Phones for iPads appeal takes off

Kaikorai Valley College pupil Nathan Harris with his growing pile of old mobile phones, which he is swapping for new Apple iPads for his school. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
Kaikorai Valley College pupil Nathan Harris with his growing pile of old mobile phones, which he is swapping for new Apple iPads for his school. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
Who knew there were so many old mobile phones just lying about, gathering dust in Dunedin?

Earlier this month, Nathan Harris started collecting the old technology to swap for a new Apple iPad under an initiative run by Autism New Zealand and Swapkit New Zealand.

The 13-year-old Kaikorai Valley College pupil started out with just a handful of old mobile phones, and wondered if he would ever collect the 165 needed to swap for an iPad.

But since then, much to his surprise and delight, the community has chipped in and he has reached the target with plenty to spare.

In fact, he has more than 270 old mobile phones, thanks to the community's support, and now he is aiming to collect enough for several more iPads.

Nathan was inspired to participate in the initiative because he has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, and he wanted to help others with the condition.

He wants to give the first Apple iPad to his school, for use by pupils with autism, and he hopes to give the second one to the Brathwaite Centre, a learning support area at the college, for pupils with special needs.

He said many people with autism struggled to communicate verbally, and an iPad would help pupils to communicate with their teachers and fellow pupils by writing messages.

Nathan said he was beginning to realise there was no limit to what he could achieve, once he put his mind to something.

''I'm really proud. I've come a long way.

''I just need 60 more old phones until I can get a second iPad. That's definitely doable.''

Swapkit New Zealand is a nationally accredited mobile phone recycler, and in a bid to help with the education of pupils with autism, the company is giving away up to 1000 new iPads in exchange for the old technology.

The majority of devices Swapkit collects are shipped to developing countries where they are refurbished and sold for reuse in second-hand markets.

A small percentage of the devices, unsuitable for reuse, are broken down to be recycled.

Anyone wanting to get rid of their old mobile phones in an environmentally friendly way can drop them off at the Kaikorai Valley College office.

john.lewis@odt.co.nz

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