SEE Change has been supporting repair cafés since 2020. This resource hub provides information for anyone who is thinking about starting a repair café, based on everything we have learned. If you’re in Canberra, it also includes information about how SEE Change can help you.
Funding for the development of these resources came from a 2025
ACT Government Community Zero Emissions Grant.
Canberra Repair Café Resource Hub
Getting started
Repair cafés are free, community-based events dedicated to repairing and extending the life of the things you own. The first repair café was held in Amsterdam in 2009.
About repair cafés
About the international repair movement and what repair cafés do.
Developing your vision
What to do if you want to start a repair café in your community.
Making a plan
How to create the plan that will turn your repair café into reality.
Administration
Advice for the administration side of your repair café: legal issues to watch out for, how to manage money, and how to raise it.
Compliance
How to protect yourself and meet your legal obligations.
Money management
Good practice advice for handling money and making sure you have enough.
Funding
How to meet the costs of running and promoting your repair café.
Your crew
Don’t try to run a repair café all by yourself! You can’t be everywhere at once, and you need to protect yourself from burnout. You need a crew.
Recruiting volunteers
Advice for making volunteer recruitment smooth and effective.
Co-organisers
Your core team, who work with you to make the repair café happen.
Repairers
The reason repair cafés exist. Volunteers who fix your stuff for free.
Support crew
Your dedicated on-the-day team, making everything run smoothly.
Running your repair café
Your repair café is a reality. Here’s how to promote it, how to run it on the day, and how to learn from your experience.
Promoting your event
How to get the word out about your repair café and raise awareness.
On the day
How to have a great repair café event and be home in time for dinner. Let’s do this!