The Makerspace Garage Association in Mostar has been active for a few years now, prototyping, experimenting and working with young people and projects funded by the EU or at national level. Having built up an impressive array of skills and modern technologies, the association decided to make what they do available to everyone in the city of Mostar. Result: the first Repair Café in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider Western Balkan region!

With support from the Federal Ministry of Education and Science and the Repair Café International Foundation, the initiative kicked off with a marathon of workshops. The launch event attracted over 45 participants, including primary and secondary school and university students. Under the mentorship of local experts, they tackled five specialised repair modules:

• Restoration of wooden items
• Bicycle servicing and tuning
• Diagnostics and repair of small household appliances
• Textile repair and upcycling
• 3D scanning and printing for replacing broken plastic parts

Makerspace Garage has high ambitions: they want to make Bosnia and Herzegovina a global beacon of sustainability. Above and beyond repairing items, the goal is to create a community which believes that repairing is always the best option and people are keen to pass on their skills to others. The 3D printing is a huge asset: how often are people told 'sorry: can't be repaired – parts aren't available anymore'? Well, those obsolete parts can be created via 3D printing, and an item which would have had to be thrown out can be repaired!

Following the successful launch, Repair Café Mostar will continue to operate as a permanent community hub, offering free, regular sessions to the public – and a really good example for the rest of Europe!