In this newsletter...
The month's theme is e-waste and secondary school programs.
Presenting three “Notes from the Field” – centering educators going after e-waste
Featuring new Library resources
Announcing repair events around the globe
Elizabeth Chamberlain, Director of Sustainability of iFixit, and an Oakland Tech Repair Student, Right to Repair Independence Day, 2024. Image credit: Ben Lohrentz
đź’» E-Waste and Secondary School Programs
A few standout school programs are going after e-waste through hands-on repair education. These initiatives equip students with life-long skills, provide communities with lower-cost access to technology, ease the burden on school IT departments, and save schools money.
When we empower students to fix what’s broken, we’re not just teaching practical skills, we’re nurturing agency, critical thinking, and the ability to see beyond what may seemingly be “broken”.
Last month, we introduced Notes from the Field, a series of essays from educators and repair advocates who put repair at the heart of their teaching and organizing.
These accounts offer insights into teaching repair in real-world contexts – from classrooms and makerspaces to libraries, community centers, and other educational settings.
This month we hear from repair educators and advocates about how teaching hands-on tech repair is a key strategy to reduce e-waste in schools and communities.
Julie York: Riot Refurb
Julie describes the origins and growth of the terrific Riot Refurb program. High school students refurbish and repair scavenged obsolete and broken devices — addressing e-waste, technology equity, technical and workplace training, and more.
Samuel Berg: District-wide Chromebook Repair
Sam relates how Oakland Unified School District student interns have repaired some 10,000 Chromebooks over the last five years. They’ve learned technical skills, earned industry certification, gained workplace skills, and saved the school district $2.4 million along the way.
iFixit EDU
The iFixit Education Team reminds us that teaching our youth about repair is a critical strategy for advancing repair. iFixit leverages its considerable resources to support K-12 educators and runs a robust Technical Writing Program for university students.
Featured Resources!
The Educator Resource Library contains a couple dozen other resources for teaching about e-waste. Head over to the Library, filter on “e-waste”.
iFixit Educator Resources
This resource contains links to materials prepared by iFixit and other repair organizations around the world. It offers an excellent orientation to the principal dimensions of repair and its role in blunting the human and environmental crises caused by over-consumption. Also check out iFixit’s “Why we do what we do”.
Riot Refurb 2.0
Riot Refurb’s 2.0 is a much-expanded version of their 2024 guidebook covering how to set up an after-school program to teach students computer repair.
In addition to instructional support, the guide addresses contextual issues such as e-waste, parts procurement, managing equipment and tools, inclusion, community outreach, and the ethics of repair.
Culture of Repair helped Riot Refurb secure funding for this project.
iFixit K-12 Educator Tool Chest
The K-12 Educator Tool Chest contains a variety of repair-centered lessons and activities. It includes projects, core concepts, lesson plans, standards correlations, etc, making it easy for educators to integrate repair into their curriculum.
Have you used the Educator Resource Library?
Let us know! Your feedback helps us grow and shape the tools we share.
We invite you to suggest additions to the Library or to Notes from the Field. Alternatively, if you need funding to support developing your own resource, check out the Grants page.
International Repair Coverage!
Image source: Xavier Lalanne-Tauzia for NYT Wirecutter
In June 2025 The New York Times Wirecutter product recommendation service explored appliance durability and repairability. On their website and podcast they reported on why appliances are less repairable and less durable than they used to be, and offered recommendations for purchasing, repairing, and maintaining appliances.
A useful read for repair advocates, particularly regarding the impact of environmental regulation on repairability.
They conclude the article with advice for consumers — suggestions on how to buy, and “Seven Ways to Make Your Appliance Last”. Including our favorite #6:
“Consider making some repairs yourself.”
Save the date!
International Repair Day
International Repair Day is an annual global event for everyone who makes repair happen in their communities around the world.
Every October we celebrate the power of repair to bring our communities together, reduce our impact on the planet, teach new skills and so much more. Whether you’re a fixer, community organiser, tinkerer, maker, repair business, campaigner or simply a fan of repair, there are lots of ways to join in.
Fix Fest 2025
We’re excited to share Restart Project’s recent announcement:
FixFest 2025 will be held in London, UK, September 4-7.
It's always a brilliant gathering of repair advocates from around the world.
See you there!