Volunteering is an important part of being a YOUtopian as well as a member of the San Diego Burning Man community and world at large. We invite each and every YOUtopian to view themselves as an artist, volunteer, crew member, and participant.
Whether you’re building an art installation, helping a neighboring Theme Camp with their LNT, greeting participants upon arrival, or running amok creating a smile on every fellow YOUtopian you encounter – you’re a pivotal piece in the puzzle. YOUtopia exists because of the hard work and dedication of our community of artists, performers, Theme Camp organizers, radically self-expressive participants, and, hopefully, you: the members of our talented volunteer team.
Volunteering is a great way to meet people, get involved, get your hands dirty, and have serious amounts of fun. Whether it’s your first time, or you’re a seasoned and sautéed YOUtopian, we’ve got a spot for you to help make magic happen! No experience necessary – just a desire to learn and be an active part of your community!
What do YOU want to do for YOUR community? What can YOU bring to that blank canvas that we call YOUtopia?
Volunteering is pivotal to YOUtopia as an event and as a participant. A successful event relies on us coming together as a community to support something for which we care deeply. We understand how difficult and time-consuming volunteering can be and try to accommodate and show our appreciation as best as possible. Below are key facts and commonly asked questions about becoming a volunteer.
Provides administrative, contract administration and risk management (insurance) support for the Production Leadership Team of YOUtopia. Coordinates, trains and supervises Department Leads to perform certain specific tasks in order to maintain and manage the flow of information and data.
Everyone is an artist and has a story to tell – the AC team determines the grants needed for YOUtopian artists to bring their vision to life. The gifts of art can be interactive, static, sound, performance, something beautiful or questionable – the job isn’t to judge; it’s simply to help artists fund their vision to share with all of the participants at the event. They work closely with City Planning and SDCAP.
Help schedule, communicate with center camp artists and produce center camp activities.
Is the public face of YOUtopia. It is through them that we engage and inform the public of all facets of the event. Social media and newsletters are used to announce developing information to the public while the website acts as a central resource. Additionally, all public facing posts from other YOUtopia departments must be approved by the Communications Department to ensure a consistent theme, tone, language for the event and is checked for consistency across mediums.
Qualifies all Art Cars to ensure they can operate safely and effectively on the venue grounds and observe sound regulations and speed/passenger limits.
Responsible for YOUtopia’s infrastructure. This includes designing and implementing the power grid, running heavy equipment, deploying light towers, setting up and taking down shade, fueling, trash hauling, and similar tasks. When possible, they also assist other departments and theme camps with build and strike.
Before the event each department lists all of the physical assets that they need – everything from shade structures to radios to office supplies. Dispensary is responsible for approving, sourcing, transporting, dispensing, collecting, maintaining and storing all of it.
FAST ensures the safety of all fire artists participating in consideration of the surrounding land. Prior to the event, FAST is responsible for registering all performers, keeping them up to date on safety codes, and acting as their point of contact. They will also work with City Planning on performance areas. On-site, they will need to inspect and approve all equipment and work with volunteers to ensure there is a sober, attentive adult at every performance.
Processes the arrival of participants to the event. Works closely with Greeters and Traffic control.
Sets a positive mood upon arrival for all participants and are often the first point of contact at the gate entry. They will also help provide a map/directions so everyone can get where they are going quickly and efficiently.
Establishes and maintains a safe place during the event for anyone having a tough time to relax and come down.
Ice is the only thing sold inside the event. On-site Sales manages this, including interfacing with outside vendors, record keeping, cash handling, and delivering the frosty needs of many.
Oversees a diverse set of techniques to make sure we leave the site cleaner than we found it. This includes promoting public awareness, managing public recycling, major cleaning pre-event, moop sweeping post event, and assisting with the moop map.
Captures all those magic YOUtopian moments so we can relive them again and again. Videographers and photographers ethically operate to capture participants in their special moments – Media keeps it classy.
Patrol and observe the exterior perimeter of the event venue to locate and discourage potential trespassers from entering the YOUtopia event. Perimeter will also notify Rangers and Security if unauthorized humans enter the YOUtopia venue. Perimeter also helps locate those YOUtopia participants that may accidentally leave the venue area to ensure their safety.
Placement volunteers get a new perspective on the event and an opportunity to build connections to many key members of our community! They help artists and theme camp leads find their placement as they arrive, as well as connecting them to other resources as needed
The Please Department supports the service of all other YOUtopia volunteer crews. You’re part of a team of wild, hard working, do-it-yourself characters, whose mission is to ensure members of the Event team take care of themselves by delivering food, snacks, breaks, and overall fun. When not caretaking for other departments, you can usually be found instigating shenanigans somewhere in the Event.
Roam the city providing assistance to YOUtopians in need, be it conflict resolution and peer mediation, helping participants locate medical support, lending an ear or a helping hand, or giving directions to the nearest portos. You will walk the grounds in pairs equipped with radios, ready to offer help when needed. PLEASE NOTE: You must have completed Black Rock City or Pacific Southwest Ranger training in order to volunteer on the YOUtopia Rangers team. Contact the Ranger team for further details at rangers@sdyoutopia.com.
Traffic control in and out of event. Keep emergency lanes open at all time.Arrange vehicles in the parking lot, keeping lanes open so all vehicles are accessible. Works closely with Ingress Team
Serves as an information conduit for registered theme camps, working with the community and the placement dept to ensure that everyone remains up to date on the details regarding event and camp guidelines, timelines and assisting with opportunities for possible camp recruiting and fundraising events.
Manages the pre-event ticket purchasing system and on-site ticketing system management.
Responsible for recruiting, managing, and distributing the volunteers needed to help make YOUtopia a success. Without our volunteers, we would be lost and unable to truly function. This is a time intensive position that will require many hours both pre and during the event.
If anyone in our community is interested in being part of our Medical / Fire team, AND has a medical license of EMT or higher, please contact David Bever directly at david.51.bever@gmail.com
