JamiesComputers

Crackdown on Illegal E-Waste Export

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:34:32 +0200

Environment Agency enforcement officers have raided two sites in east London and in Essex in the most significant action to date in stopping the suspected illegal export of electrical waste from the UK.

Read full article here.

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Turning donations into positive outcomes

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:28:29 +0200

It's April 21st and there's a group of work placements huddled around cups of coffee excitedly planning their day. These individuals are people that have joined Jamie's to benefit from our training, because they have been socially excluded and need some help into the employment market.

They're excited because they have been working all month refurbishing the computers that have been donated by local businesses, which are now ready to be shipped to the University of Bangladesh where they will be used by students who are also improving their prospects through training and education.

Our work placements are awaiting the arrival of the container and making final checks ready to begin loading when it comes. One of the placements will be looking after the stock management system and ticking off all the assets as they leave. One will be operating the fork-truck. A few more will practice their manual handling skills, as they arrange the boxes securely on the container. And all of them will enjoy the team celebration when they have finished and begin to feel proud of their fantastic achievements.

This would not be possible without the support we receive from our customers. A big thank you to them!

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We're appealing for another 6 donations!

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:59:50 +0200

We're continuing to work with Computer Aid International to send more refurbished computers to the developing world. The computers are put to use where they're needed most. They're used in thousands of schools benefiting many hundreds of thousands of students. And it's not just schools, the PCs are also being used to enhance the capacity of not-for-profit organisations. Organisations whose work collectively encompasses a huge range of areas central to the development process including health, human rights, HIV/Aids and environment, to name a few.

Our next consignment will contain 200 computers and will go to the University of Bangladesh. But we need help! More information here....

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Computer Aid International Combat Waste Abroad

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:29:49 +0200

Computer Aid International - an organisation that we work with - have been featured in a CNN news report:

Embedded video from CNN Video

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Triumph against the odds

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:03:54 +0100

A case study we just provided to Sparks:

Homelessness charity, The Society of St James has been providing food, shelter and support to homeless people in Southampton since 1972. In 2003, senior housing manager, Della Cunio became aware that many of the residents were struggling with low self esteem and confidence and were becoming isolated. To combat this, she decided to start a ‘work project’ where residents could learn and train, and in doing so begin to build confidence and break isolation.

Residents of the organisation were consulted on the idea, and one resident in particular, John Smith, was already known to staff as a keen computer hobbyist. The consultation showed that a computer project would be welcomed and John was invited on board to help get the ball rolling. Subsequently Jamie’s Computers was born.

Initially the project was reliant on funding and the focus was very much on learning and training. The project took a few donated PCs and a workshop was started for clients to learn how to refurbish the computers, which they then used to word process and play games. But what soon occurred to the staff involved, was the potential Jamie’s had to grow the refurbishment operation into a commercial enterprise that would not only provide a host of work-based-training opportunities, but also the income needed to run the project. And this is the direction that the project took.

Now, Jamie’s is a fully functioning computer disposal business that provides solutions to more than 400 businesses disposing of IT, and more than 4,000 homes. Numerous individuals have purchased low cost refurbished PCs and Jamie’s also works in partnership with Computer Aid International to provide computers to developing countries. John has been on this journey with Jamie’s.

When John first started with Jamie’s he was a resident in one of The Society of St James’ shared houses. He was overcoming alcohol issues and Jamie’s Computers provided John with somewhere to be during the day, where he could make a meaningful contribution. John volunteered a number of days of week and was in fact instrumental in setting up the first refurbishment workshop. John mentored others, teaching them how to repair PCs, demonstrating the confidence he felt at the project.

In 2004 Jamie’s received funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s, Community Recycling and Economic Development (CRED) Program, which in part allowed Jamie’s to take on paid work placements. John was an obvious choice and started a 3 day-a-week placement on a temporary basis. The fund also allowed for Jamie’s to move into permanent premises and John helped to move the project into its new 8,000 square foot warehouse and set up the commercial workshop. For a while, John was the only paid worker in the workshop and he worked with managers at the project to put in procedures that would see hundreds of tonnes of IT processed over the years following.

In 2006 John’s post was made permanent and he officially joined the staff team. He was also given the opportunity to develop his training skills, later becoming a Trainer and teaching a wide range of courses including Health & Safety, Build Your Own PC (delivered to excluded school children alongside other staff) and Digital Photography.

John is no longer with Jamie’s – he moved on in 2008, but his story shows a triumph against the odds, and reminds us all of what is possible if we provide the right help.

*Name has been changed to protect identity.

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Prize Winner Rosa, Received Free PC

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 11:07:18 +0100

Rosa Chapman from City Limits, Southampton, is delighted to be the winner of Jamies e-bulletin prize draw and is now the owner of a high spec Pentium 4 refurbished computer. It is the first time that Rosa has owned a PC, and she could not wait to get it home and started playing! Rosa is an Employment Officer for City Limits working to help young people 18+ to gain education, training and employment. She is passionate about her work and with her Jamies PC she will have easier access to the Internet to enable her to help her clients research their options and to find brighter futures. Jamies Computers refurbishes and sells computers. Not only is PC re-use better for the environment than breaking them up or recycling them, but it gives people the opportunity to buy a PC which is Internet ready at a fraction of the high street prices. Congratulations Rosa!

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Database - it's on its way! Yay!

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:08:03 +0100

We're in the process of updating our asset tracking system at Jamie's by installing a database that will give us more hands on information. This will enable us to provide more feedback to customers on exactly what happened to their PCs, ie whether they were re-used, recycled etc, so that customers can use this in their own PR.

We've always had a system, but it was in desperate need of modernisation! And it's nearly done. It's very, very exciting.

The beta version was installed late last week and I can't wait to get my hands on it and start playing!

Amanda Golding
Refurbishment Coordinator

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When the Cabinet Came to Town

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:15:42 +0100

Jamie’s Computers Hosted a Ministerial Visit

Southampton based social enterprise, Jamie’s Computers was one of 14 organisations in the region to receive a ministerial visit, when Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Cabinet descended on Southampton on Monday 23rd February.

The computer re-use and recycling project, Jamie’s Computers is a project of Southampton’s largest homelessness charity, The Society of St James. Jamie’s welcomed Liam Byrne, Minister for the Cabinet Office to its operation in Northam as part of the ministerial visits which took place in the region.

Minister Liam Byrne said:

“Jamie’s Computers is a great example of how social enterprises can benefit the local community and the country as a whole. It’s clear to me that they give vulnerable people real opportunities to realise their potential and get on in life, regardless of their circumstances.

“In this tough economic climate we need businesses like this that put ethics first. This way we can all build a fairer society and a stronger country.”

The visit followed this month’s announcement of the Government’s Third Sector Action Plan, which has been designed together with third sector leaders over the last three months and builds on the wide range of measures the Government has put in place to support people through the economic downturn, and on the Government’s long term commitment to voluntary organisations and social enterprises.

Della Cunio, Operations Director for Jamie’s said of the visit:

“We were delighted to learn that the Minister would visit the project – it was a great compliment to the work that we do and a proud moment for all the staff and service users involved.

“The importance of social enterprise in the provision of public service and contribution to the economy is recognised by government and keenly promoted. We were pleased to be able to provide a positive case study for the Minister.”

For more information about Jamie’s Computers call 023 8063 2198 or visit our website.

Click here to see more pictures.
Click here to watch a short video.

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Snowing again...

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:54:38 +0100

... but it's not stopping our learners from arriving for a training day on the web design project! Well done chaps

And it's coming down quite hard now!

Want to know more about the web design project and how it's going? Visit the facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=58888&id=732573750&ref=mf#/pages/Southampton-United-Kingdom/Jamies-Computers-Web-Design-Project/33429237708

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No! She's too young to die!

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:01:20 +0100

So you’ve had a big clear out at work which has resulted in a big pile of stuff that you no longer need - an old coffee machine perhaps, a desk, some old PCs and a pile of paperwork. You’re pretty switched on, so you know that ‘reducing, re-using and recycling’ your waste is something that the government would like you to do – for the good of the planet and the community. But here’s the thing. Times are hard, you hardly have time and with all the legislation you have to comply with, you’re not sure you’d be able to get anything very innovative past your boss. So you hire a skip.

As you’re lugging it all across the car-park and throwing it in, there’s this nagging voice in your head reminding you how un-green you are being. You try to block it out, telling yourself that the exercise of filling the skip will save you going to the gym. Not going to the gym will mean the treadmill won’t be switched on. Not switching on the treadmill will save some energy. Saving some energy will reduce your carbon emissions. Phew! The voice stops.

But then you pick up your old PC and start walking it to its grave (the skip). For a moment you’re lost in the memories of the times you’ve had together – surfing the Net when you should be typing that report, tweeting about your boredom when you should be typing a letter, photoshopping your holiday snaps and circulating them - what fun you had!

And before you know it you’re knelt at the Directors door, a quivering mess, computer in arms saying ‘No! She’s too young to die!’

And that was the moment you decided that there must be a better way. A kinder way. A greener way. It was also the moment that your boss told you, that it better not cost too much and it had better not get him into trouble. Gulp!

But actually, if you know what you need to look for, it’s easy peasy! And here’s a quick guide:

So your PC works and you’d like to see it re-used. It would also be great if it could be re-used by someone disadvantaged right? So a charity might be the answer. But disposing of your PC is covered by quite a few bits of legislation:
1. The Environment Act (duty of care)
2. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive
3. Hazardous waste regulations, and
4. Data Protection Act, after all you probably keep personal data on it

Now I appreciate that it may be starting to sound like a bit of a headache so here’s the pain killer…

There is a network of re-use organisation that will not only ensure your PC gets a new home, but are also registered with the Environment Agency and can wipe your data too. Pick one of these organisations and you just scored 10 gold stars from your legal department and another 10 gold stars from your social responsibility crew! Yay!

Moving on to the other items in your skip, organisations also exist that can your shred your paper and recycle it, re-use your old desk and probably re-use that old coffee machine too! And if you ask them about relevant legislation, they’ll be more than happy to tell you all about it I’m sure.

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Jamie's on the radio

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:06:12 +0100

Listen out for Jamie's Computers on BBC Radio Solent (96.1FM) on Monday at 12.40pm.

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Jamie’s Computers Helps Developing World

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:39:02 +0100

Jamie’s Computers will be providing refurbished computer equipment to the developing world. Working with Computer Aid International, the Southampton based enterprise will be preparing over 200 computer systems to be shipped to Nigeria in time for Christmas. The computers will be used by students in the National Library of Nigeria.

Computer Aid has been providing equipment to the developing world since 1998, helping to bridge the digital divide between rich and poor countries through the provision of high quality refurbished computers. The computers mainly go to schools and other educational establishments in the developing world.

Amanda Golding, Refurbishment Coordinator at Jamie’s says:

“Jamie’s has been running for 5 years collecting redundant IT from local businesses, refurbishing and providing computers at affordable prices to our local community. Working with Computer Aid to make the refurbished IT more widely available is a great opportunity for us and we’re very excited. The operation will also enable us to increase the number of training placements we can host for the vulnerable adults we work with.

“In addition, the partnership will provide benefits to our business disposal customers as it will enable us to reduce our rates significantly. Many businesses are also interested in socially responsible procurement – a requirement that we can meet. Both organisations are registered with the Environment Agency as Approved Authorised Treatment Facilities.”

If you would like more information about call 023 8063 2198.

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Corporate Social Responsibility

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:41:34 +0200

Many businesses are now thinking about their corporate social responsibilities when procuring new products and services, and indeed when selling and engaging with the community. However, I think the question on many people’s minds just now, is whether this will hold up through the current economic climate.

Is CSR now an unaffordable luxury for businesses?

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Learning Team Successes

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:30:15 +0200

By Kasia Miadowicz
Learning & Training Coordinator

Well, it’s been a month since I last wrote – and what a month! We had our second visit from the OCN Quality Reviewer mid-July. Having made the changes she had recommended on her previous visit, she was very pleased with our progress and the visit was a success. Today 14 certificates from the OCN have arrived on my desk to be distributed to learners who have recently completed OCN modules successfully.

We’ve also recently been successful in a bid for some funding from Southampton City Council to work with service-users to create a website for the Council all about their Supporting People services. This is a very exciting new project, and since returning from a recent holiday I’ve been busily planning the first stages of delivery to start in October.

On another note, we’ve recently recruited a new intake of trainees on work-placement programmes. This is going very well, and our workshop and warehouse are looking all the better for the work that is being put in. The trainees seem to be enjoying their placements so far, and I can see the progress being made already.

Let’s hope the next month continues along the same lines!

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Big Day Out

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:18:09 +0200

We were invited to speak at Homeless Link’s conference this year (www.homeless.org.uk), and joined by two of our service users, Kasia and I travelled to Warwick in July to deliver.

During lunch, the service users that accompanied us took part in a ‘service user involvement’ event, which involved ‘networking’ the room to talk about the service we provide and how they have benefitted.

After lunch, Kasia and I delivered a presentation to delegates that covered how and why we set up, the services we offer and an overview of what it means to us to be a Social Enterprise.

I'm always up for talking about the work we do, and thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Photos of the day in the photo section.

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Ethical Sales

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:59:13 +0200

There’s a new buzzword, or term that is being bounded around - the digital divide. This term is being used by the government and agencies to describe the gap between those people with effective access to digital and information technology, and those without access to it. It includes the imbalances in physical access to technology as well as the imbalances in resources and skills needed to effectively participate as a digital citizen. And there is new focus on closing this divide.

Assisting people to access IT who might not otherwise have been able to, has been one of our long-term goals. We have achieved this in two ways: through our computer suite and training department and also with our sales of refurbished computers. Although our sales room is open to all, our target market group for computer sales has actually been a mixture of low-income families and individuals, and students.

We have been successful in reaching low-income groups over the years we have been operating, but one question that comes up time and time again is:

‘Can I pay by instalments?’

And this creates an ethical dilemma. On the one hand, we want to make the buying process easy and accessible to the masses, but on the other hand we want to be responsible when it comes to money matters.

We specifically target individuals that don’t have a large disposable income, who may be challenged with a weekly struggle to make ends meet. The question is whether allowing ‘credit’ is helpful or whether this will have a compounding impact on the issues our customers may already be facing.

You might say that it should be down to the consumer to manage their own finances and in fact none of our business – but isn’t this the kind of culture that has led to the credit crunch?

If our customers can’t afford our products, when these are the audience we’re targeting, I’m in favour of reviewing the products and seeing what we can do about bringing the price down! And that’s exactly what we’ve done this month…

Due to a special offer we are running, our customers will now be able to buy a computer package for £30. It’s a basic package of hardware – base unit, monitor, keyboard & mouse, but it’s all tested and comes with a warranty. All that the customer has to do is source their own software and install it and with Open Source software freely available, this can be achieved for zero pence – we can even make a disk up if customers need one! We’re also looking at the possibility of providing cheap 1-2-1 sessions to our customers, to give them a quick overview of computer maintenance.

And this seems a far more ethical approach than offering credit.

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We're on YouTube

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:49:04 +0200

We recently competed in the government backed Spark competition. As part of the application process senior managers at our organisation had to pitch a panel of experts with our business case. As part of that we made a video. Here it is...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWbcKh4TCVU

We were awarded a grant and paired with corporate partner, BT.

Day in the life of a technician at Jamie's

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:05:49 +0200

Hello everyone!

My name is Ally and I am an IT Technician at Jamie's. I have decided to provide you guys with a insight into what happens during an average day at Jamie's. Right now we are in the process of rearranging our Workshop, which is proving to be a challenging process. By carrying this move as a team we hope to improve the efficiency of the workshop. Refurbishing computers on a mass scale can be a very time consuming process and as a team we found previously the layout of the workshop wasn't making the most of the potential available to us. We are currently about five days into the makeover. At first it was a bit daunting because moving furniture left the place looking like a war zone, but now as things have started to come together we can already see improvements both in team morale and efficiency of the place.

The challenge of the workshop move for myself, was having to fulfil other job commitments at the same time. At Jamie's I am the first point of contact for customer repairs and we are quite busy at the moment, which means I have had a lot of computers to repair, which involves sticking to tight deadlines to provide good customer support.

It has been a very positive experience working alongside our clients and Skills for Jobs candidates. I have been impressed with the amount of enthusiasm and hard work the guys have shown over these last few days. It is always a rewarding experience to see somebody who is initially lacking confidence and work experience, working within the team and enjoying themselves in the process. The workshop is beginning to look pretty darn good, and the infrastructure has improved, even if I must say so myself!

Once completed, I will be looking after volunteers on a day-to-day basis and helping them improve their IT and work skills by mentoring and instructing them through activities such as building computers, repairing computers and installing operating systems.

The future presents many challenges for Jamie's, but with the current enthusiasm and drive being shown, it should be a rather rewarding time for everyone here and I am happy to be a part of it.

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Nerves...

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:14:23 +0200

First let me introduce myself– I’m Kasia, the Learning & Training Coordinator at Jamie’s. I’ve been on board since the start of Jamie’s, and it’s been a fantastic journey that’s still throwing great challenges and rewards our way. As Amanda mentioned in an earlier entry, we became accredited to deliver OCN (Open College Network) courses earlier in the year. This was a journey that I led and I feel very proud of the achievement.

So we’ve been delivering short OCN modules in Using the Internet and Digital Photography since May. Our learners have thoroughly enjoyed these courses, as evidenced by the evaluation feedback forms. It’s been a challenge for me and the training team though. We had our first Quality Review visit at the end of May, and although many of our initial procedures were satisfactory there was room for improvement. We’ve spent the last six weeks making these improvements, and the Quality Reviewer is visiting again this afternoon to check that this has been done. Although I feel confident that everything required is in place, I’m still feeling nervous and finding it difficult to concentrate on other work this morning. I shared my nerves with Amanda who suggested I write an entry here! So here I am, feeling a little like I’m about to go into an exam.

As Amanda mentioned earlier, our OCN courses have been tremendously successful with our learners, helping to build their confidence further and providing a great sense of achievement on completion. We’re hoping to expand the selection of courses on offer soon, and I’ll let you know how it goes…

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Don't write them off!

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:43:16 +0200

It's on a day like today when I realise that we're achieving astonishing things with our clients. I arrived at work today to find that the project was open and the only 3 people in, half an hour before work started, were 3 of our beneficiaries - sat in the kitchen, drinking tea and planning for the day.

Now if I may just set the scene...

One of these guys has been through our housing projects, progressing from emergency access hostel to independent living flat. Whilst on this journey he has also been involved at Jamie's - he was in fact our fist volunteer. He has since worked up to being on a work placement, and on to become a permanent member of staff - one of our trainers no less. And today he has opened the project early - before any staff have arrived, and is eagerly planning the day ahead.

This is why we exist... to help others realise their potential through the provision of training opportunities to people who might otherwise have been written off by society.

And I very much like days like today!

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Waste Not, Want Not

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:58:52 +0200

We’re becoming a very environmentally aware society and many of us don’t want to see equipment that is still in working order, go to waste – we would prefer to see our computers ‘go to a good home’. This is evidenced by the huge response Jamie’s (www.jamies.org.uk) has had from the public over recent years, with thousands of individuals delivering their computers to us for re-use.

However, in April of this year due to new legislation and a subsequent rise in costs, we found ourselves having to make a decision on whether we could continue to provide this free service to the public. The answer was no, we couldn’t. However being aware of how important the service was to the city, we didn’t want to withdraw it altogether so we instead introduced an admin charge. This meant that those who still wanted their equipment to get a chance at re-use as opposed to entering regular waste streams, could continue to use Jamie’s. And these customers still got the added value of knowing that data storage equipment would be wiped and handled securely.

Bringing the charges in was a nerve racking time, but it was soon very apparent that our community was behind us. We have continued to have just as many householders visiting the project and all have been happy to make a financial contribution too.

It’s this kind of attitude from the community at large that makes me think that perhaps the reduce, re-use, recycle message is being heard and acted upon. And today, 3 months on from when the charge was introduced, I shall smile every time I think about this today and the impact we are capable of

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title-4331781

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:30:55 +0200

We’re on a Mission!

Jamie’s was originally set up to provide learning and training opportunities to socially excluded adults in Southampton, and this remains our core aim. Providing these opportunities has, in the past only been possible because we have been receiving funding for our activities. However, as a Social Enterprise we are thankfully now in a position that we are able to generate a proportion of the income needed to sustain the project through trading. This commercial activity in turn provides an arena for work based training and teamed with other opportunities make for a unique blend of activity at the project. Just the other day for example…

We had 4 learners attending an OCN Digital Photography session. It was a very proud moment for us, because until recently learners wishing to achieve accredited learning had to be signposted to other establishments such as colleges, but Jamie’s became approved as a delivery centre for OCN in May of this year. This achievement means that learners are provided with yet another opportunity at Jamie’s. In addition, on the same day we had had 4 ‘work placement’ staff working in different areas of the project – 1 in the computer refurbishment workshop, 1 in the warehouse, 1 on the fork truck loading a van for recycling, and a fourth teaching new learners!

It’s this kind of success that Jamie’s strives for, and it’s thanks to all our supporters – funders and customers choosing Jamie’s - that we can offer these opportunities.

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Introduction

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:14:53 +0200

So I joined this today and thought the best place to start would be with an introduction to me... and the organisation I work for, which is why I'm here really. I think the best way to do this would be to share a recent article I wrote for an online newspaper:

In 2002 I was made redundant from an insurance giant, much to my delight. To be perfectly honest I couldn’t think of anything worse than being stuck there pushing paper for all eternity, and being made redundant gave me the push I needed to head in another direction. Although I hadn’t at that point figured out which direction. Then I happened across an advert for The Society of St James (Southampton’s largest homelessness charity) in my local paper, and although I initially thought this would be a stop gap while I figured out my future, it wasn’t long before I realised that this was to become the challenging and rewarding career I was looking for!

Whilst working on reception and typing up the minutes of a board meeting, I became aware of plans to start a work based training project for residents that would incorporate recycling. I was very exciting about this, and hunted down the manager that was developing the project to ask if I could be involved. Four years on and I’m the Refurbishment Coordinator for what has now become a very busy and successful Social Enterprise, Jamie’s Computers, and I’m very proud to have been part of the start up team.

So what do we do? We provide environmentally and socially responsible services to the local public and business community, and the income raised goes towards continuing the charity’s work with socially excluded adults in Southampton.

We provide a collection and disposal service to local businesses for all their unwanted IT, and the public can visit our facility in the city centre to drop off equipment. We are registered with the Environment Agency as an Approved Authorised Treatment Facility, and our prices are competitive. So far over 3,000 households have benefited from the service and we have over 400 business customers.

From the 100+ tonnes collected each year and saved from waste streams, machines suitable for re-use are identified, tested, serviced and configured by our team of qualified technicians. These machines are then sold at affordable prices. They have modern software installed and come complete with a 1 year warranty. Prices start at £99, and sales extend from the home user to local businesses, and one local business recently saved a massive £21,000 by shopping at Jamie’s! In addition to sales of computers, Jamie’s also offers repair, maintenance and installation services.

Our enterprise provides a unique learning opportunity for the individuals we work with, which is our core reason for existing. Our funded learning suite is available for use by local homeless and vulnerably housed people, and our dynamic project hosts many work experience schemes. Over 500 learners have benefited to date, Programmes have extended to socially excluded youngsters and are available for local businesses.

Want to know more?
www.jamies.org.uk

Amanda Golding
Refurbishment Coordinator

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