24 Hour Technology Famine a Success
no lights
no gas
no phones
no computers
no digital clocks
That’s what members of Maidenhead Rotaract, a local community and social group, went without for a whole 24 hour period this weekend.
The group of 18-30 year olds stopped using all mod-cons at 10am on Saturday; the fuse box, heating, and lighting were switched off, mobile phones and laptops locked away and the cooker made redundant.
Not to be sat around doing nothing the members quickly found other things to do including playing basketball, where the girls showed off their talents to thrash the boys in a very convincing win! As the evening drew closer, candles were lit and they settled into a night of playing various board games by candle light!
Food became an interesting challenge too…how do you prepare dinner for 6 people when you don’t have access to a cooker? The answer, use a charcoal BBQ! They even managed to heat some water on the hot coals to make cups of tea!
Adam Hunter, Treasurer, commended “it certainly highlighted our dependency on modern technology in order to have fun, from watching TV, playing computer games or simply just being able to walk into a room and turn a light on or cook dinner.”
“I think if we were made to go without electricity during the day we would all become a lot more active and get out and about” he continued.
So what was the point of this 24 hour black-out? Well, the group did it to not only raise awareness of our dependency on modern technology but to also raise valuable funds for the Rotary Polio Challenge, helping to eradicate this disease from our planet.
This sponsored event managed to raise over £670 which will directly support immunisation campaigns in developing countries, where polio continues to infect and paralyze children, robbing them of their futures and compounding the hardships faced by their families.
Club President, Lisa Burnett, commented “As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, children everywhere remain at risk. The stakes are that high. We’re pleased that we are able to help make a difference on a truly global scale.”
Watch the event video below:
