RE:Community – Vadodara
About the Repair Community
REPAIR COMMUNITY VADODARA (RE:Community) is an initiative of Paper Ball Educational Innovation, an organization working on environmental sustainability. The RE:Community aims to connect the repairer in you to the larger repair community. The idea is to encourage and support each other in building a community and culture of repair. It’s our small way to show that when people come together, things, small & big, can be fixed.
India has a long tradition of reusing, recycling and repairing. It is the land of jugaad. However, we might just be the last generation repairing things. Today, with profit at the center, the companies are manufacturing things in a way that they are getting more and more difficult to repair on our own. Even the repairers and technicians are a dying tribe who would rather recommend buying new than repairing old.
The manufacturers are designing things with planned obsolescence in mind. They are targeting a generation that has been brought up on abundance and are betting on repairing just going out of fashion. We will like to change that narrative by making repairing fashionable again.
RE:Community aims to build a community dedicated to repairing and keeping waste out of the landfill. This is envisaged as a community of creators, of mindful consumers, and of sustainability champions
Read About Previous RE:Community Editions
RE:Community FAQs
How does the RE:Community work?
RE:Community has no professional technicians or repairers. It’s a community of repair enthusiasts. RE:Community encourages you to get your hands dirty and dismantle the things that you would like to repair. You will get access to tools and experience from the community. But it is you who does the repairing. You will be supported by our experienced facilitators and over time your success rate will climb.
I plan on coming to the RE:Community, what shall I get to repair or fix?
As we begin with RE:COMMUNITY, we would love to have you bring over small items that you have at home and that you believe can be repaired and made useful again. Examples of what you can bring:
- Small electronic toys / old clocks
- Fan regulators
- LED Bulbs / old Christmas (fairy) lights – good quality preferably
- Electric irons, hair dryers, hair straightening irons, table lamps
- Extension cords/ Extension boards
- Mobile or laptop chargers with broken wires
- Laptops that might need opening and cleaning out the dust
- Old desktop mouse / keyboards
- Quartz watches might need a battery
- Electric Switches or sockets
- Any small home appliances that might need looking at for possible faults
- Gas lighters
- Any wire/item that might need some bit of soldering
- Your old spectacle frames that need tightening
- Torn stuff toys that children might want to sew and make new again
- Crochet items that needs restoration/repair
- Anything that you wish to restore but never came to doing it 🙂
- Anything from which you wish to salvage usable components
Kindly do not bring anything that is under guarantee/warranty period as opening it might void the warranty.
Who is the RE:Community for?
This is yourcommunity, if:
- It is hard for you to let old things die
- It is hard for you to throw away old things
- You have hoarded old items to be used/repaired one day
- You have felt joy whenever you repaired /salvaged anything
- You would want your children to be more hands-on
This is an inclusive space. All genders are equally welcome.
Also, note that children above 7 years are most welcome but should be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Will anything I get for RE:Community be repaired?
RE:Community is a community in making of people who love hands-on repairing and who would not allow the things to die an early death. There is no guarantee that the things that you bring will be repaired, however, the enthusiasm and ideas will support and guide you in getting your things repaired and for you to enjoy them for some more time.
Is there any payment or charges for attending the RE:Community event?
RE:Community envisages bringing together a community of sustainability champions. The organizers and facilitators are offering their time, expertise and initial setting up expenses as gift. There are no payment/charges for attending this event. If this changes in the future, we will let you know.
The space has been offered for the event without any charges. We only need to give it back at least the way we receive it, so all participants are expected to ensure that we take care of the space.
And yes, feel free to bring any simple, vegetarian stuff to share and eat or drink.
What tools will be available at the RE:Community?
We will have basic tools available at the RE:Community, including:
- Screwdrivers – flat head, Philips type. Electric tester
- Open Spanner set
- Small hammer and assorted nails and screws
- Pliers – big and nose type
- Small screwdrivers to open laptops, small toys and watches
- Digital Multi-meter
- Power Drill with drill bits
- Small hacksaw/ pair of scissors
- Paper/Cardboard cutter
- AA and AAA batteries (for diagnostics only)
- Short electric wires
- Soldering iron with solder and flux
- WD-40
- sewing needles
- sand papers
- Extension wire/board
- 2-pin and 3-pin plug (only for testing purposes)
- Bulb holder- b22 type
- Insulating Tape
- Basic watch battery (364A or similar)
- Riveting machine
If you want to gift a tool for the RE:Community, please contact us at connect@thepaperball.org or meet us at the RE:Community.
What is the frequency of RE:Community events?
As of now RE:Community is envisaged as a monthly event. If this changes, we will inform you. To join us for the first (and any later) RE:Community events, please sign-up and rsvp here.
What process will be followed at the RE:Community?
We intend to follow the following process at the RE:Community:
- Listing down the details of the items that participants have brought for repair
- Briefing about tools and their usage
- Grouping participants with facilitators
- Participants to take advice from facilitators about starting the work
- Dismantling/opening the item using requisite tools
- Fault identification with support from facilitator
- Facilitator to check and guide how to go about repairing the fault
- Recording the final status of the item at each table.
- Cleaning up before leaving – tools at their place, cleaning the space together, putting chairs/tables back, remove all wires and plugs
I want to support RE:Community financially or with tools and consumables. How can I do that?
If you are moved to support RE:Community financially, visit us here.
For in-kind support, write to us at connect@thepaperball.org