Dianella Plaza is partnering with Give Write in March, a local WA based charity that takes donations of new and used stationery to recycle, repackage and re-gift to kids in need.
Your support can greatly assist Give Write with donations accepted in our donation box located near Coles from Wednesday 4th March.
Who Is Give Write?
Established in November 2019, we are a family-run charity, primarily staffed by volunteers. We work exclusively with teachers, principals, EA’s, school chaplains and selected aid agencies throughout metropolitan, regional and remote WA.
In January 2024, we celebrated having provided 12,000 Give Write School Packs to disadvantaged students.
What Does Give Write Do?
Our donations come from School Donation Drives, our public donation bins and from corporate businesses and stationery companies.
With the help of school, family, corporate or our regular volunteers, we test, clean and sort these donations to go into either our Give Write School Packs for Primary or High School, or our Free Teachers’ Store, where teacher can come and select resources for their students in need.
Why Support Give Write?
Give Write operate under five core pillars;
ALLEVIATING POVERTY
Basic school supplies are often out of reach for many children living in difficult financial circumstances that are out of their control.
– Approximately 634 000 children and young people live in WA, making up 23% of the state’s population
– An estimated 105 000 children and young people live below the poverty line. That is 1 in every 6 children.
– The poverty rate for children and young people in WA is 16.6%, the third highest in Australia.
*From the Children and Young People Profile Report 2023, Office of the Commission for Children and Young People WA
PROMOTING RECYCLING
We repurpose or re-gift approximately 90% of the items we receive, saving tens of thousands of tonnes of local landfill, as well as providing essential items for those in need. Writing implements that no longer work get recycled through Terracycle, unusable pencils are repurposed, cardboard, paper and plastic are recycled appropriately.
– Each year in Australia, over 140 million pens are sold, contributing approximately 700 tonnes of plastic waste to landfill sites across the country.
– In 2020-21, 6.4 million tonnes of waste was reported as generated in WA, an increase of 553,000 tonnes (9 per cent) from 2019–20.
– A total of 2.5 million tonnes of waste was disposed of to landfill in WA in 2020–21.
*Waste and Recycling in Western Australia 2020-21, WA Waste Authority
ASSISTING TEACHERS
Many teachers will spend out of their own pockets to avoid seeing their students go without. Give Write looks to fill this gap by making basic and essential items freely available to as many students in need as we can.
– Conservative estimates say 92% of teachers in Australia spend their own money on students; a third spend more that $500 and 1 in 10 spend more than $1000.
*From the Education Changemakers Survey 2017
PROMOTING PHILANTHROPY IN CHILDREN AT A YOUNG AGE
Give Write encourages participation of schools and in particular students themselves who can easily get involved with donation drives. It is a great vehicle and conversation starter to discuss helping those who are less fortunate.
– Children are predisposed to feelings of empathy
– Generous acts increase subjective well being, feelings of vitality and self esteem)
*From The White Paper for the John Templeton Foundation by the Greater Good Science Centre, UC Berkley, May 2018.
IMPROVING SELF ESSTEEM
– Research shows that engagement clearly impacts upon achievement, and has psychological impacts for students;
– Research tells us that active engagement in school is critical in fostering student learning and academic success.
*From ‘Engagement and Progress in Middle and Upper Primary Years’, WA Primary Principals Association, June 2018.
If you can support Give Write, please pop your donation in the Donation Box located near Coles from Wednesday 4th March.
