The Repair Cafés are out!

The Repair Cafés project has been running for a year now on the EPFL campus. Motivated students in a SHS course, a few obstacles, and the project was launched! Today, Fix N’Replace is one of the poles of Unipoly, an association working for a social ecology at EPFL and UNIL. When the project was launched, the École des métiers (ETML) agreed to let local apprentices come and help them with the repairs as part of their courses. And it's at SPOT that it happens once a month.

A precious help

After launching the first Repair Café, the students wondered about the permanence of the project. "We were contacted by EPFL Sustainability, the SPOT, and then by the ETML, which gave us good feedback, saying that the apprentices had been happy to come. There were many signs that we should continue", says William Ducommun, student and co-founder of the project.

It is thanks to the logistical support of the SPOT that the team is able to carry out its activities. "Our space at the SPOT is perfect for Repair Cafés. It's incredible, because we have all the necessary equipment, as well as assistants if we have questions or if we need to do complicated soldering," explains Paul Tissot-Daguette, one of the members who joined the association after a tumultuous paper shredder repair.

Come and fix your object!

Whether you have fixed a device several times or have never touched a soldering iron, you can come to the Repair Café: once there, you fill in your details, you are accompanied by an apprentice and that's it! "There are lots of little things that are not complicated. Sometimes you just change the batteries and it works again. There are a lot of basic things you can learn easily," says Paul. "People come in with their stuff, we get them to sign a waiver saying we'll do our best, and then we try to fix it. Our goal is mostly to encourage people to stay, to see how it goes, and learn."

What both students emphasize most is that people get the satisfaction of applying their theoretical knowledge by fixing things. "And then you're faced with your blender that doesn't work and... good luck!" says William, laughing.

10 years of Repair Cafés in Switzerland

On Sunday, May 7, the team is organizing a huge event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Repair Cafés in Switzerland, organized with the Fédération Romande des Consommateurs (FRC). "There will be all the actors of repair and reuse who will come to Lausanne for a day. In the afternoon, it will be a mega Repair Café!” Stay tuned!

The students see it as a real mutual collaboration project to meet and coordinate between Repair Cafés. "The idea is to create a link between repairers in French-speaking Switzerland, so that we can benefit from the experience of others and help them when they are in trouble," adds William.

A project that makes sense

From the start, the project was able to channel people who were impacted by sustainability issues.

If you can get things repaired when they're broken in the places near you, there's no need to buy them again. So it extends their lifespan! What's cool is that it spreads that know-how.

From coffee machines to textiles

As for the objects, the team has already repaired a wide range: mixers, toasters and even laptops! "We take care of everything electronic, mechanical, 3D printing; we do everything, as long as it is not dangerous", adds William. Moreover, Fix N'Replace is not the only instance whose vocation is to give a second life to objects! Soon, the Point Smart, in collaboration with Poséidon and the Sustainability Unit, will host cell phone repair sessions, which is perfectly complementary to what the association does.

"Every reparation is an anecdote!" exclaims the co-founder. Helping people and tinkering with their own items is a huge benefit. "This project has taught me not to give up too quickly. There are many objects that I didn't think could be repaired, like airpods, that we finally managed to fix. We're trying," says William.

The team also collaborates with other Unipoly poles, with whom they organize repair workshops. "We are in collaboration with the UP Fashion Lab team which runs a thrift store on campus. Without them, we wouldn't be much; textiles are half of our repairs!”

A growing project

With lots of projects on the go, and a desire to broaden the horizon for workshops with a wider audience, the members are not bored.

The fact that we're taking over this project, making it grow, creating ramifications and being with buddies is so cool!

The team has grown and is open to everyone: "We try to tell people who want to join us that they do not need repair skills, there are plenty of things to do: logistics, communication ... We're in a recruitment period right now, we're looking for motivated people", adds Paul.

The two students finish the interview with the association's slogan: "Ramène tes fesses et tes objets!" (Bring your buttocks and your objects!)