No Worries, I’ll Teach You
The Oakland Unified School District Tech Repair Program
Samantha Nunez had never seen the inside of a computer before Sam Berg, Computer Science Coordinator for the Oakland Unified School District, hired her to oversee student interns in the OUSD tech repair program three years ago.
She told him: “I love technology, but I don’t know how to open up a computer.”
Sam said, “No worries; I’ll teach you.”
When the pandemic hit, Oakland Undivided began providing free Chromebooks to Oakland students stuck at home. Nobody thought: “Hey, what if the computer breaks?” But when schools reopened after the pandemic, the district faced an overwhelming number of broken computers and the tech repair program was born.
Like Samantha, most of the students in the program had never taken apart a computer before either, but they were game. Amvina Pham, describes the moment: “When I opened a computer for the first time, my first thought was how cool it looked.”
When selecting interns, Samantha says, she isn’t looking for prior experience. She looks for kids who seem most likely to benefit from this opportunity. Promoting the program at the yearly STEM Fair this year, she noticed: “a lot of boys coming up and asking me about it. Girls seemed a little more intimidated. So this year when we had three girl applicants, I selected all three of them. I want our team to be as diverse as possible.”
Lelena Ammanuel agrees: “As one of the only three young women in this group, I see that regardless of our different backgrounds, genders, or races, when we come together, we can improve our world”
At the beginning of the summer the new interns spend two days learning how to repair computers. But Nunez says: “It really only takes one day; they get it right away.” And they are really good at it; this summer 15 interns fixed 3200 broken computers!
Nunez recalls a rewarding moment at the beginning of summer last year: “It was a little bit of a chaotic moment. We were at the warehouse. No air conditioning. Nobody in the best mood. Me and other supervisors pushing the kids to do the training. I remember three kids, veterans of the previous summer, kind of took over: This is how you do it. I can do it; you can do it.”
Those three students are now at 4-year universities studying computer engineering.
Each year six of the summer interns transition into year-round positions, staffing three tech hubs in the district. Parents and students drop off broken computers at these hubs to be fixed, usually within a day. Whether it’s soda spilled on the keyboard, or a malfunctioning screen, these students are up to it and their reputation is growing. Nearby school districts are looking to replicate this program. Samantha hopes to develop a website and blog posts, a kind of “fellowship,” to provide resources and guidance to others.
And that spirit pervades the program. For Tristan Griffiths, “the most fun part of being a computer tech this summer was teaching [other] people how to also repair computers.”
Mimi Liu adds: “When I look at a computer, I see a lot of wires and connections running through the parts. It reminds me how our world is built by communication and sharing unique perspectives.”
Samantha Nunez is the Student IT Project Manager for the Oakland Unified School District
Mimi Liu and Amvina Pham are in 11th grade at Oakland High School, Tristan Griffiths is in 12th grade at Skyline High School, and Lelena Ammanuel is in 11th grade at Oakland Tech High School
Upcoming Reuse Events + Opportunities
August 27 : Portland Metro Area Reuse Grant
To support increased investment in reuse and repair, Portland is offering $750,000 in one-time funding for nonprofit reuse and repair organizations in the greater Portland Metro area that are experiencing financial hardship or operational deficits.
September 4 : San Francisco Reuse Postcard Writing Party
Join us at Ocean Plant for a Reuse Postcard Writing Party! We will have: ‘This is Reuse’ postcards, stamps, and sample scripts for you to write to friends, family and elected officials about the many benefits of reuse. You bring: a desire to change the world for the better.
September 14 : Petaluma Repair Fair
We’re kicking off the fall season of Repair Fairs in Petaluma at the Petaluma Community Center in Lucchesi Park on Saturday, September 14th from 1-4pm. For more details, including how to register an item for repair and how to sign up to volunteer, click the button below. A big thank you to Zero Waste Sonoma and the City of Petaluma for their support!
September 28 : Santa Rosa Reuse Bazaar
Do you live in Santa Rosa? Join us at the Reuse Bazaar. It’s a giant swap! You can drop off bulky items for free and/or ‘shop’ the free items your neighbors have dropped off. We will also be providing demos and resources for how to give your items new life! More details at the link below.
October 6 : Wege Student Circular Design Prize Due
The Wege Prize is an annual competition that inspires college/university students around the world to collaborate across institutional, disciplinary, and cultural boundaries to redesign the way economies work. Participants contend for $65,000 (USD) in total cash prizes, all while learning—and helping to show the world—what the future of problem solving looks like.
Join Us.
Because we’re stronger (and louder!) together.
Because we provide resources, networking, events, advocacy, promotion, validation, + joy.
Because we want to provide even more.
Now you can become a Reuse Alliance Member.
Reuse in the News
Goodwill Industries International launches traceability study, following two-year pilot.
The Paris Olympics organizing committee has confirmed second-life plans for 90% of the 6 million items used to host the games. And shown that reusable packaging can be deployed at a massive scale.
‘Underconsumption core’ is trending and we’re here for it.
Reuse to Amuse
Oysters, clean the ocean, sequester carbon, and now can be turned into ‘Seawool’.
Hopefully, we’ve held your attention.
Enjoying Reuse News? Please consider donating to support our work:
