New Mudskipper Orientation 2016

Welcome to Mudskippers The Ten Principles Who We Are (and Not) Sparkle Ponies History Camp Principles MOOP, MOOP, MOOP Participating as a ‘Skipper What Do I Bring? What About Showers? Camp Fees Drugs Questions

The Ten Principles of Burning Man Radical Inclusion Gifting Decommoditization Radical Self Reliance Radical Self-expression Communal Effort Civic Responsibility Leaving No Trace Participation Immediacy

“I wasn’t prepared to wash my dishes and underestimated the community aspect of the Burn” “Nobody told me to come prepared to give back in some way – be it in gifting (items or services) or just helping with the camp (setup, tear down). It would be nice if everyone came with the expectation of giving, and not just receiving.” Things Newbies Say “I wish someone had told me to read the emails. And, yes, that I should have rebar’d my tent more securely” “I wasn’t prepared for the dust” “Why did someone call me a sparkle pony?”

Don’t Be A Sparkle Pony

We Are A Theme Camp We apply and are selected by BM.org based on the following criteria: Camps should be visually stimulating, have an inviting design and a plan for bike parking and crowd management. Camps must be interactive. They should include activities, events or services within their camps and they must be available to the entire Burning Man community. Camps must be neighborly. This includes keeping sound within set limits, controlling where camp generators vent exhaust, and easily resolving any boundary disputes that arise. Camps must have a good previous MOOP record (for returning camps). Camps must follow safety protocols designed by the organization (this includes traffic management on the streets, proper handling of fuels, and any other areas defined by the organization’s production team including alternatives to RV lined streets).

History: Stepping From Water to Land Founders Bart, Gabriel and Graham first attend in 1993 Gabriel: “The origins of my first year were that I asked Graham if he had any plans for Labor Day weekend, and he said he was planning to go out to the desert for this thing that someone in a cafe was talking about called Burning Man, which they were not really able to describe very well but which sounded interesting. So Graham, Bart, and I piled in my truck with a tent, some water, and some food to see what was this mysterious thing in the desert was all about. At that time there were no roads, and the whole event was about the size of center camp now.”

History: Stepping From Water to Land Bart, Gabriel and Graham and other early gay Burners evolved their community into the huge collective village know as “Avalon Village” in a camp known as “UT” or “Uncharted Territories” In 2009, Avalon Village broke into separate camps and Mudskipper’s Urban Café was born – So, like the Mudskipper taking its first step onto land from water, the cafe took its first step to being its own entity The camp has grown to 70 campers in 2015 Check out more history of the Gayborhood and Mudskippers here

Our Principles: Just Do It We are a participation theme camp We are inclusive of all ‘Skippers and anyone visiting the camp We respect each other and keep our eyes open for each other’s safety, health, and property We step forward to add our sparkle and talent to the camp We Leave No Trace and are ALWAYS MOOPING We radically clean up after ourselves We honor our commitments We are responsible for our virgins We don’t wait for someone else to do it We help setup and/or break down the camp

We Are Not a Plug-and-Play Camp

How Do I Participate as a Skipper? Sign up for a volunteer shift Total 6 hours per Skipper for the week Smoothie Café Pretty Nail Salon Coffee Appreciation Belly Dancing Portrait Studio Late Night Chocolate Attack Beauty Bar Moose Knuckle and Camel Toe Crack is Whack Our your own event? Add your sparkle?

Here’s What Skippers Did Last Year