CULTURE CAMP RESOURCE GUIDE
This guide will support your efforts to organize amazing Culture Camps and is relevant to camps of all types and sizes. Before you dive in, note that there is no one way to camp at REVOLUTION. Each of the Culture Camps has its own way of doing things! The guide, resources, and advice are here to support YOU on YOUR journey.
Cultural Immersion
Culture Camps play a critical role in immersing campmates into REVOLUTION, including:
REVOLUTION Culture
How do we introduce those who are attending REVOLUTION for the first time to our community? The 10 Principles were created as guidance to help all of us navigate REVOLUTION culture. They are a great place to start when bringing new friends to REVOLUTION, but it’s important to note the 10 Principles are intentionally descriptive instead of prescriptive. It’s up to each of us to interpret the 10 Principles, so the more you can encourage campmates to genuinely think about, engage with, and apply them in their own way, the more helpful it will be than telling them how they “should” interpret them.
Your Camp’s Culture
Every camp is unique! How are you different from other camps? What do new attendees who are new to your camp need to know to align with your camp’s culture? What expectations do you have of each other when it comes to participation with visitors to your camp and also ensuring your camp will run smoothly? What happens if those expectations aren’t met? Get clear on your own camp’s culture, how you operate, and how you communicate with campmates and visitors.
Interactivity and Frontage
Culture Camps form the heart of REVOLUTION. Big, small, loud, quiet, these are the places created to entertain, entice, and inform the citizens of our REVOLUTION community.
Interactivity and Frontage
Interactivity is a key component to a successful Culture Camp and its definition is, thankfully, broad. Frontage (Curb Appeal) is also an important aspect of creating a Culture Camp. Interactivity and frontage are not criteria for Culture Camps, but it sure is lovely to provide interactive experiences for your neighbors regardless!
Ask yourself and your campmates… How do we want to participate in REVOLUTION? What gifts do we have for the community (both literal gifts and gifts like your skills, abilities, talents, etc)? What experiences do we want people to have when they come to our camp and interact with us? What can our camp community do in REVOLUTION that we may not be able to do in the ‘real’ world?
Culture Camp Planning
What exactly will your camp be doing? Who will be doing what? When will it be happening? What materials or preparations do you need in order for it to happen? How are you ensuring it will actually happen? How will we create visually stimulating, open and inviting spaces? When someone is walking or biking through camp, what will they see? How will people know you’re a Culture Camp? What about your camp would compel them to come participate? What type of visual experience do you want to create? How does it connect to your interactivity? These are just some of the questions you can ask when planning your Culture Camp.
Night Lighting
How can you bring lighting into camp plans? What will it look and feel like to those walking through camp at night? If your camp’s interactivity is primarily after dark, then night lighting should be even more important. Also, consider going solar!
Clarify Public and Private Spaces
Technically all of REVOLUTION is public! Make sure your public space feels public, open and inviting. People shouldn’t have to seriously question whether they’re “allowed” into a public space. Clearly define your public space from your ‘back of house’ space, but do not make barriers or signs like, Private Campers Only, for your private space. Create a welcoming space for your visitors, and create a safe space for your campmates. Plan your camp layout based on the proportions needed for camp interactivity, frontage, and your back of house or living areas.
Bikes
REVOLUTION is a pedestrian-friendly environment that lends itself to walking and biking. Bikes are the most popular mode of transportation in the community and that means there are a lot of them! Bikes are super useful but, on occasion, they become problematic.
Parking
Every camp should plan for bike parking. Even you’re a small camp with a few personal bikes, you’ll want a place to park and lock your bikes when you aren’t using them.
Crowds
Camps that attract many visitors should provide adequate bike parking space to prevent a pile of metal and rubber from appearing out of nowhere. It’s super important to keep the pathways clear for pedestrians, water trucks and emergency vehicles, especially at night! Rangers will ask you to clear bikes if they are spilling out into the street.
Repairs
As with any situation in the community, you should be prepared to deal with common bike repairs. Be sure to pack multiple replacement tubes that fit any bike you bring with you. A small tool set that works with your bike will also come in handy. If you’re lucky, there’s a camp nearby who is gifting bike repair services, but you can’t count on that.
E-Bikes, Scooters, and More
E-Bikes, Scooters, etc are not allowed in the community. Ensure your campers are aware of these rules so they don’t haul something they can’t use.
Decor
Personalize your bike. Let it represent you in all possible ways! Personalized decorations will help you quickly find and identify your bike when you park it with hundreds of others.
Generators and Power
Power
REVOLUTION does not provide power; electricity or fuel.
Generators
The most important aspect to consider for camps using generators is how your generator will impact your neighbors. Where are you placing the generator in the context of your camp? Rule of thumb for things that are unpleasant (generators, toilets, light towers, etc); if your camp is going to enjoy the benefits, then your camp should also deal with the downsides of them (smell, noise, light, etc). Don’t place these things on your camp border so your neighbors have to deal with the downsides while you enjoy the conveniences. Try and put them as deep into your camp’s layout as possible. Be a good neighbor.
Leaving No Trace
Our event could not exist without diligent attendees packing out their equipment, recyclables, trash, and everything else they brought. Leaving No Trace is one of our most important principles. If we don’t uphold that one, no more REVOLUTION. Leaving No Trace is not just about the event; it’s about the whole planet. Be good to nature!
Neighbors
Most of the time, we find our neighbors in the community to be wonderful, supportive, funny, and welcoming, but every so often there’s a little friction between camps. Ninety-nine percent of the time, issues are resolved with open and respectful communication.
Introduce Yourself and Your Camp
Get to know your neighbor before you get to know the community!
Be proactive. When you first arrive, say hello to your neighbors! Introduce yourselves and your camp. Let them know who to come to if they have a problem. When your neighbors arrive from their long journey, greet them, offer them water and introduce yourselves. Welcome them to the community!
When an issue arises with your neighbor, it’s easy to get frustrated and build them up in your mind into a villain before you even walk over to talk (or yell) about it. Do your best to calmly discuss any issues with your neighbor when those issues come up. Assume your neighbors have positive intent.
Resolving Issues On Your Own
There are neighborly ways to address problems. First, it helps to know or ask who in the camp to talk to versus talking to (or yelling at) the first person you see. Do you like to be told what to do in a yelling tone by someone you just met? Most people don’t. Discuss how to solve the problem together versus telling them what they should do right-!@*%ing-now. Make sure you’ve both had enough water. Sit down together. Take the high road against drama.
If you’re in over your head, you can request assistance from security. If you have a neighbor that consistently isn’t collaborating to solve problems, make sure security is aware of the situation.
Not everyone wants to sleep when you do
Remember, REVOLUTION is loud. There are no quiet hours or official quiet areas in the community. Be radically self-reliant and make sure your campers are prepared with earplugs, battery-powered white noise machines; whatever they need to sleep. Help your new campers immerse into this environment. Familiarize yourself with the sound policy so you know what’s OK-loud versus not-OK loud.
Neighborliness Issues
The most common issues among neighboring camps are sound and generator noise. Guess what, those are both preventable! Make a plan.
