Volunteer Guidelines

Welcome to Amber Burn, where YOU are the creator, the participant, and the volunteer!

Where imagination knows no bounds, where self-expression is celebrated, and where community thrives.

This is THE place to showcase your talents and passions, create, celebrate, and share love through being your authentic self (as long as you respect others).

While volunteering, you become an essential part of making the event happen and play a vital role in its success! Volunteering provides an opportunity to meet and make friends with like-minded individuals from all walks of life while fostering new friendships and connections. But most of all, volunteering promotes your personal growth as you challenge yourself, learn new skills, and gain a sense of accomplishment through a memorable burn.

Volunteering is not obligatory but highly recommended, and your help is really important. Do not miss a chance to enrich your experience.

Since Amber Burn is an official Lithuanian regional Burn event, it is guided by the 10 Principles of Burning Man. Although the principles are descriptive, not prescriptive, they are the guidelines for how we, as a community, are building the world for ourselves and how we seek to live in our daily lives.

The 10 Principles of Burning Man:

RADICAL INCLUSION. Anyone can be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect strangers. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.
GIFTING. Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift-giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.
DECOMMODIFICATION. In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.
RADICAL SELF-RELIANCE. Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise, and rely on their inner resources.
RADICAL SELF-EXPRESSION. Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.
COMMUNAL EFFORT. Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote, and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.
CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY. We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for the public’s welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local and state laws.
LEAVING NO TRACE. Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.
PARTICIPATION. Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.
IMMEDIACY. Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.

____________________________________________________________________________

CONSENT. It’s outside the famous 10, yet extremely important for the community. As participants and volunteers, we are in a great position to model ‘ask first’ behavior: whether it’s a potential sexual encounter, physical touch of any kind, something requiring permission that will radically alter the experience of another person, or recording someone’s image or voice, you are responsible for getting verbal consent before engaging in it.

SO HOW CAN YOU VOLUNTEER AT AMBER BURN?

Choosing a team: during the registration and ticket sales, you will pick two teams you’d like to be part of (you can always join more teams during the event; just come to the Cosmic Info Center).

Meeting with the team lead: once you have chosen a team, the team lead will contact you to schedule a meeting. You will have a few online or live meetings with your team before the event.

Scheduling a shift: the team lead will introduce you to the volunteering schedule and ask you to pick a shift(s) to participate in. Shifts are usually 3-4 hours long, depending on the department. Some participants sign up for one shift per day; others volunteer once per event. Any amount of time you spend volunteering is appreciated.

Training: before you start volunteering, there will be a quick training session to introduce you to the responsibilities. This training can either take place online and/or at the location of the event.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Choose 1-2 teams: It’s always better to start small and then go for more if it feels right. When signing up for shifts, think about sleep, food, and rest, and leave yourself enough time to play. It’s up to you how many shifts and departments you would like to be part of.
Show up: Show up for your scheduled shift 15 minutes before it starts. This way, the volunteer swap can be smooth, and the previous team will be able to introduce you to the latest updates and news. If you decide to volunteer and have chosen your shifts, know that your team counts on you. Remember, every shift you sign up for but don’t attend means the responsibilities get piled on someone else.
Be sober: Come for your shifts sober – no ifs, no buts. Taking care of others means that you should have a sharp mind and be able to react adequately to any situation.
If you can’t make it: If something happens and you are not able to take your shift, please let us know by contacting your team lead or the Info Point. Ideally, we will be able to find a replacement for you. Also, it would be great if you would take a replacement shift.
Volunteering with kids: If you come to Amber Burn with kids, you can and should volunteer together. For example, as a greeter or in the Leave No Trace department. Of course, for kids, it shouldn’t be longer than an hour or so. It is a way for kids to stay active, both of you can learn a lot of new things and meet other families too.
Embrace “Do-ocracy”: The Participation and Civic Responsibility principles mean that we operate in a Do-ocracy. If you see other ways things could be done, volunteer to make them better.
You want to volunteer but can’t decide: Follow the Immediacy principle and volunteer on the spot! Visit the Cosmic Info Center where volunteers will inform you about the “Burning Shifts” (available daily shifts) based on the requests from different teams.
Returning volunteer: As a returning volunteer, you already have knowledge of how things work in Amber Burn. You can either be a part of the same team, choose a different team, or become a crew member throughout the year. The Lithuania Burners community is active all year. If you want to take part in it or just want to know more about it, don’t hesitate to contact us at volunteers@amberburn.lt

FRIENDLY REMINDER

As stated before, radical self-reliance is one of the 10 Principles of Burning Man. Keep this in mind while volunteering, which requires your energy and good spirit. Please make sure you get enough sleep, drink enough water, and bring your food and drinks, lights, warm clothes, a rain jacket, comfortable shoes, etc.
If your shift is during the day, you might need sunblock, shades, a hat and extra water.
If your shift is at night, you might need a headlamp and lights. It might get cold at night, so be prepared.
Bring Your Own Cup (BYOC)! You never know when a burner friend surprises you with some lemonade or coffee! 😉
Take anything you might need to the Burn. There are no vendors at the event and no possibility to buy anything;
Respect your fellow volunteers and participants;
Rest, eat,drink a lot of water and be self-reliant;
Show up for the shift you have chosen and be sober during all your shifts;
If you have any questions, head to Info Point;
If something happens, let your team lead, Ranger or anyone around know;
Respect art and nature;
Leave No Trace and minimize the impact to the surrounding area.

EARLY ARRIVALS, BUILD, AND STRIKE

BUILD: The build for this year’s Amber Burn will start on the 28th of June. The plan is to build the framework and set up the infrastructure of Amber Burn City. Everyone who is interested in this part has to register for an Early Builders Pass and get a confirmation.

EARLY BUILDERS (EB): There is nothing like seeing a City rise before your eyes; for some, it may be the peak of self-expression. And it’s not only a City that is being built during this time – deep connections, friendships, trust… Some burners say it’s the best part. Some even don’t stay for the actual event.

IMPORTANT:

No one can enter before the gate opens (Wednesday, 5th of July, 12:00 (noon)) without filling out an Early Builder form and getting the confirmation. Event tickets are still required.
The EB volunteers will be invited according to actual build needs and your availability (the more time you can gift at the location, the more likely you will be invited).

STRIKE: So we have built the City, had our event, and then what? Just pack and go back to reality, to the usual Monday morning? Nah, we know a better and less painful way to end this magical experience: we stay for a few more days and calmly tear everything down, pack, clean, burn, de-moop, and restore the surroundings to their initial state (or make it better, cos “Leave No Trace”). Strike is the most tender, sweet, and gentle part of the event – we reminisce about the good times, share laughs and hugs with those who understand, sometimes shed a few tears around the fire and take our sweet time before getting back home.

PROGRAM: YOUR GIFT TO AMBER BURN CITY

Volunteering does not end with building and maintaining the city. Knowledge sharing, entertainment, and play are big parts of Amber Burn. If you want to teach a new skill, gift a workshop, organize a mosh pit, cook a meal for fellow burners, present a performance, or build a naked human mandala, to name only a few, please fill in the form here.

Don’t worry if you only get the idea during the gathering; many great ideas are inspired by the people you meet and the location itself. It is still possible to share your art, experience, and knowledge just drop by the Cosmic Info Center and add your gift to the program on the spot.

COMMUNICATION CHANNELS FOR VOLUNTEERS

Discord – the main communication channel. All discussions are held here and divided by topic / team.

Facebook group: Amber Burn participants!

If you have any questions, contact us at volunteer@amberburn.lt