James Avenell – from Inspirational Stories -

At just 15, James founded Javenell Technology—an initiative aimed at improving internet access in his local community. In this interview, he shares how curiosity and a drive to help others sparked his journey into social impact.

Tell us your story: How are you involved in creating positive social change within your community?

When I was 15, I founded a venture called Javenell Technology. It all started when my parents were having constant issues with their internet—slow speeds, unhelpful customer service, and no real solutions. I figured there had to be a better way, so I got stuck in. Before I knew it, I was in talks with one of the big phone companies, trying to get access to their network so I could actually fix the problem for people in my community. What started as a way to help my family has now grown into something bigger—Javenell now supports a few businesses and a dozen or so individuals around the region.

What motivated you to get started with this work?

I have always been a very curious person as part of this I have always been questioning things in my daily life and looking for ways to solve them. This character trait as well as an introduction to service organisations such as Duke of Edinburgh, Student Volunteer Army, Sticks ‘n Stones etc. through school really kicked started my journey to help the community.

What challenges did you face along the way?

Since I was only 15 when I started the biggest challenge I had was getting adults at large companies to take me seriously. Another large hurdle I had to jump was opening a bank account as at age 15 I had no photo ID

What kept you going even when challenges arose?

I was and still aim very passionate about achieving my goals and as such I became very determined to achieve the things I put my mind to. I also knew that what I was doing, while very outside the box for someone my age would be beneficial to a large group of people should I succeed. The thought of helping others is what kept me going when I faced challenges.

Do you have any words of advice for other young people who want to create positive change in their communities?

Even if you think your idea will never work, your better off giving it a try then not trying at all. At the end of the day even if you fail you will have gained a massive amount of knowledge that will be useful for your next idea or later on in your day to day life.