Code of Conduct or Code of Culture? Exploring Governance, Safety, and Community Agreements in Regionals
Regional burns are at evolving. While Black Rock City operates without a formal Code of Conduct—relying on the 10 Principles, shared culture, Rangers, and the Survival Guide—many regionals have begun adopting CoCs and behavioral agreements. Why? What needs are they trying to meet? And how do we do this without drifting into bureaucratic culture, default-world enforcement energy, or fear-based governance?
In this discussion, we’ll explore the role Codes of Conduct can play in nurturing safety, accountability, and inclusion at regional events—without eroding autonomy, radical participation, improvisation, and trust. We’ll look at what belongs in a culture-forward Code (if anything), what belongs in internal safety processes instead, and when “more policy” is not the right answer.
Key questions we’ll consider:
* Do regionals need Codes of Conduct, or are the 10 Principles + Survival Guide + Rangers enough?
* If we do adopt one, what should it look like? Culture-forward? Administrative? Both?
* How do we support consent, respect, and safety without building a compliance culture?
* Where’s the line between community accountability and default-world paternalism?
* What are alternatives—community agreements, norms, or values statements?
* How do we preserve burner magic while supporting safety, volunteers, and legal reality?
This is not a lecture—it’s a collaborative inquiry into how we protect the culture while protecting the humans, and how regionals can evolve governance in ways that feel aligned, permission-less, and still grounded in care.
Bring your experience, your questions, your fears about policy creep, and your hopes for a future where we can be radically expressive and radically respectful, without losing the fire.