Optus Donate your Data helps students connect

Although the internet is essential for today’s education, many students in Australia struggle to afford online access, which can impede their academic success. To tackle this challenge, Optus is collaborating with organisations like The Smith Family on the Donate Your Data™ initiative. This program seeks to offer internet access to Australians experiencing disadvantage, including young people, families, and individuals experiencing difficulties. Through Donate Your Data, students like Yasin can complete his studies and pursue his dream to become a mechanical engineer.

16-year-old Yasin enjoys applying his technical mind and natural sense of curiosity. But when employment challenges began to cause financial pressures at home, Yasin's mum, Charlotte, worried he could become digitally disconnected.

"I'm a mother of five children," Charlotte says with a smile. "My kids are my goals and my motivation. And Yasin? Yasin is my miracle boy.

"Before The Smith Family's help, financially, we were struggling. It was just my partner working, and I was at home with the kids. English is his second language, which sometimes made it hard for him to find a job.

"Now, having that support from The Smith Family is just so much help for my family. Because Yasin gets help through Optus Donate Your Data, in our family it made it a little bit easier for us to get through with our other bills."

Support from The Smith Family is helping Yasin to build his confidence at school and bring his plans for the future into focus. His dream field? Mechanical engineering.

"My favourite subject is physics," says Yasin. "I've always been interested in the way things move and how the world works. After school, I'd like to become an engineer, and study in uni.

"Before The Smith Family's help, I always noticed that I was always wearing my brother's hand-me-downs. I was using my brother's books, textbooks, pencils, everything. But then after, I was able to get my own stuff. The support has definitely made me feel more confident with everything I do in school. I didn't feel I was left out or behind the other kids – I felt like we were on the same playing field."

Yasin is keenly aware that in today's world, access to the internet and a reliable device is critical to achieving his goal of studying at university. That's why Optus Donate Your Data has been such a gamechanger for how he engages with his education, as well as the wider digital world.

"The internet is a very big part of all the work we do at school. The world is moving forward and it's all through the internet, all through technology – and it's just going to keep getting more important. It would be impossible to finish school without the internet today.

"When I didn't have a device or the internet, I definitely felt like I wasn't getting the education the other kids were getting. I did worry about my future.

"But then Optus supplied the free online data, that really helped. And when I didn't have a reliable device to use, The Smith Family supplied me with one. I'm still using that laptop today. Donate Your Data has allowed me to be able to make calls and texts and also do schoolwork on the internet for free. It's also helped the rest of my family because they have access to it, too.

"Because of Optus Donate Your Data, I can easily research and do all my online work that I have from school. If I need to do something online, I can always do it – whether I'm at a restaurant or on a trip at school or something like that.

"Thank you, Optus and your customers, for helping me and my family, it's really made a big difference in our lives," Yasin says.

Optus has helped 45,225 [31 March 2024] Australians in need through Donate Your Data including Kaylee and Iesha.

The initiative enables Optus customers with an eligible mobile plan to donate some of their data.

Donate a portion of your monthly data allowance if you're an eligible Optus customer with one of the options below.

Customers can donate data via My Optus app, tap the banner and then use the slider at the bottom of the screen to donate any remaining data before the end of the month. If they want to donate again in the future, they can simply donate from their remaining data.

If you’re on an eligible Optus Prepaid plan, simply SMS the word 'donate' to 4567 to receive instructions on how to donate.

Available to eligible Postpaid & Prepaid mobile customers only. Donation not reversible.

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