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Burners Without Borders: Firing Up Creativity and Generosity All Year 'Round

Starting this Monday, something like 50,000 Burning Man enthusiasts will assemble in Black Rock City, Nevada, for a week. And then disappear without a trace! Until next year!


By Flickr user affinity1 There will be art and expression and complicated projects. Of course, the giant construction at the center of Black Rock City will go up in flames. And there will be a clean-up crew that stays around until the last candy-wrapper is picked up, the last post-hole refilled. And, as they say, much much more.

Though I've never been myself, I have a special fondness for Burning Man because my son met his wife on the Playa where Black Rock City sprouts. And I feel even more of an affinity when I read through the stories on the website of Burners Without Borders, the year-round, international volunteering extension of the annual Burning Man gathering. What better way to extend the spirit of the gathering than to pitch in to build a school in Peru, repair flood damage in Iowa, or coordinate clean-ups in 10 cities on three continents for "Cinco de Playa?" Or to design all the firepits for Ocean Beach National Park in California? After all, Burning Man got its start in 1986 with a symbolic immolation of a wooden stick figure on a California beach.

Burners Without Borders projects appear when the path of a Burning Man alum crosses some spot on the planet where there's a need for energy, hard work, creativity and generosity. But there's no requirement that everyone on a project be a "Burner," just that everyone join in the work. If you see some dirty sweaty people at such a spot, give 'em a hand, or a sandwich, or a cheerful wave.


This entry is by Put, the mastermind behind the Nonprofit FAQ.