When & where?
14:45-15:30
Exhibition space
Why you should come to this session
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- What can participants hope to learn or get out of this session?
- How you’re going to deliver this session (e.g. is it hands-on or interactive?)
Session outline
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About the facilitator(s)
Session host(s), please add a short bio here. e.g.:
- What’s your history with community repair and how are you involved now?
- What makes you a good person to talk about this topic?
Help us document this session!
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- what happened in the session?
We set up a group for people from Midlands and North on this platform
Go-round intro to all people present and different Restart/ Repair Cafe groups they are part of:
@Sue_Archer and Alfred Chow from Manchester Repair Cafes
Bryony Moore from Stiched up and Manchester Repair Cafe
@Divya_Pujara Licester Fixers - just got a grant to help seed 6 new groups in the county
@Sarah_Maloy Nottingham Fixers
@Chris_Leakey Plans for a new MCR Repair Cafe
@Margaret_Hersee Chesterfield Repair Cafe
@Ben_Green MCR Repair cafe
Discussion of key questions;
- How do you attract organisers and volunteers?
- Where do you find group ‘organisers’
- How does everyone manage insurance?
- How did each person here get involved?
- what did you learn or find interesting?
- Ideas about building up a bank of fixers who can circulate between different repair event: socials, skillshares to build sense of team / bond
- Challenges of time and capacity common to all
- Notts found it helpful to set out clear vision and goals i.e. bring your skill in fixing and share it with others, this is everyones group/ event not something driven by only one person
- Organisers and fixers present got started in different ways - some had support from Restart Project or other environmental groups - all who had these links found them useful
- Choosing the ‘right’ venue and getting them involved in the promotion was seen as very important in getting more people coming along. For instance, better to have an event in a cafe which is a space people are used to and comfortable to come to is better than in a more unusual possibly intimidating space such as a workshop/ maker space. Footfall is key so is visibility and signage. Stay with one venue can have an advantage because you embed in a community
- You can never do enough advertising! use local papers to access non social media people.
- There are 3 Repair Cafes in MCR and a possible 3 more starting!
- who did you talk to and did any actions come out of the conversation?