BEEcoming
Anyone can truly be a BEE!!! We encourage serious participation on and off playa, so come join our community!
Requirements for Bee Membership:
There are these basic tenants of Burning Man and Our Camp: Participation & Contribution! We expect camp members to be actively engaged with learning about who we are as beeople supporting each other, running events, maintaining camp infrastructure, or involved with the construction or deconstruction of the camp. Our camp believes that when you work hard, you get to play harder. We make it a point to collectively get shit done and collectively rock life. If this doesn't seem doable, then you might want to consider other options (trust us- there are loads!). We care deeply about our community and we all work hard to build that both on and off playa. We subscribe to and actively practice the values and 10 Principles of Burning Man, so please make sure you review those. We also put huge value on what is sometimes called the 11th principle: Consent.
If you are considered a BeeCharge!! Returner: You are willing and able to take on a leadership, event, or coordinating role on and off playa. At least two.
Burn Returners (but never a Bee): You are willing to attend planning meetings and/or make it a point to hang/connect online with current camp mates (if not SF Based-where most of our stuff goes down in person).
Virgins: You are so so new and delicious and we love you! <3 It’s your first year and we want to make it special. Sign up for at least 2 jobs while at the burn and connect with us before leaving, respond to emails! Ask what you can do to help! Other camp mates: make sure we help these folks out the way we got helped out our first year. And give these people some buzzy shit! Don’t take too much advantage of their virgin-ess. :)
Finally, if you want to join, we request that you make plans to be at Burning Man by Wednesday morning. This ensures we all get to know you and allows everyone to be a part of our community events that happen Wednesday, Thursday and sometimes Friday. The Earlier the Better in OUR BOOK! Did we mention- say yes to everything? and Confidentiality is key? It is. Think what happens here stays here or gets edited in your photos (which you obvious ask permission to take).
Responsibilities:
Each camp mate is required to provide for his or her own survival and wellbeing. We collectively share responsibilities, although we have administrative and leadership roles to ensure that things happen and no one is stuck doing all the heavy lifting.
Our BeeCharge!! Camp Expectations:
1 You participate PRIOR to leaving to Burning Man: You join the email list and facebook group. Respond to emails that request a response. You fill out the planning survey, you attend meetings if possible, you actually read meeting notes as they come across. We meet in person once a month starting in the Spring for official beecharge bizness. If you live in the Bay Area, you lend a hand in fundraising events or meetings.
2 You take on a ROLE or join a TEAM: This is the most important part. We have a tab in a google spreadsheet that outlines these opportunities. Sign up for at least two. If you have other ideas, let someone on the admin team know!
3 You get yourself TO Burning Man: We will have a tab on our planning doc that will allow you to say if you can give someone a ride or if you need a ride, but it’s your responsibility to figure it out. CARPOOLING helps green our camp- Make it happen Beeople!
4 You manage your own FOOD and COOKING. Pods may decide to have group meals or you could volunteer to cook for everyone (assume half will show up) as a contribution to the community (which is so sweet!) but totally optional. Otherwise- remember, you eat about HALF of what you would in ‘default’ life. We are working to downsize waste each year (especially food).
5 Shelter: Make note of what you decide to sleep in on the google doc so we can create a logical space model. Damn, we’re so f-ing organized.
6 Looking saucy in all that burner gear you plan to bring and energy you choose to contribute to making this camp rock socks.
No one will be chasing you around to do these things, so we expect we’re all highly functioning adults and can manage to get to camp to accomplish whatever it is you signed up for. If you are incapacitated for any reason (ie- sleeping the day away in Lindsay and Marvin’s yurt) please make sure you find a replacement. And we’ll all be Happy Happy HAPPY! WE LOVE YOU!
