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In This Issue:
I. Berkeley Community Repair Events
Repair Café - November 2nd
Fixit Clinic - New Programming in January
Fixit Clinic - March 7
II. Repair in the Schools
Integrating Repair into Oakland Maker Programs
Local to National
III. East Bay Mini-Maker Faire
Volunteer Help Needed
(and flashlights)
IV. International Repair Movement
International Repair Day October 19
FixFest in Berlin
Repair Advances in Europe
I. Upcoming Community Repair Events
Transition Berkeley / Cal Zero Waste Repair Café
Saturday, November 2, 2019
1:00 - 4:00 pm
Berkeley Technology Academy
2701 Martin Luther King Jr Way
Berkeley, CA 94703
Community members gather to help each other repair what’s broken!
Please register to:
Get help repairing your broken item.
Volunteer to help fix things.
Help host and support the event.
Registration and questions: info@transitionberkeley.org
This project is organized by Transition Berkeley and Cal Zero Waste and supported by UC Berkeley Chancellor's Community Partnership Fund and StopWaste.org.
Berkeley Public Library Fixit Clinic
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Tarea Hall Pittman Branch / Tool Lending Library
1901 Russell Street, Berkeley, CA 94703
BREAKING NEWS: An expansion of Repair programming at BPL Tarea Hall Pittman / Tool Lending Library. Plans are in the works for BPL to host a monthly Fixit Clinic “Residency”, beginning in the new year. In a series of small evening workshops, a handful of volunteer fixer coaches will work with library patrons as they explore and hopefully repair their broken objects. More details to come.
Meanwhile: Volunteer Coaches welcome! Sign up HERE.
While we focus on Berkeley and Oakland, Fixit Clinic hosts events around The Bay. We encourage you to check out other venues: Information
New volunteer fixer / coaches are always welcome! Sign up HERE
Fixit Clinic is a do-it-together, hands-on, STEM-based fix-n-learn, community-based exploration and discovery workshop for all ages. Bring your broken object - work with a volunteer fixer / coach. Hopefully fix it. For sure, learn and have fun.
If you join our VOLUNTEER POOL we'll let you know about these and all kinds of local opportunities in Repair:
II. Repair in the Schools
Integrating Repair into Maker Programs - Local to National
With the conviction that it’s essential for youth to Repair rather than reflexively trash and repurchase, and that there are vibrant synergies between Repair and Making, The Culture of Repair Project has been collaborating with Agency by Design Oakland and Maker Ed to explore possibilities in maker programs in schools.
This summer I joined a group of Maker educators to research and begin to develop strategies and tools for cultivating a "Mindset of Repair" in Maker education in the K-12 setting.
Much of the work builds on the Agency by Design framework and tools from Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Thank you Peter Mui of Fixit Clinic for contributing to our research.
BREAKING NEWS: This past weekend members of the Repair research group traveled to Pittsburgh, PA, to present at Maker Ed's annual Convening, a gathering of Maker educators from around the world.
The group shared their research for the first time and engaged workshop participants in trying out prototypes of their new tools, including reworked versions of thinking routines from the Agency by Design research project. It was super-well received!
One team member reports: "The workshop was a big success, with tons of engagement, rich discussion, and great feedback!"
It’s REALLY EXCITING to see so much energy around bringing Repair into the heart of Maker education programs.
More information about the collaboration is on our website - Schools - and will be posted shortly at Agency by Design Oakland and MakerEd.
III. East Bay Mini-Maker Faire
The Culture of Repair Project will be joined by other Repair Advocates at the East Bay Mini-Maker Faire on Sunday October 27th at Park Day School in Oakland. We'll host a repair activity (fixing flashlights), discuss the imperative to fix our broken stuff, and talk with people about ways to get involved advancing Repair.
We could use a couple or three helpers. Also broken flashlights. Please email cultureofrepair@gmail.com if you're interested in volunteering and/or have a trove of flashlights you're ready to part with.
PLUS ... It's a really cool event.
You should go.
IV. International Repair
FIXFEST -- Berlin
The Restart Project of London reports: "We're still buzzing from a fantastic Fixfest 2019 in Berlin where we met around 200 organisers, repairers, activists and academics from around the world. We talked about all things community repair, from running individual events to bigger picture issues around driving culture change." More HERE.
INTERNATIONAL REPAIR DAY: October 19th!
A joint initiative of the Open Repair Alliance to promote repair around the world.
"We repair advocates want to make repair as visible as possible. This day highlights the value of repair and promotes global community efforts to fix the stuff we own."
Berkeley's own Fixit Clinic is a founding member of the Open Repair Alliance.
Repair Advances in Europe
On October 1st the European Commission adapted new rules relative to Repair. From the Commission press release:
"The Commission today adopted new eco-design measures for products such as refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers and televisions... For the first time the measures include requirements for repairability and recyclability, contributing to circular economy objectives by improving the life span, maintenance, re-use, upgrade, recyclability and waste handling of appliances." Full press release HERE.
Right to Repair -- Europe
While the Commission's new rules are a step in the right direction, they don't allow consumers to repair their own broken objects, only professionals.
In response, a new coalition was recently established among European organizations pushing for further system change around repair.
More on the European Right to Repair Movement HERE.
Right to Repair -- California
Learn about and sign up to support the California Right to Repair Movement at The Repair Association. Right to Repair legislation failed in Sacramento last April but will be reintroduced next year. Details on our Advocacy page and in future newsletters.
Want to know more about Repair?
Visit our website at The Culture of Repair Project for information about:
~ Local, National and International Repair Initiatives ~
~ Repair, Educator and Research Resources ~
~ Private, Public and Non-for-Profit Projects ~
And more...
Join our mailing list at: Mailing List
Volunteer at: Get Involved
Follow us on Twitter: @cultureofrepair
"We" ~ ~ I'm me, but usually write as "we" because everything I do is in collaboration with a fantastic community of public-spirited people. The work wouldn't happen without everyone pulling together.
That’s it for now.
Best wishes,
Vita