Smart phones

The coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on all of our lives, risking not least our health, but also our lifestyles, work and mental wellbeing. Now more than ever we need bright ideas that will rebuild our communities and support those most affected by Covid-19.

Employment is the single most effective factor in preventing and reducing offending. Cracked It uses smartphone repair to create opportunities for at-risk youth. Through training and employing young ex-offenders to complete repair work, they break down their attitudinal barriers to employment, create an income, and gain a sense of self-worth through legitimate work.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, founder Josh Babarinde wanted to use Cracked It’s industry connections to help those in need and launched a new scheme to help elderly people who are shielding and unable to see their loved ones face-to-face. They made an appeal to corporates for mobile phones they no longer needed, and refurbished them so they could be used for video calls.

“It’s heartbreaking that the virus means many care home residents are unable to see their families for the time being.”

Cracked It’s ex-offender technicians are refurbishing old mobile phones and donating them to Eastbourne’s care homes so the elderly can keep in touch with their families through video calls.

“At a time when our care homes are under huge strain, we hope we can play a small part in helping to keep care home residents and their families connected digitally… The scheme is also a great way for our ex-offender technicians to give back to the community – and it’s saved lots of tech waste from going to landfill too. It’s a win-win-win!”

Do you have an idea for a social enterprise? Investec Beyond Business has extended its deadline for applications to capture enterprising ideas conceived in response to the current crisis.

Find out more about the programme. Applications close at 5pm on 30th October 2020.