Timeline and Recruiting¶

As Repair Café organizers, receiving constructive criticism is very important. Therefore, at the end of every repair event, we ask that all of our apprentices and fixers submit feedback by email, explaining what aspects of the event they liked, and what aspects they believe need improvement. Usually, our fixers and apprentices suggest that we stock more bike supplies, especially bike cords and, often enough, wheel spokes. At a meeting following the event, we carefully review this feedback and discuss what went well at the previous Repair Café in addition to what might need to change in the future.

In preparation for the next Repair Café, organizers collect turn-in sheets from fixers and apprentices from the previous quarter’s café. These turn-in sheets contain valuable information, including statistics revealing the most common appliances fixed as well as the parts required for fixing them. Over the first half of the academic quarter, Repair Café organizers pore over turn-in sheets and note which parts we will need to procure in preparation for the next café. In the next few weeks, we will make sure to order any missing inventory items. We also secure discounts from the local Ace Hardware stores, as we usually need to make supply runs in the midst of Repair Cafés.

As a next step, Repair Café organizers must recruit apprentices and fixers. Generally, we enjoy having a mix of old and new apprentices to foster a sense of community and continuity within the apprentice program. Apprentice sign-ups go out two to three weeks prior to the Repair Café. We prefer to find apprentices sooner rather than later so as to prepare them for the café and to generate a waitlist, in case any apprentices must drop out.

To prepare apprentices for the upcoming Repair Café, we collaborate with the Stanford Bike Project, another club within the university, to organize one or two bike repair workshops throughout the quarter. We find that these workshops are great at providing new apprentices the confidence to fix broken appliances, while creating a sense of community amongst them.

In the last weeks before our Repair Café, we make sure to stock up on inventory, send out reminders to our fixers and apprentices, and look for any last-minute apprentice applicants.