A BARKHAM company launched by teenagers is appealing to businesses in Berkshire to support schools in their communities.
Companies can use the LetsLocalise platform to give resources such as books, meal tickets and electronics to support education.
Schools can then use the website to ask for volunteers and resources, this request is then made visible to local businesses and people, who can pledge to help.
The Wokingham-based organisation was founded last year with the help of two Reading School students – Dhruv and Mehul Garg, aged 15 and 12 – who noticed their school was struggling.
They wrote an article, expressing the need to channel the goodwill of the community to support education, which won a community award.
The boys then pitched the idea to their father, Gaurav Garg, who went on to found the company.
Mehul designed the company logo, and his brother Dhruv creates the written content, surveys and polls.
LetsLocalise has gone on to build a digital platform, which currently helps ten local schools get the tools they need.
Gaurav said: “We felt that the community was broken, we are trying to use the schools as linchpins to make people come together to fix this.
“Now they can use our services to request what they need, and local businesses and parents can help.”
“We are working out deals with Amazon and Tesco for online textbooks and meal coupons, but we want more local businesses to get involved.”
LetsLocalise has had to digitise their content to adapt to school closures, he added: “In the last three months we have sent 30 experts to schools – including army veterans, business managers and careers consultants – but that is just not feasible anymore because of social distancing caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“We have started a YouTube channel so the pupils do not miss out on this.”
Independent teachers and companies are offering online classes, on music, maths and poetry through the platform to help the transition to online education.
To pledge resources, visit www.letslocalise.co.uk, or email: gaurav.garg@letslocalise.co.uk.
