Social Value
Empowering Communities, Innovating for a Better Tomorrow.
We believe in leveraging technology to create not just innovative solutions but a brighter future for all.
Our commitment to social value is at the heart of everything we do, driving us to empower communities, protect the environment, and promote equality.
Our Pillars of Social Value
Community Engagement
At South West IT we believe in the power of community and the importance of giving back. Our established Social Value Scheme is dedicated to supporting local schools, families, non-profits, CICs, and registered charities. Through this initiative, we are committed to providing our time, expertise, and resources to foster positive change and create lasting impacts.
Our Social Value Scheme focuses on:
- Educational Support: Offering mentoring, tutoring, and educational resources to local schools to enhance learning opportunities for students.
- Family Assistance: Providing free equipment to support local families in need, ensuring they have access to computers and resources that can be our of rear for low income families.
- Non-Profit and CIC Collaboration/ Start-up Scheme: Partnering with local non-profits and community interest companies to amplify their efforts and extend their reach, making a greater collective impact. We offer our time and resources on projects, helping to evaluate the cost of technology and the support required to leverage it. We specialise in helping organisations harness non-profit licencing scheme’s and also subsidise services where possible. We are committed to help anybody looking to start a non-profit organisation with invaluable resources and offer the support required to let you hit the ground running.
- Charity Support: Volunteering time, offering professional services, and donating resources to registered charities to help them achieve their missions effectively.
Through these efforts, we aim to build stronger, more resilient communities where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. Our Social Value Scheme is more than just an initiative—it’s a testament to our unwavering commitment to social responsibility and our belief that by working together, we can create a brighter future for all.
Example Scheme’s:
Our computers for families scheme started around 4 years ago at Christmas time, and has become something we have found extremely rewarding. The scheme allow us to engage with the local community and provide free equipment, allowing families to enjoy a modern computer to be used for school or leisure, at a time where monetary pressure is high for low income homes. This also provides a second life for devices and promotes green technology, cutting down on WEEE waste.
Giving Back
South West IT would not be here today if it wasn’t for a very special person who helped us start this wonderful company, Tony Palmer. Tony invested his time for free and helped us in so many ways, from the kindness of his heart, as he saw the vision and passion we had. Sadly Tony passed away in 2021 and left a big hole in our hearts. We lost a somebody who we considered as family, but wanted to honour his generosity and kindness by helping others.
With this in mind, we developed our “Business Booster” scheme for non-profits, where we help launch and provide free technology services to new non-profit start-ups. A great example of this is the fabulous Safe At Home organisation, who are creating awareness of child abuse and neglect in the home, offering support for those affected. We have been able to provide free licencing, hardware and most importantly, our time and expertise, to help Safe At Home launch and gain traction in the community, and throughout education and healthcare organisations.
Within this scheme, we also leverage other close business partners who have been kind enough to pool resources with us to help non-profits free of charge. A great example would be Phil Matthews from Magical Design who developed a wonderful new website and branding for Safe At Home to help the organisation promote their services with a modern, clean and professional look.
We would be delighted to hear here any local business that would be willing to join forces to give something back to the community.
Sustainability Efforts
Our latest initiative for green computing is our “Good As New” hardware options where we are leveraging professionally refurbished IT equipment such as laptops and desktops, which has full 3 year warranties and cost a fraction of the price of new. This is helping to cut down on e-waste and give equipment a new lease of life. Where possible we like to recommend using renewed devices and the majority of equipment we use in-house is all renewed.
Diversity and Inclusion
We recognise that our staff members are not just talented professionals; they are also individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and aspirations. We value their unique perspectives and encourage an inclusive environment that embraces diversity in all its forms. By fostering an atmosphere of inclusivity, we cultivate a workplace where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and where different ideas are celebrated, leading to more innovative solutions and a stronger sense of community. This attitude is something that we are very proud of, and this is shared not only internally, but outwardly with our clients and friends.
Our Goals for the Future – Shaping Tomorrow Together
We hope to further develop our Business Booster scheme and grow this initiative further to a wider audience by 2025.
Further to this as we look to the future, South West IT envisions a world where technology serves as a cornerstone for positive social change, fostering a sustainable, inclusive, and empowered society. Our dedication to social value drives us towards a future marked by the following ambitions:
Bridging the Digital Divide
We are committed to significantly reducing the digital divide by 2030. Our goal is to ensure that technology access is not a privilege but a right accessible to all, regardless of geographical location, economic status, or social background.
Fostering a Diverse and Inclusive Tech Industry
We believe that innovation thrives on diversity. By 2030, our goal is to achieve a workforce that mirrors the diversity of the global community we serve, including gender, race, ethnicity, and thought. We will expand our diversity and inclusion initiatives, focusing on equitable hiring practices, continuous education, and creating a culture where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute their best.
Engaging Our Community
We recognise that our vision for the future is not something we can achieve alone. Therefore, we will deepen our engagement with our employees, customers, and the broader community to co-create solutions for social challenges. Our commitment includes hosting innovation challenges, supporting social entrepreneurs, and creating platforms for dialogue and collaboration on issues that matter most to our community.
For inquiries about partnerships, volunteering, or learning more about ourinitiatives, please call 01305 500118 or email info@sw-it.co.uk
