Rio hosted the 26th International AIDS Conference in the year the funding collapsed. But away from the plenaries, in the Global Village, a different response was under way.

A gallery in the middle of Athens provides art classes for refugees. Six families sit down in front of blank canvases, most of them have never painted before.

We celebrate the 20-year anniversary of Burners Without Borders (BWB), which supports social and community development projects around the world. 

Helping build temporary cities is a formative experience. Participating in Burning Man can help shape “changemakers,” people who take positive action out in the world. At the same time, it allows those already working in social impact to experiment and rethink how they work.

Peronia Adolescente, an NGO running a youth cultural center in the red zone of Guatemala City. Once a year, their street festival brings vibrancy to the community – a testament of the power of connecting through art.

I delve into the Burners Without Borders (BWB) Colombia chapter and meet the faces behind its social initiatives, including a “Colombian Greta Thunberg,” and a tireless activist whose project has distributed a staggering 90,000 kg of food in the streets of Medellin.

Every year the Black Rock City Honoraria program supports artists in creating art for the annual Burning Man event in Black Rock City, one of the most awe-inspiring art experiences in the world. It allows incredible feats of architecture to be undertaken yearly by artists in some of the most unforgiving environments on earth.