recycling centre where they are either refurbished for sale or broken down into parts.
A collection box has been set up in the Student Services building at the school but Lauren is also hoping a Kingaroy business may also be able to host a drop-off box.
If you can help, contact Lauren by email
