EWB-USA University of Tulsa Student Chapter

A Place to Re-Charge

The problem is that there are very few public places where homeless people can charge their phones. For the EWB-USA University of Tulsa Chapter helping their peers at Youth Services of Tulsa was an easy decision; it was a great fit to develop and design technology to address an identified need of their partner, Youth Services of Tulsa, who found themselves short of charging outlets.

The beauty of the team’s solution was opting for solar and placing the charging station outside, making it available to teens beyond normal business hours. The charging station was even designed to take inclement weather into account and includes an acrylic rain-resistant cover. The new solar-powered charging station provides power 24 hours and day, 7 days a week and goes a long way toward helping youth.

“We had a fantastic experience with the students through the CECorps program and got to work with interesting, incredibly intelligent and creative individuals essentially serving their peers,” says Brian K. Young, Community Relations Coordinator for Youth Services of Tulsa

The team feels the same admiration for Youth Services of Tulsa. When they hit obstacles, such as kinks in the circuit design, it was the humanitarian aspects of the project that motivated them to continue.

“Every time I drive down Third Street, I look at the project and point out Youth Services. I’m really proud of the project,” said Elisabeth Loe, CECorps project lead.