Verizon’s purpose is to create the networks that move the world forward. And to do that with four key stakeholders in mind: customers, employees, shareholders and society. Their framework, Citizen Verizon, guides how they impact the world and helps them to advance human prosperity, digital inclusion and climate protection.
In order to showcase their technologies and services, Verizon tasked Momentum Worldwide to create the London Hub, an innovation space in London built to nurture connections, birth collaborations and serve as a springboard for innovations that create a truly circular economy. The result is an immersive space built with sustainable, circular design principles that will enable the world’s leading tech creators to share ideas and expertise, innovate together and create things previously thought impossible.
To build the new space, Verizon’s aim was to reuse as much of the material as possible from their previous space. Not only was it the option with the most positive impact, but it meant that all of the materials that were able to be reused in The Hub already had a story – a story that will now have more chapters, as people use the space to connect, collaborate and innovate. Anything that they couldn’t reuse or upcycle from their previous site has been given a new lease of life with Event Cycle and their charity partners. Momentum Worldwide, contracted Event Cycle to make sure the onward use of the excess items could have a further positive impact with charities, community groups and social enterprises in the local area
Nurturing the next generation
Initially working with children to improve the lives of young people through youth programmes and mentorship, the charity Children with Voices in Hackney, have since expanded to feed the families of those from underprivileged backgrounds, set up 3 community food hubs, support parents and the elderly as well as people suffering from poor mental health or disability. In order to provide all this, they too are making a move to a new building and don’t have the funding to furnish it. Luckily the Verizon donation came just at the right time.
They will be using the shelves as a bookcase and storage space but also as a partition to hide the toilet which is directly opposite the new front door. The computer stand will act as a reception desk to greet their community as they enter the building and the rug and chairs will have a home in their library book corner.
Another children’s charity has benefited from the donations too, the Mugeni Association provides free tuition, work skills, business training programmes, workshops and internships to young people who come from difficult and underprivileged backgrounds in the UK. They also support work to do the same with street children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As part of their latest campaign, they are building a sister centre in the country to support even more children in one of the poorest nations in the world, with the shelving, two tv units and the boardroom furniture destined for those new rooms.
Technological gifts empower young minds and aspiring medical professionals.
The very largest of the donations from Verizon was an enormous entertainment unit previously used for presentations of Telecoms products which will now be used to demonstrate tech products for disadvantaged children globally. Humanitarian Operations (HOPE) are creating apps to teach children how to read, type and count using Augmented Reality in 167 languages and all for free.
6 very special paris of smart glasses - Vuzix Blades - LINK were sent on a special mission with Meditech. Founded in 2002, Medi Tech Trust is a UK-registered charity dedicated to donating equipment and supplies to medical institutions; arranging training courses for surgeons in low-income countries; and advancing healthcare education in the community.
A representative from the charity said:
“These glasses are exactly the type that we use in virtual mentoring of surgeons in Africa. We had planned to purchase more later in the year so this donation will enable us to bring forward those plans. We have a team of surgeons going to South Africa then Malawi next month so they will be able to take some of them to deliver directly to the surgeons in the hospitals where we are providing training.”
To run all of the tech they were showing, the Verizon team had a whole host of servers held in racks behind the scenes and thought that these might be fit for the bin until Event Cycle jumped in. Helping retired residents and vulnerable people get online as well as supporting other charitable organisations with their server space, Tubb Computer Supplies CIC are taking the racks and making sure they have an onward use as part of their services.
The remaining small screens, single tv unit and ceiling lights found new ways to work in a learning and activity centre with the Royal Docks Learning and Activity Centre, at a community cafe and hub run by 100% Holy Spirit and with Pascal Theatre training young people living on the margins of society and producing community events too.
What a wonderful way to move a technology showcase space and leave a lasting social legacy in its old place.
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