Year 10 student Mangope Kasindi is so confident and well-spoken as he describes the voice assistance program he made for himself that it's easy to forget he only started learning English three years ago.
In that time, he has learned the language so well that the student — now school captain at Yarrabilba State Secondary College, south of Brisbane — can calmly discuss his passion for coding and "computer manipulation".
"I had to learn [English] from the start, it was really challenging, but it's getting easier as the years go. Now I can write my name, write a whole essay," he said, offering what his teachers have dubbed his trademark smile.
"Last year, I started learning Python … programming stuff and I've made myself a voice assistant.
"I do it for myself at home, but this year me and my friends we're starting a group."
The group is a coding tutorial that Mangope will host at lunch times with the goal of helping his classmates upskill.
It has been made possible by a fleet of new laptops from Logan-based social enterprise Substation33.
"Last year, lots of people didn't have laptops and right now we do," Mangope said.
"It's going to be really awesome … more people are going to get access to the computer and it's going to be really easy for learning."
Substation33 employs local jobseekers to repurpose and recycle technology.
Their work with Yarrabilba college will be crucial both for Mangope's coding group and in helping the school's first cohort through another year of pandemic learning.
"We're a new school so it's our first time of having year 10s this year," Yarrabilba Secondary College principal Belinda Tregea said.
"They are required to bring their own devices [but] we know that under the current circumstances devices are really hard to come by and a lot of families have been impacted by COVID-19 as well as that," Ms Tregea said.
It means that between financial pressures and material shortage, some students could struggle to get laptops in a year when they are desperately needed.
"To make sure that we can meet the needs of all our students, we have these very low-cost laptops that we can use for classes at school or if students want to purchase their own devices at a reasonable price."
Looking forward at a 'messy' year
Ms Tregea said the 2022 school year will pose numerous uncertainties and that it will be crucial for both staff and students to work and interact remotely.
"The partnership with Substation33 has been so good for us and for our students for a whole range of reasons," she said.
"In a time where there is very little certainty in the world, at least it gives us certainty that our students will have access to devices they need for learning whether it's onsite or offsite."
