Students power down, log off in support of United Way

How many of the one billion text messages sent each day start or end up in your cell
phone? Think you could go an entire day without them?

How about without your computer? Or your iPod? For many in the community, living
without the convenience of modern technology is a part of everyday life. That's why a
group of McMaster students is calling on their peers to give up their gadgets for one entire
day.

In an effort to raise awareness of the poverty that affects many in the community as well as
to raise much-needed funds for the United Way, Student Open Circle is challenging those
who can't live without their BlackBerrys or iPhones to power down and reconnect with their
social networks offline as part of Tech Free for Change, being held October 26 in
Clubspace (MUSC 215).

“We want people to reflect on life without some of the technology we've become
accustomed to,” said Marissa Cunnington, a McMaster alumna now working for Student
Open Circle. “We want them to experience what it's like to have to do homework without
search engines and online resources, a challenge faced by more youth than you may think
in our own community.”

The group will run workshops throughout the day as well as travel to campus lecture halls
collecting change on behalf of the United Way. They will also host a “tech-free” zone,
where the use of technological devices will be banned.

“Students tend to think that they are dependent upon their technology,” said Cunnington,
who is giving up her BlackBerry for the day. “But the world won't end if you don't check
Facebook for 24 hours.”

Dependent on technology or not, students have helped energize the McMaster United Way
committee since their formal inclusion in the group last year. According to the committee's
student co-chair Maya Kanani, McMaster students have a history of embracing
opportunities to help others in the community.

“Events like Tech Free for Change really show McMaster students' commitment to raising
awareness about the issues that affect our community,” she said. “We take social issues
very seriously and feel a strong tie to the surrounding community, so working on projects
like this just makes sense.”