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Burn2 Resources

for Pandemic Quarantine

Burners across the world are seeing cancellations of various events and activities, even Regional events, due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, aka COVID-19. And recently it was announced that Burning Man will not happen in the Black Rock Desert. That event may be cancelled, but Burning Man lives on in every Burner. Opportunities to collaborate abound online. Regionals are going virtual - even BRC!

In the midst of all this, Burners, you do not have to cope alone. Below we list some ideas for ways you can keep yourself safe and safely connect with others, get help, get support, collaborate. And in the event you just need a listening ear, a fellow Burner is never too far away. Contact us at sl @ burningman.org or through our website contact page.

SECTION 1: Grants, Action, Posts, Resource Links

Community Conversation with BWB Detroit

Burners Without Borders gathered on March 25 for a learning conversation with Danielle 'Doxie' Kaltz, a longtime lead of BWB Detroit and creator of the often replicated “Backpack Project”. Doxie has been organizing projects alongside, and in support of, homeless and underhoused populations in Detroit for many years.. It will also be posted on the BWB YouTube Channel afterwards.

Creative Capital’s List of Arts Resources during the COVID-19 outbreak

For freelance artists and those who want to support them: COVID-19 & Freelance Artists

Coping with COVID: Financial Implications for Creative Individuals

Recorded Webinar: Financial Strategies for Freelance Artists in a Time of Crisis (ASL & Captioned)

GLOBAL CALL TO CREATIVES: An Open Brief from the United Nations

Don't Forget: Check Your Regional Social Media and Listserv Posts

For burners who are active in their local regionals, many of the posts on the social media sites have discussions on local resources and local active movements. For example, the maker spaces in that community would post what is needed for their efforts to create Personal Protective Equipment PPE for the medical staff.

SECTION 2: Tools for Staying Connected Online (Beyond Burn2)
SECTION 3: Making Lemonade Out of Lemons

When help is needed, or how to be the needed help.
This session was originally about BRC, our conversation will expand beyond of how we can support each other with the state of the world. Meet the playa support superheroes: Zendo Project, Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) & Rangers.

Epiphany (VW Bus Camp), Chelsea Rose Blake (MAPS and Zendo), BlackSwan (BRC Ranger), Anna Duffy (BRC Crisis Intervention Team)

Great ideas for dealing with anxiety or helping others who are dealing with anxiety.

Theme Camp Symposium 2020: HELP! Did the world (and also sometimes Burning Man) just go sideways?

Social Media Groups with emphasis on doing stuff together Online

  • Examples of some social media groups
  • Music of Burning Man
  • I’m Stuck at Home and I need Something to Do

Try these fun activities online. If you want to connect and have some fun with friends and family or if you belong to a regional, maybe offer up some online time. If you want to do something similar at BURN2, just post in group chat (Burning Man 2.0) and meet up in the Town of Gerlach.

Ideas:

  • Virtual Art Night
  • Take an online class together
  • Singing Karaoke
  • Play games
  • Check-ins and just share what’s going on: Each person shares, others just listen
  • Weekly coffee breaks, cocktail/mocktail happy hours, potlucks, talking about projects
  • Cooped up Cabaret where everyone puts on a show for each other
  • Dance Party!
  • Art Time or Stitch and Bitch
  • Writing Challenge with topic or theme
  • Mindfulness with meditation, conscious breathwork, visualization journeywork and other personal reflections
SECTION 4: Suggestions for Facilitators/ Hosts of Online Meetups

Announce meeting dates and times with the local time zone posted.
You will likely be dealing with people joining in from all over the world.

Create and Review participant agreements.
Have agreements like raising hands if it is an organized discussion with required outcomes. Should everyone mute or open up their mics? Who is reviewing the chat? Is everyone able to access and participate in the chat?

Use hand raising as a way to do quick votes, or other polling software. Zoom is better with computers though not so great on phones.

Facebook groups are great for improved notifications compared to pages. If a community is on multiple social media platforms, using a multi-platform social media management tool can help with cross-platform postings.

Watch out for fluctuation in comfort. Do the participants appear or say they feel pushed to perform or vote? If comfortable with it, leave grief and anxiety in the space. If we leave space for it, then it may be a place to process and heal.

Shared calendar for collaboration: Many like using Google Calendar to synch with on their phone.

SECTION 5: Share Your Ideas!

At a time when so many have had to cancel social gatherings and in-person community building, how do we continue to fulfill our shared mission in the world during (and after) COVID-19. Let’s create a shared toolkit on community organization during these times! Put on a fun, favorite or fancy thinking cap and let’s get into it together! We can share it with burners and our community members. We can use this list to overcome the challenges of physical distancing during these times. If you have solutions, resources or partners/collaborators to support community organization during these times, please contribute below.

If you added suggestions for this toolkit, please include your name, organization/event/affiliation, role and email address below. We want to properly recognize your good work and ideas and follow-up when appropriate!

Suggestions for the Toolkit