The essential elements of community repair events are teaching and emboldening people to fix their own things, encouraging a shift in how we think about our possessions, and raising awareness around the profound impact made by extending the life of what we already have.
There are thousands of community repair events around the world — Repair Cafés, Fixit Clinics, Restart Parties, and many local, independent initiatives, are all variations on the basic theme: volunteers getting together to help people repair their broken things.
These videos communicate not only what community repair events are, but demonstrate one way people can respond to waste, planned obsolescence, barriers to repair, the consumption-driven economy, consumer dis-empowerment, and related. This website contains resources for linking community repair events with the classroom.
Access — Palo Alto Repair Café video (3:28 min)
Access — Berkeley Repair Café video (1:54 min)
Access — Fixit Clinic video (3:23 min)
Access — Restart Parties video (4:19 min)
Format — Video/Audio, Activity
Age — All ages
Content — Repair All
Cost — Free
Sources — Various Public Media
See other entries in this Educator Resource Library for materials linking community repair events to schools, some designed to meet educational standards. (e.g., Malvern Hills Repair Café, Restart at School, Club de Reparadores, Organiser Un Repair Café Dans Mon École!)
See Schools and Community Repair Events for ideas on how to leverage local activities for learning, and for tips on finding local events. There are thousands of community repair events around the world. See How to Start One for the vision, as well as materials to support starting one.
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