No images? Click here Dear Camp Community, We hope you are all taking care during this uncertain time. The coronavirus outbreak has been evolving daily. We have been watching, reading and listening as new information and details emerge. Like all of you, we have been striving to understand what this outbreak means for our communities and our families. We are weighing the variables daily on whether or not we will hold the 2020 event and will be making a call very soon. We recognize that knowing this information as soon as possible is the responsible thing to do, and will be appreciated by you as our leaders in the community. Rest assured that is our goal, too. Before this state of uncertainty, we had been working hard to provide updates for the theme camp community resulting from the Cultural Direction Setting (CDS) project that launched in 2018. We’ve listened to the community, which led to the Cultural Vision for Residential Black Rock City, and now we’re on to implementing that vision. We have significant updates to share about the Camp Placement Criteria and the Camp Placement Questionnaire, and we are announcing these changes in advance of this weekend’s Theme Camp Symposium so theme camp leaders can discuss them with Placement, the Camp Support team, and others involved in CDS. We are continuing this important work and these updates will apply to all future iterations of Black Rock City. If we are able to move forward with our event this year, these updates will be implemented for theme camps seeking placement this year. The 2020 Placement Questionnaire opens today and will close on April 30, 2020 at 12pm Pacific Time. We understand that the uncertainties have caused some camps to pause and consider how they might prepare over the course of the next few months. We encourage all camps to prioritize the care and safety for your loved ones, and to only take on what feels manageable for you at this time. If you’re up for it, and we hope you are, we recommend you read through this announcement thoroughly to best prepare you to complete this year’s Camp Placement Questionnaire. Let’s look towards the light at the end of this tunnel, where we can put this pandemic behind us and make magic happen again. Much love,

Level, Placement Manager, Burning Man Project 2020 Placement Newsletter #2 In this issue... Major Updates to Camp Placement Criteria Updates to the Placement Questionnaire for 2020 This Saturday: 2020 Theme Camp Symposium 1. Updates to Camp Placement Criteria and Placement Questionnaire The Camp Placement Criteria has been updated for 2020 as a result of the Cultural Direction Setting (CDS) project, a project that began in January 2018 to set the cultural direction of residential Black Rock City for the next five to 10 years and address many of the cultural challenges we’ve been facing in residential Black Rock City. This revision is one of the largest changes we’re implementing to the Placement process as a result of CDS, and will guide the Placement team in evaluating theme camps and villages beginning this year. A team of theme camp leaders and Placers has met weekly since the 2019 Black Rock City event to develop, vet, and arrive at a consensus on the criteria with the interest of setting a clear course for camps to plan their participation in Black Rock City. Most parts of the criteria may look familiar. We’ve added more explicit definitions of each criterion including examples of best practices for camps and with ways the Placement team will identify whether the criteria have been met. This more robust information should help camps plan their offerings as described in the Camp Placement Questionnaire and can also serve as a self-evaluation for previous years. We have also added two new categories - “Uniqueness” and “Culture and Values” - to address key concerns our community has faced in the last five+ years. These additional criteria will enable us to better select camps for their creativity and originality. It also gives us more ability to identify camps that embody Burning Man’s 10 Principles, and provide guidance to camps around convenience camping and our commitment to Decommodification. We will have updates to the Camp Placement Criteria webpage tomorrow, but here’s a summary of some of the major changes you’ll see for theme camps and villages. Interactivity : Interactivity is one of the primary factors that Placement reviews for theme camps. It should be rooted in Gifting culture and embody the principles of Decommodification, Radical Inclusion, Participation, and Immediacy. Interactivity should be carefully described in the Camp Placement Questionnaire and carried out on playa at levels comparable to camps of your similar size and, as in the past, should be focused on in-camp interactivity rather than mobile offerings outside of camp.

Visual Impact : Placed camps should have a dynamic and inviting frontage that is available to the public and appropriate to the street type requested (i.e.: Esplanade, Avenue, Street). Camps should think about their daytime and nighttime appearance, and should create a welcoming design that prioritizes creativity, themed environments, and visually stimulating streets over vehicles and infrastructure.

Uniqueness of Offering: With many more camps requesting reserved space in Black Rock City than the Placement team can accommodate, the uniqueness of a camp’s offering will be given greater weight. Many camps offer similar gifts, so camps are encouraged to think outside the box and bring an original perspective to Black Rock City. The Placement team seeks to place camps that offer creative experiences for participants that stand out from others and have a memorable impact. Additionally, the following criteria will be expected of all types of camps including art support camps, work support camps, mutant vehicle camps, department approved service camps, and department camps. As in the past, being good neighbors, abiding by safety protocols, leaving no trace, having a good MOOP record, and (ideally not) being a strain on Burning Man Project’s on playa departments are part of Camp Placement Criteria and do not change. The most significant addition is a new criteria called “Culture and Values” described here. Culture and Values: With the rise of turnkey camping and increase of outside services in BRC, we’ve seen an erosion of the ethos behind Radical Self-reliance and Decommodification. Camps must demonstrate that their gifts and public offerings are not transactional or outsourced. Camps should provide clear ways for participants to consent to engage in your interactivity and consider how their camp can be inclusive of participants from different backgrounds and diverse audiences. We’ve explored the nuances offering payment as one’s contribution in a camp causes to Burning Man’s culture here, and introduce clearer guidelines around what’s acceptable or not to pay people within the context of running a camp here. Please check back tomorrow, March 27, to read the full details of the updates to Camp Placement Criteria on the Burning Man website at this URL: https://burningman.org/event/camps/criteria/ 2. Updates to the Placement Questionnaire for 2020 Each year, we modify parts of the questionnaire to help us better understand camps and to bring emphasis to the things we care about. In 2019, we received a record number of submitted questionnaires. Without more space in Black Rock City to place camps, it’s critical that you help Placement volunteers understand the ins and outs of your camp by completing a well-written and descriptive questionnaire. Here are the key changes to the Placement Questionnaire for this year’s Burn. To assist you in preparing your responses, we have included a sample questionnaire in PDF format that lists all the questions and instructions as they will appear when you submit your questionnaire through your Burner Profile. Remember, the questionnaire is due on April 30 at 12pm Pacific Time. Updated Placement Criteria : As part of the Cultural Direction Setting initiative, the most important elements of a theme camp have been further defined. Please read the second portion of this newsletter for highlights or view all the revised Criteria for Theme Camps and Villages here: https://burningman.org/event/camps/criteria/

Environmental Sustainability : Burning Man Project has set an Environmental Sustainability Roadmap to become carbon negative, sustainably manage waste, and be ecologically regenerative by 2030. We’ve added a couple questions to see how camps are helping in this effort, and to serve as examples and best practices for this critical goal.

Acculturation : We have introduced questions about how your camp acculturates your campers to Burning Man’s 10 Principles, and which principles you find most challenging. As our culture grows and more people are introduced to the event, we’re interested in seeing how your camp sustains and promotes this important aspect of our community.

Camps in Villages Must Submit Questionnaires : In previous years, Camps in Villages (CiVs) were encouraged to fill out Placement Questionnaires to supplement the village questionnaire. This year, all CiVs will be required to fill out a Placement Questionnaire. This will help CiVs develop a relationship with Placement, so if they decide to break out on their own in the future our team will already know what they have previously brought to Black Rock City.

Neighbor Preferences : Instead of just telling us who you want to be away from, you will now have the space in the questionnaire to say who you would prefer to be and not be near in Black Rock City. As in previous years, this does not guarantee your Placement adjacent/next to camps you list, but it will be given consideration during the Placement process.

Updated Street Choice Types : If your camp loves Rod’s Road or Center Camp Plaza, you now have the option of selecting these as your first (or second, or third!) choice street type.

Department Approved Service Camp: We created a new category to properly recognize camps that provide important city-wide services to Black Rock City that don’t fit within our previous categories and may not be providing the service outside of the camp. Camps who wish to be categorized as Department Approved Service Camps must coordinate with and be pre-approved by a Burning Man Project Department. All these changes take effect this year for the 2020 event, and we are hopeful they help turn the tide on the major cultural concerns our community has confronted in recent years and continue to keep Black Rock City’s streets vibrant and welcoming. Placement’s role in shaping the culture of our city is a critical one that we take with the utmost pride and integrity. Our city in the desert is a radical experiment that can only succeed with these shared agreements and by doing it together. We look forward to seeing how your camps will rise to this occasion. 3. This Saturday: 2020 Theme Camp Symposium Please join your fellow theme camps leaders, Burning Man Project staff and volunteers at this year's Fully Virtual Theme Camp Symposium from 9AM-4:45PM this Saturday, March 28. The event is completely free of charge - tickets and pre-registration are not needed. Some highlights include: Message and Q+A with Marian Goodell , Burning Man Project CEO

Panel Discussion: “Camps in the Time of Social Distancing”

Cultural Direction Setting Updates

Breakout sessions: Managing Uncertainty, Sustainability, Host to Help in Times of Need, Acculturation, Updates to the EIS and Outside Services, and Ask-a-Placer Find out more information about tuning in here: https://burningman.org/themecamp-symposium/ 2020 Placement Timeline Thursday, April 30 at 12pm Noon Pacific Time: All Camp Placement Questionnaires are due.

April/May: The Placement Team reviews each questionnaires.

May/June: Camps who will receive DGS tickets in the new pool notified.

June: We finalize the map of Black Rock City.

Late June: We announce Placement.

July/August: Work Access Pass requests (for Theme Camps and Villages only) finalized.

Monday, August 24 to Saturday, August 30 at 10:30pm: Placement begins on playa. Arrive in Black Rock City according to your WAP arrival date to claim your reserved camping space. Take good care of yourselves and each other! The 2020 Placement Team: Baulknaub, Bratty Cat, Bravo, Brooklyn, the Flaggers, Happy, HepKitten, Hot Water, KGB, Kozmik Kat, Level, machine, Monday, Muppet, Papa Bear, Shadow, Skidoo, Sparkleballs, The Governess, and WhatsIt If you have a question about your camp questionnaire, camp placement decisions, Directed Group Sale, Work Access Passes, etc. – email the Placement Team at placement@burningman.org. Anyone can subscribe to the Placement Newsletter here.



If you have a question about the internal workings of camps or want support in addressing a camp challenge (i.e. build, food, acculturation, logistics, interactivity, frontage, leave no trace, camp finances, camper participation, leadership, etc) – email the Camp Support Team at campsupport@burningman.org. You are receiving this because of your interest in and support of Burning Man Project.

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