Burn in the Forest

Your Participation Makes Burn in the Forest Happen!

What does this mean ?

BitF is run by the love, energy and time of everyone of us.  The magic of the valley in which BitF resides inspires and motivates us to create an amazing event.  We know that this is our community and everyone is welcome. We all entertain, take care of each other and  build our village together.  Everyone is important to the success of the event and as such we all gain from the experience of working together.

The following are the 10 Principles that our community and participation is founded on

Radical Inclusion

Anyone may be a part of The event. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.

Gifting

The event 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

The event encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her 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 public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal 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.

2011 Events & Workshop Schedule:

To read about some of  the planned activities at last year’s BitF, click here or download the .pdf by clicking here.

Do you want to be part of this years magic?

Participation is a cause and effect relationship – you can expect:

• To meet new people and develop relationships.
• Feel pride in your contributions.
• Experience the appreciation of everyone around you.
• Develop organizational skills and an understanding of how our principles apply to our events.
• Take part in volunteer appreciation events, such as BBQ’s, memorabilia.

Do you feel moved to give back to the community?  Getting involved is fun and rewarding.  Join the volunteer team and put your particular spark into the mix !

There are no spectators, only participants!

Ways to participate other than showing up and jumping in are;

Taking a lead position.

If you have some organizational experience, like to guide a group of volunteers, have special skills such as electrical, carpentry, people skills then we need you to be part of the main organizing team.  This is your chance to take on a bit more responsibility and stretch yourself. If you are interested in being part of the production team down the road, volunteering for a lead position helps to gain experience.  These lead positions include:  Registration, Gate, DPW, Transportation, Power, Theme camps, Art Installations, Effigy, Fire Performance, Information/Centre Camp, Workshops, Rangers.  We also like to encourage more than one lead to help share responsibilities, spark creativity and have FUN! See more descriptions of all KEY ROLES

Theme Camps

If you can dream it, You can make it happen!  BitF offers a unique environment – a blank canvas in the woods surrounded by mountains. There are open spaces and easy access that make it possible to do whatever you can dream up in that space.  We have lots of room to create an ‘esplanade’ along the beach.  Theme camps are the core of our creativity and participation!

The stage is yours.  Consider the following in creating a theme camp:

• You can do way more together than on your own!
• Great way to make friends.
• Build on your theme cabin ideas from Recompression!
• Create an ambiance, a visual presence,  a communal space or activity.
• Stay simple, fun and expressive!  Theme camps can be as simple as providing a service such as coffee camp, or as elaborate as creating an interactive art installation, or chill space.
• It can be an opportunity for the performer in you to come out – taking on a theme with a group such as Pirates or Zombies.
• If you need help to make your project happen you can apply for an art grant, theme camps are part of our mandate for art just as much as an art piece.  If you need more people to join you we will help hook you up.

There is no central organization in theme camps other than making sure you have a space to do what you need to we are here to support you and provide the basic guidelines to make your project happen.  Once you have your plans worked out you will need to register your camp. You will find this on the REGISTER page.  The theme camp coordinator will then be in touch for placement.

Create an art installation.

We would love to see your art at BitF. Do you have some art sitting in your back yard? If you need an art grant information will be available shortly. Contact the art placement coordinator for placement at BitF.

Workshops

Do you have a skill or knowledge that you would like to teach? Workshops are a fun and interactive way of giving back. Please let us know by registering your workshop. REGISTER.

Performance

Some might say that BitF is one big performance as you express yourself in ways your haven’t before. Performance helps us to tap into and try on parts of ourselves that we have lost or never knew we had.  Performances can happen anywhere – they also can happen through scheduled times. Camps that have live performance, DJ’s, theatre are waiting for your talents.  If you would like us to connect you with camps that you can perform at or if you want your performance written up in the  What When Where then REGISTER.

Gifting

Anything can be a gift all that is required is thinking about what someone else needs or would appreciate from you.  Sometimes going around with food is the best gift ever !!  Especially when you are hungry in the middle of the night and need some energy.  Give a helping hand, the best gift is you.