Meeting took place at Gene's house. In attendance were: Robyn, Ellie, Sam, Bob, Gene, Kristi, Brian, Tzara, Zan and George.
*Agenda:* --Ecstasy Party Debriefing --Burningman Application --Finances --Who What Where? --Work Parties --Bus --Robyn's Misc
* ECSTASY PARTY DEBRIEFING: /Open door policy:/* There were concerns about whether it was a good idea or not, whether it was financially helpful. $300 came in after doors would normally close. It allowed for increased attendance. Most members agreed open door policy was not an issue, as long as we were stricter in our boundaries on providing a safe, substance free environment. Evaluated the situation from Sat night of having a person leave and come back intoxicated, and most felt it would have been best if that person were asked to leave. Anyone showing up obviously under the influence should not be allowed in. Inner doors could be closed to keep the noise of late arrivals from interfering with ritual in progress. All latecomers must undergo ritual training before being allowed in.
/*Issues with space: */problems with a leaky bar that would not be moveable in future, air conditioning leaks/malfunction and increased rental costs will probably make the space inappropriate for future events.
/*Organizing/PR:*/ Could be helpful to have list of all volunteers, their contact info, job descriptions and responsibilities which could be given to each volunteer. This could help facilitate guiding new volunteers or volunteers to new positions in learning what exactly each job entails. Considered altering name of Ecstasy in ways that did not associate it with illegal drug use, due to not being posted because of name issues, etc. How do we connect outsiders to groups? How do we make new people feel welcome? How do we reach out to people sitting on the fringes? Ellie suggested using a F&L technique by inviting new comers to arrive 1/2 hour early and providing orientation as well as the opportunity to be introduced to core members. Perhaps a mentoring program, or introducing the idea of "Angels"in the party ad info. Could we use the angel idea on the playa as well? All good ideas.
/*DJ's Compensation:*/ Should we be charging dj's admission as we do other volunteers? Should we charge their friends/mates? It was noted that dj's provide an exceptional service that makes or breaks the party atmosphere, Robyn noted that in the entertainment industry, it was customary not only to allow them in for free, but to allow 1 or 2 friends in for free as well. Should we compensate the dj's? It was decided that some compensation was a good idea for the sake of appreciation and good pr within the dj community. It would probably depend on what money was raised, whether the dj's expected/wanted it or not, and other factors. It was agreed that we would compensate dj's for Ecstasy by taking them out for pizza/beer. Future compensation amount was left open.
/*Ecstasy Summary:*/ All agreed that the party was a much bigger success than we could have hoped for, given the limited number of meetings, the limited time for preparation, etc. We netted $1200 and gave ourselves a big pat on the back. What a confirmation that we have the ability to organize ourselves and get things done when we focus on our goals! Burningman here we come!!
*BURNINGMAN APPLICATION:*
/*How big do we want our camp to be? */Tzara is handling application. He has created a computer map of the possible layout of the camp. Considered the increase in campers, snuggledome and kitchen facilities. Will need increased space for guests and their parking bikes. Considered all the large vehicles, structures, etc. Decided we would ask for a 150' X 200' space for camp. Tzara will be completing and sending application off Tuesday June 28th. Deadline is June 30th. Thanks to Tzara for all the hard work and time putting together our camp map and application!
*FINANCES:* We made $1200 from Ecstasy! Finance committee will be meeting soon and providing us with an update of exactly where we stand.
*WHAT WHERE WHEN: *How many workshops do we plan to offer at Burningman this year? How many did we offer last year? Do we have enough to call ourselves a theme camp? We estimated we had about 12 workshops last year. After contacting Edie who is in charge of organizing workshops, we estimated 10 -12 at least for this year. Edie will send an updated workshop list to Tzara who will send list to BM asap. The deadline is in July sometime. We do have enough to categorize ourselves as a Theme Camp. Thanks Edie for organizing our workshop list! * WORK PARTIES: *Most future meetings will be work parties. We are set to meet once a week. Work parties may be divided in order to be more effective. Such as, some committees may meet at Sam/Bob's to work on bus project or gifting, while others meet at Edie/Brian's to work on power or structure projects. Our goal is to be as productive as possible with each work party opportunity.
*BUS: *Main project/focus of the Art/Deco committee. The bus is our theme camp's art project. Art committee requested $50 - $100 for supplies to do the bus. Zan to post supply want list to Snuggletown email list. Sam/Bob's stuff still stored on bus while remodeling house. Will be 2-4 weeks until bus can be emptied and worked on inside. If storage is still needed after 23rd July, Snuggletown fund used to pay for rental of storage unit for a month. Sunday July 10th work party to focus on exterior of bus. DMV permit needed to drive bus on the playa. Tzara said he will look into getting permit for bus. Next Art/Deco committee meeting Wednesday June 29th -- 7pm -- at Robyn and George's.
*ROBYN'S MISC: *Robyn requested that she be included on all committee email lists, so that she can keep up with each committees progress, concerns, meetings, etc. Wants to put Snuggletown info online, create a website with ongoing info, what's going on, contact info, meeting times, deadlines, etc. Will email website address to each of us.
/*Snuggletown PR: */Wants to market space--show we are Snuggletown, we're back and we're bigger!...more space for snuggles, workshops, etc. Make room for more visitors.Can we spend $$ on EL wire for the Snuggletown sign? The group approved.
/*Goals: */We set our goal to be ready to go by Aug. 1st. Most meetings will now be used for work parties, we will be setting firm target dates for accomplishing certain tasks. This will allow us some time in August to prepare personally for the trip. This will also allow some time for last minute items to be accomplished. Hopefully, we will arrive at Burningman charged and ready to go!
/*Who is camping with us? */Robyn to compile list of names, people who are paid/ confirmed and tenative campers. Will send out general email encouraging sign up with payment of fees. Brian will send confirmation email to anyone from whom he recieves a check for camp fees. What about those wishing to camp with us that are low income/financially challenged? Ellie suggested offering 1-2 scholarships to those who the group felt good about and who are willing to do their share of the work. What if they don't have/can't afford a ticket to BM? We thought encouraging them to apply for a scholarship ticket at the BM Website first, with the possibility of helping pay a percentage of their ticket if they couldn't get one. No amount was firmly agreed on. The idea was to make it possible for some of those good folks we love to come, in spite of financial issues. For those BM virgins: Ellie has offered to provide an intiation orientation for all 2005 virgins planning to camp with Snuggletown sometime the first week in August. WOO HOO Ellie! We can't wait!!
/*Water Committee: */Robyn volunteered to take lead of the water committee. Found a source for empty 55 gallon drums for storage. Will buy 5 now and more later. Are still waiting to see what the final amount of water was that we used last year, and to come up with an accurate estimate for this year. We figured 2 gallons of water per day for each person. Robyn will contact BM discussion boards to possibly locate another camp with who we can split a load of water to save $$.
/*Sanitation/Kitchen conerns: */Need to improve sanitation, find a better way to store food/ ice and to arrange coolers so food is used systematically, lower risk of loss due to poor organization.Will buy ice at center camp. Kitchen committee to set up recycling plan. Brian suggested fire extinguishers for kitchen and gasoline structure.
/*Gifts: */Need to get gifts started. Gifting committee to meet soon with report. Robyn has several bags of stuffed animals. Gifting work party to make/attach labels with Snuggletown name/address. Idea for nude snuggler postcards came up...could possibly set up time for photo shoot at Edie/Brian's during work party or in play space prior to opening at Rapture.
Thanks to all who attended!!