As a university/college student for over 5 years now I have learned a thing or two. As a student we need to be smart, not just “A+ in computer engineering” smart, but money smart as well. Education is not cheap, it means studying all night and having instant noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Best $29.50 I ever spent
So that’s why when an amazing initiative like “Textbooks For Change” pops up, you feel a connection. They that not only help students locally, but globally, and even help the environment, and the only thing you need to do is donate your old textbooks… which let’s face it, are just taking up space on your bookshelf or under your bed.
1. TEXTBOOKS ARE EXPENSIVE!
In fairness textbooks are an amazing way for students to study and understand course material. Within those 330 pages, anyone can learn anything from chemistry, math, or counselling. They are an integral part of learning, but sometimes each textbook can be up to $300 for one book. On average students would need to budget about $1,000 annually just for textbooks, nevermind your instant noodle budget. It has been reported that the cost of textbooks since 2008 have risen 2.44 times the rate of inflation.
To sum up my point:
This is all I learned in 5 years of post-secondary
2. When You Donate, It’s Win Win!!!!
So now that everything is doom and gloom, let’s look at how “Text Books For Change” works to give students a chance against raising book costs.
I hope it’s a textbook
As many know, the used textbook store is a saviour for the money conscious student. Sometimes being able to buy a textbook you need at a significantly discount price can really help a student out. The main concept behind this is that buying used textbooks are all about students helping other students. “Textbook For Change” wants to further this initiative by offering Canadian universities 20% of their donated textbooks to sell to their students at a reduced price.
At the moment, nearly 15 campuses across Ontario are partnering with “Textbooks For Change” to provide students an alternative to the pricier books at many campus stores. In fact, they have reported nearly 91,000 textbooks have been re-used and this number grows each day.
3. Remember The Time You Wanted To Burn Your Textbooks….. Let’s Recycle them Instead
Remember that day when you finally passed Statistics (B- not bad) and after the exam you looked at that textbook and felt a need to just set it on fire because of the late nights, and the stress it’s caused. Through the 14 weeks you were convinced that the Statistics textbook was an evil entity determined to keep you awake at night and terrorize you every moment someone even mentions the word “standard deviation”.
Nothing more relaxing than coffee and snacks….and the smell of burnt Statistics 101
Listen, I’ve been there, and yes, the idea of standing over the burning book like a viking who just conquered his enemy is appealing. But how about instead we take those books and donate them so that they can be recycled properly.
“Textbooks For Change” take in any textbooks that are out-of-date, damaged, or just simply unusable, and recycles them to be reused or re-purposed to reduce waste on university campuses. You can actually give them textbooks that are up to 15 years old, and there is no charge to you.
4. Give Your Old Textbooks A New Home
We all love giving to charity, so imagine how awesome it would feel if we did charity on an INTERNATIONAL LEVEL. I should write the rest of this paragraph all in CAPS TO EMPHASIZE HOW AWESOME “TEXTBOOKS FOR CHANGE” REALLY IS. Unfortunately, my editor would lose her mind.
DEAR EDITOR, I’LL PUT CAPS WHERE I WANT!Dear Editor, Good Job
But “Textbooks For Change” is still an awesome organization that provides a way for students to give back internationally. 50% of the textbooks that are donated are actually sent to East Africa, where they have partnered with 6 university campuses. Nearly 135,000 books have been sent overseas, helping 100,000+ students get the resources they need to succeed in school. And if you want more numbers:
25,000 books has an approximate value of $500,000 USD to universities meaning
135,000/25,000 *$500,000 = A LOT of money saved (I’m a writer, not a mathematician)
5.Remember that new year’s resolution where you said you were going to be a good person…..nuff said
The best reason I can think of to donate your old textbooks is simply because it’s the right, nice, and moral thing to do and it takes little to no effort on your end. “Textbooks For Change” makes it incredibly easy for you to donate your books. Simply go on to their website and search for the closest dropbox which may even located in your school and simply just drop it in the bin and done.
You can be happy knowing that you not only helped the environment by reducing waste, but helped local students find affordable textbooks. In addition, and a grand reason to do this is that you are also providing students in East Africa the resources to pursue their dreams. Education is a Right that we all should have so let’s help provide everyone the means to study from high quality material.
So to make it easier on all of you these are the steps you need to be a better person!
Step 1: Go on Textbook For Change’s website at: https://textbooksforchange.com/ to read more about what they do and their vision
Step 2: Go through your stuff and find textbooks from your old courses that you do not need anymore
Step 3: Go back on the website and click the search for a dropbox
*Fun Fact: If you are a GBC student visit Room 409b at the St. James Campus*
Step 4: Bring your old textbooks and drop them off
Step 5: Enjoy the Rest of your day!
Seriously though, I hope it’s a textbook
Sources
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/back-to-school-2015-how-post-secondary-students-can-fight-grim-reality-of-rising-textbook-costs-1.3215013
https://textbooksforchange.com/
Social Innovation Hub (GBC) 
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