Burners Without Borders at 20: What’s Next & How to Get Involved
This year, we celebrate the 20-year anniversary of Burners Without Borders (BWB), which supports social and community development projects around the world.
BWB has its roots in action, aligned with the Burning Man principles of participation and civic responsibility. It was set up as a disaster response organisation in response to Hurricane Katrina, before expanding to disasters overseas (Peru, Haiti). Over time, BWB started to decentralize. The focus evolved from “doing the work directly” to “supporting people and organizations already active in their communities”. This evolution of BWB included creating a grant program and launching BWB chapters all over the world.
What began as a global effort has now become more local, showing up in community projects, conscious communities and intentional ways of living together. The mission has evolved to building a broader network that helps people involved in the Burning Man movement (“Burners”) and grassroots groups continue the work they’re already doing, wherever they are.
Members of the BWB community have been involved in hundreds of projects over its history, which were created organically by members of the BWB community. Anyone can propose and initiate a project, and there is no limit to what project you can propose, as long as it responds to a need. Burners are already using their skills and creativity to help their communities in a myriad of ways including combating wildlife poaching using technology, organizing beach clean-ups, building sustainable housing, and supporting people experiencing homelessness.