Chair

• Alissa Centivany, Associate Professor, University of Western Ontario, CanRepair Executive Director

Speakers

• Lawson Hunter, Founder, Burlington Repair Cafe

• Josh Lepawsky, Professor of Geography at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador

• Etienne Baqué, NSRepairs Founder

• Ken Vickerson, Repair Lead, Repair Cafe Toronto

“Yes, Repair is improving the functionality and conditions of products, but it is also closely linked to improving our own condition, and the functionality of the world we live in.” This statement, addressed by Dr. Alissa Centivany, captures in just a few words what I found to be the heart of the panel: Community Empowerment and the Right to Repair. The idea that the right to repair extends far beyond the act of repair has been a recurring theme throughout this year's Right to Repair Convention; however, it has been particularly evident throughout this panel. Through conversations of community engagement, education, and public awareness, panellists explored how the right to repair has evolved into both a social network and a democratic movement. In doing so, they framed the right to repair as not just a consumer issue but a community issue that touches nearly every walk of life.

One of the most significant perspectives to emerge throughout this panel was the notion that the right to repair truly touches far more individuals and communities than many realize. At the start of the panel, Dr. Josh Lepawsky drew upon findings from his research, where he used iFixit repair manuals to analyse where people were accessing repair information.

Interestingly, population and internet access showed very little correlation to one another. While Dr. Lepawsky still has yet to identify a clear factor that might explain the pattern of fixers across the world, he raised the possibility that repair itself may be part of this answer. He further emphasized that the act of repair has a unique ability to bring together individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds, regardless of whether they are familiar with the Right to Repair movement. Panellist Lawson Hunter has also reinforced this notion of interconnectedness when he drew upon his experience as a founder of one of many repair cafes. He explained that there is no one way to a repair cafe, as there is no one way to repair. Drawing on this point, he reflected on a time he got an email from a group in Tanzania showing their support for the work he was doing. He explained that there was a picture attached to this email of their repair cafe; however, it was outside in a completely different condition, further emphasizing the diversity of these cafes.

At a more local level, Etienne Baque, also a founder of a repair cafe, experienced a similar situation. He explained that as he started to hold repair cafes in the south shore, he saw an incredible amount of support and curiosity emerge. He had people coming to him, wanting to get involved and possibly expand these cafes into other parts of the province. Both these examples illustrate not only how different the right to repair can look throughout the world, but also the support and community this movement fosters, regardless of where or what you come from. With this growth and support, Etienne also noted that through the conversations and interactions he had with individuals and groups among these repair cafes, he started to notice a sort of democratic movement emerge. What united these communities seemed to be beyond the desire to fix items, but a broader shared belief that individuals should have greater agency over the items they seemingly own.

As the discussion progressed, panellists emphasized that this sense of agency is strengthened through access to knowledge. Amongst all of the panels, legislation is poised to be one of the major advancements needed to progress the Right to Repair movement further. However, as highlighted by Ken Vickerson, “People don’t vote for something they do not know anything about.” While the need for legislation is apparent, individuals must know what the issues at hand are. Throughout this panel, they emphasize the need for education amongst both the general public and among youth. For individuals like Mr.Vickerson, repair cafes are all about educating people. He explained that these essential everyday skills of repair used to be handed down generationally or taught in classrooms. However, with the rise of technology, these classes have been progressively centred around digital literacy and computer-based skills. Mr. Vickerson stressed the importance of repair and expressed his fear of this knowledge dying off with his generation. With the Right to Repair, this concept of repairing devices and honing in on those basic skills is starting to resurface. Within the Repair Cafes, kids are increasingly being exposed to these abilities and are showing interest in these areas. Mr. Hunter reinforced this when he reflected on a time when this was evident. A 10-year-old girl came in with her mother and wanted to get her favourite toy fixed. Mr. Hunter, while fixing the little girl's toy, asked her to help. This exposure effectively normalizes the concept of repair and shows youth alternative ways to a disposable life. Further, schools are becoming increasingly interested in revamping and reintroducing more skills-based courses of repair. Mr.Vickerson reflected on the time that the Ontario Ministry of Education held public consultations to consider this possibility at the high school level.

While these repair cafes are crucial for fostering this sense of community and for strengthening the Right to Repair movement, their success is not guaranteed. When Dr. Centivany asked about the factors that led to success for these repair cafes, several common themes emerged. Mr.Vickerson emphasized the importance of volunteers, as these cafes are run on their time, skills, and dedication. Building on this, Mr. Baque emphasized the way you keep these volunteers and run a good cafe is by having a non-transactional relationship. “There's an educational component, there's an emotional component, and there's a well-being component,” Mr. Hunter argued. He emphasized the importance of time and patience, and how not all repair cafes are the same. His first repair cafe had about four volunteers and three items, yet with patience and dedication, he has expanded far beyond this since.

At the beginning of this panel, Dr. Alissa Centivany stated that “community relationships are crucial to the right to repair.” By the end of the discussion, it was clear as to why. Through conversations surrounding community engagement, education, and the beginning of a democratic movement, panellists demonstrated how the right to repair is far greater than fixing broken products. Rather, it is about building those connections, sharing the stories behind broken items, and empowering individuals through education. In this sense, the right to repair is not only a movement for consumer rights, but a collective effort to foster greater agency and autonomy.