Rangers are volunteers who help other Schönburners co-create a great burn. Rangers know the White Origami framework and the House Rules. If you are uncertain ask a Ranger and they might be able to help you make a safe & good decisions or point you to a person that can help you. Rangers can help resolve conflicts, keep participants safe, and support Site Lead when needed. Mind you, this is a sober shift. We expect you to show up sober and prepared.
You should talk to a ranger when …
Our rangering is inspired by the Burning Man Black Rock Rangers, Nomads at Nowhere, Kiezburn Rangers in Germany, and Clown Police at Borderland. Many of us have volunteered as Rangers at other burns.
Being a Ranger means being a support first. It means helping getting things done if an orga is under stress or overwhelmed. It means being a sober friend at the party, de-escalating conflicts, and helping folks find their camp or the nearest toilet.
A Ranger once said: “I give my time, offer my presence, and use skilful means to nudge my beloved Burning Man community toward the factual fulfilment of our stated Ten Principles.”
Please give us feedback! You can reach us on our channel on Slack. Post your feedback in the Channel called `#rangers` and ideally mention one or all Ranger co-leads.
Rangers, Nomads, and Clown Police. Do those names sounds familiar to you? Do you want to support the other participants and the organisers to make Schönburn a reality? Are you available to de-escalate a “situation”? Do you want to safe the day if shit hits the fan? Do you like walkie talkies? Then join the Schönburn Rangers!
You are not on your own. We have experienced Rangers support you be your best Ranger-self.
To join, please …
- Take time to prepare for being a Ranger. - Read through this document. - Join Slack and join the `#rangers` channel - Follow the section “Preparing to be a ranger” below. - Sign up for Ranger shifts once the shift plan is available
Before the event:
* Say hello on `#rangers` on Slack. Please introduce yourself, for example: “Hi, I am <your name>. I am looking forward to Rangering!”. You could additionally tell us if this is your first time Rangering or what motivated you to join us. * Sign up for shifts on our shift plan for 2022. Please fill up the important shifts first and do two shifts if you can spare the time.
Bring to the event and have with you when arriving for your shift:
* A Rangery outfit that shows your inner Ranger on the outside. * Flashlight (required) * Water bottle (required) * Charged phone (optional) * Multitool/Knive (optional) * Cookies (optional)
We will try to have a few essentials – like water bottles and cookies – stocked for you to take to the playa but you'd be helping us a lot by bringing your own.
Preparation at the event:
* Attend a Ranger Meet, Greet & Training: Thursday 2 pm on the Main Stage. * Be in time for shift changes. Come early to eat cookies and drink tea, receive your badge, meet other Rangers, talk about jobs where we can help out, get training. * Bring cookies to the Ranger HQ. * Please attend a _Meet, Greet and Training_ before your first shift, in particular if it is your first time Rangering ever.. * You are invited to come every day! Cookies, nice people, and info about interesting jobs to do await you. * Remember: Cookies! They are important for Rangering.
* Prepare. * Be Sober. * Attend the Ranger Meet, Greet and Training. * Have cookies, bring cookies. * Starting your shift: Meet with the Ranger Lead 15 minutes BEFORE your shift starts at Ranger HQ. For example: if your shift starts 14:00, be at Rangers HQ at 13:45. * During your shift be the best Ranger you can. You can be that anywhere you want. You must handle incidents and document them. See below. * Ending your shift: Come back to Ranger HQ 30 minutes BEFORE your shift ends. You will have 15 minutes to do a debriefing and talk about sensitive subjects with the Ranger lead in private. Then the next shift will arrive and you can pass on any non-sensitive hints to them.
We don't expect you to be perfect or magically solve all humanities problems. If things don't work out great or at all, please tell us.
You should never do a shift alone. Rangers are not solitary creatures and work in teams of two, with a Ranger Lead available to help Rangers with difficult topics.
Team size:
* Shifts are done in teams of two. * Busy times will have a Ranger Lead and multiple teams of Rangers on duty – think Saturday or Friday night – while more relaxed times will have a Ranger Lead and a team of Rangers.
It may be that we will not be able to fill all ranger shifts. Then we need to call out to the community; If we want a great burn, we need people to co-create it.
If you think you can do this sign up for one of the available shifts. If you want to do this but you think you are not ready: ask the three Ranger team leads for support via the `#rangers` channel. We will find a way.
It may be that we will not be able to fill all Ranger Lead shifts. Then we need to find Ranger Leads or elevate one of the Rangers to Lead.
Ranger HQ is where our things are and we gather for training, hanging out or shift hand-overs. It is not yet certain where we will place Ranger HQ in 2022.
As a ranger, you can be in one of the following states during the event:
* On Duty:
* On Call
* Out of Service:
* Before and after the event: we rangers organise using the Slack Channel `#rangers`. There we can exchange data, build the team, and talk to core orga. This channel is for active rangers but you're welcome to lurk around. * Please give feedback to the team leads about Rangering: if it's ok to share with the group share your feedback on `#rangers`. If it's sensitive, approach one of the leads at the burn or via private message on Slack.
See Radio Protocol
Your communication can only make a difference when received in a language the receivers can understand. You need to speak not in your own language or style of thinking but in the language and style of thinking of the receivers. Remember KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid.
Communication is not limited to speaking. Practice active listening. One-way communication is no communication at all. Make sure to listen and understand the others’ needs and points of view. Ask questions, encourage them to voice their opinions and feelings, engage with them.
Be mindful of personal space. Do not get too close.
Leave them an out. Never block someone’s escape route. In an enclosed space always leave a path for an agitated person to the exit.
Break state: Invite people to join you for an activity to remove them from a bad situation or engage them in an activity or in a conversation. You may for example ask them go for a walk, smoke a cigarette, eat something, or ask irrelevant questions.
Make eye contact. Enough to show you’re paying close attention, but not as much as to appear threatening especially when dealing with an angry person.
Take notes. This keeps your facts straight and lets participant know you’re taking them and their situation seriously.
When approaching a situation, use FLAME as a structured approach:
In the interest of creating a culture of feedback we need to ensure that we are following a model of SAFETy. In other words, when giving feedback make sure that your guidance is:
One important thing to keep in mind is that feedback must be about something that the receiver can change, delivered with careful thought, and given soon enough that it is relevant.
A fine template for delivering feedback is:
Special things that the team of three Ranger team leads must care for.
Activities before the burn:
Bring:
Print out & bring (4 times each, they will be used by the 2 ranger teams, 1 lead, 1 spare):
At the burn:
2018: Leobard thought it would be a good idea to ranger and Leobard likes walkie talkies. Read this thread on rangering that started this initiative. Then Leobard wrote this wiki page. In 2018, Leobard asked around for others to join as team leads, with the intention to make leading the ranger team a rotating role. This is a perfect role for people who are new to Burning Man, want to contribute to the community, and have their senses together.
“…I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big feld of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around—nobody big, I mean—except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy. But that’s the only thing I’d really like to be.” —The Catcher in the Rye; J.D. Salinger