Camp Decentral at Burning Man

Decentral serves as a portal for the Burning Man communities to enter into the magical world of blockchain and web3 technology. We encourage and engage in onboarding into the world of decentralization through blockchain and all its forward-looking applications for a more equitable, sustainable and balanced world.

Decentral is a bridge between the technological communities of the decentralization movement and the cultural revolution inspired by the Burning Man community. We believe this intersection is a critical junction where our common goals can be advanced through greater understanding and connectivity between the builders of technical infrastructure and builders of regional and global Burning Man villages everywhere.

Web3 Community & Education through Camp Decentral

Our primary engagement at Burning Man is onboarding through organized talks. We have hosted many well known speakers throughout the years, Rick Doblin, Joseph Lubin, Brock Pierce, Vlad Zamfir and many others. We have a 30 ft dome where we provide desert respite for interactive panels all day long. We offer 8 hours of talks and topical discussions each day for five days. In the evenings, the decentralization onboarding interactivity continues in a less structured format that prioritizes in depth sharing through small groups seeking connection and comfort.

Daily introductory talks into decentralization take up the morning and early afternoon. At that point We then provide specialized talks on specific topics bringing together blockchain and the application of Burning Man principles. All through the afternoon and into the evening we also host fishbowl style panel discussions that engage speakers from other camps with our own facilitators and camp participants. These have been highly successful in past years, as they allow for more interconnectivity and flow among the different camps at Burning Man so our reach and exchange is even greater.

Crypto & the 10 Principles of Burning Man

An important part of decentralization is understanding and even using cryptocurrencies. Note: we are very careful to avoid any type of promotion for any particular currency or project and make a strong effort to educate each speaker about the 10 Principles of Burning Man including decommodification, civic responsibility, and immediacy of experience. Our facilitators are always on guard to support speakers and participants to value and hold steady to these tenets, and we embrace opportunities to talk further about all the values in place throughout the interactive space, both according to Burning Man principles as well as the philosophy of Camp Decentral.

Embodying Blockchain at Camp Decentral

Decentral is the first camp to ever be run completely on the blockchain in an open, transparent way going back 6 years. To wit, dues are paid in cryptocurrency to a smart contract, and receipts are required in order to withdraw funds. Fiat currency is strongly avoided in Decentral's organization. Of course cryptocurrencies are a small piece of the puzzle in decentralization, and we also organize talks on other aspects of the decentralization movement including:

• health sovereignty
• seasteading
• decentralizing psychiatry
• mesh networks
• flat organizational structures
• open source hardware
• internet privacy, and more.

Onboarding to Web3 & to Burning Man

Decentral is also dedicated to being a soft landing for virgin burners. In 2019, for example, our camp was over 70% first timers, and we strive to keep that number above 50% for the life of the camp. We educate those from the decentralization world all about Burning Man through communal effort and participation, from planning and building through camp maintenance.

Sharing the Decentral Message

Besides these core offerings, we encourage and support our camp members to develop other opportunities of engagement, focusing on building on the principles of the community layer of decentralization and web3 so that we can create a more equitable and meaningful future together, using the Burning Man experience as a kernel for growth and stewardship.

Twitter: DecentralBlockhaus