Radical Inclusion
can not exisist without
safe burns
BURNER
CARE
CONSENT. ADVOCACY. RESPONSE. EDUCATION
We have just begun our journey, starting in March 2024. We are eager to achieve our ambitious goals. As a committee of Midwest Burners, we have come together to address concerns regarding trauma-sensitive responses in a while-brain way while working towards increased healing-centered solutions, and restorative justice practices that support those who have been harmed and provide opportunities for accountability and learning for those who have caused harm.
Our main goal is to inspire change and create safe, inclusive, and equitable environments where discrimination and oppression are actively challenged and addressed. Our efforts are focused on providing consent education, response support, and collaborating with community leaders to promote harm reduction and a balanced approach to justice within our community.
CARE in Action:
our Comprehensive Framework
Consent
Consent is the voluntary agreement to engage in a particular activity, given with full understanding of the risks and without any coercion. Informed consent means being given the opportunity to understand these risks and make an autonomous choice.
When our autonomy is disrespected, it leads to consent violations, which cause significant harm whether intentional or due to ignorance. The default world often overlooks the importance of consent. Systemically, enabling informed consent requires relinquishing power over someone, yet many systems are designed to retain power over populations.
Our goal with Burner care is to create a culture where consent is deeply understood and respected. We aim to influence increased safety across Burner-led spaces, allowing individuals to express their autonomy without fear of judgment or exclusion. We strive to ensure that consent is integrated into all aspects of community interactions, from personal relationships to larger events. By focusing on this principle, we aim to reduce harm and promote a sense of safety and inclusion for all burners.
Advocacy
Advocacy is the process of influencing change with a specific intention. Our activities aim to influence decisions both on the individual level and throughout the community.
We will achieve this by raising awareness of the ways harm is occurring and its consequences. We will provide education across a variety of areas to reduce these impacts on our community. We will amplify and center the voices of those who are most affected. We will collaborate with community leaders to address these issues on a systemic level.
We aim to facilitate restorative justice so those who have been harmed are supported affirmatively and have the opportunity to heal. Those who have caused harm will be given the opportunity to take accountability, learn how to do better, and reintegrate into the community.
Response
Response is an action taken as a result of something. We have formed this committee as a response to the overwhelming need to address these concerns.
Through our advocacy, support, and education, we aim to improve the response to incidents of harm that have occurred and continue to occur. We will achieve this through approaches that are not only informed by trauma but are systemically designed to be sensitive to trauma.
This includes incorporating restorative justice practices, which involve addressing the harm caused by an offense through cooperative processes that include all participants. Restorative justice seeks to repair the harm by emphasizing accountability, making amends, and facilitating healing for both the harmed and the one who caused harm.
By promoting safety through these trauma-sensitive and restorative approaches, we create an environment that fosters inclusion. This ensures that all burners of our community feel valued, respected, and secure, ultimately leading to a more inclusive and supportive community for everyone.
Education
Education is about modeling and teaching so others can learn. We aim to provide and promote education across the community.
Our focus will center on consent, communication, safe/unsafe behavior, and community impacts, integrating all Burner principles. We will use our privileges to facilitate community discussions and projects, and amplify the voices of those with lived experiences. We will also share and create resources to support this mission. One day, we may even establish a theme camp.
We aim to work collaboratively with Burner Organizers, Rangers, and Leaders; providing guidance and modeling to ensure education fosters sustainable change across Burner-led spaces. Through these efforts, we seek to create a culture of learning and growth that benefits everyone in our community.
We approach this work with humility, recognizing that we do not know everything. We lead with curiosity, striving to learn and improve continuously. When we know better, we do better, ensuring that our efforts are ever-evolving and increasingly effective.
Community Consent Agreement
BurnerCARE
Incident Report Form
We kindly ask you to keep in mind that BurnerCARE is still in its early stages. If you have any incidents to report, we request that you use this form. This will enable our review team to handle the reports with care, compassion, and understanding, with respect to our own self-care. We are in the process of organizing and implementing these procedures, and this form is a crucial part of our objectives and intentions. At present, we are operating independently from burner leadership teams.
Use this form to report any incidents of harm that have occurred in Burner-Led Spaces to the BurnerCARE Committee. After you submit a report, it will be carefully reviewed and actions will be taken based on the consent provided.
Our goal is to help and support people who have been harmed by providing them with the care and assistance they need, while also using restorative practices. We also aim to ensure that those involved in these situations are considerate and accountable. This form is designed to prioritize and address the needs of the affected person in a caring and efficient manner, using restorative practices to encourage healing and resolution.
These reports will give the BurnerCARE Committee valuable insights into areas where the community may need more education, support, and guidance to prevent harm in the future. This process helps us identify what needs to change and how we can improve to ensure safer burns.
Resources
Definitions
Inclusion
- Inclusion places accessibility and equity as the priority. It involves taking an anti-oppressive approach to ensure that everyone, can fully participate and benefit from a given situation or opportunity.
- Redefined by Santanna Ficken w/MnNEAT
Consent - The 11th Principal
- Consent is the voluntary agreement to engage in a particular activity, given with full understanding of the risks and without any coercion. Informed consent means being given the opportunity to understand these risks and make an autonomous choice.
Restorative Justice
- Is an approach that assists those who have been harmed and provide an opportunity for the person/persons who caused the harm to take responsibility, learn from their mistakes, and reintegrate into the community.
Anti-Oppressive Approaches
- These methods challenge and reduce unfair treatment in society. These approaches seek to address issues related to power, privilege, and being treated unfairly, and strive to create equitable systems for everyone. Anti-oppressive practices include acknowledging and actively challenging the imbalance of power, harm and privilege in how things work.
Trauma - Sensitive
- Being trauma-sensitive goes beyond just being "trauma-informed." It means approaching trauma with a deep understanding of how it impacts the brain, nervous system, and mind. This approach involves working towards solutions that focus on healing and taking action to support people in diverse ways they may experience trauma.
The 11th Principal: Consent
The 11th Principle: Consent! promotes awareness about Consent within the burn community (and beyond!) through demonstration, interaction and participation.
This website provides resources and materials for organizers of burns and festivals to easier promote the message of Enthusiastic Consent at their events.
Website
MN Trauma Project
Resources
The MN Trauma Project aims to make Minnesota a place where everyone who needs help can get it. They want people who work in places like hospitals and social services to understand how difficult experiences can affect the brain.
On their website, you can find information about organizations helping with trauma in Minnesota, resources in the state, helpful information, and a directory to find a therapist.
Restorative Justice 101
The field of restorative justice is always changing and getting better, with new research and programs coming out all the time.
This website will have easy-to-understand explanations, real-life examples, and lots of other helpful info. It's a great place for people who work in restorative justice, study it, or make decisions about it to find the latest and best ways to do things.
Support our work
DURING TTATC
- Come to our community discussions and interact with our art project
- Encourage other burners to join in the conversation
- Provide Informed Consent with all interactions
- We might need help with BurnerCARE MOOP Collection
AFTER TTATC
- We are interested in feedback from the community on our efforts and goals.
- Share any expierences where you’ve seen change within the community.
AND Beyond . . .
Coming soon:
- Expanding our team and adding more burners is in our plans.
- Increasing our presence at future burns and increased integration within the community.
