Burning Man is close.
Since 2012, anyone having a challenging experience on playa could find support in the Zendo. This year we are showing up differently. Since there will be no Zendo sites on playa, we’re working in collaboration to make the years ahead even safer through community care – and we are putting our peer support skills into as many hands as we can. We hope you will carry the spirit of Zendo with you to the burn this year.
Burners are incredible, multi-talented people. What if these skills become one more thing in our collective toolbelt? Supporting each other by offering presence and care is a gift. It’s a form of active participation that helps Black Rock City become safer, more connected, and more compassionate. What better place to model what compassionate community care looks like?
An important truth we have learned over the years is that the person most likely to help someone through a hard moment is whoever is close by when things become complex, overwhelming, or challenging.
This year, that may be you.
In Psychedelic Service,
Nacho Mama (Chelsea Rose), Baby Dragon (Jessa Blessa), and the Zendo Project Team
P.S. Zendo Project Loves YOU!
Your free Playa Kit is ready
We built a Playa Kit so you can brush up on your skills and feel prepared for the inevitable challenging moments that arise in camp and on the playa.
It’s free, and includes:
- A 30-minute training on Zendo’s Four Principles of Psychedelic Care
- A printable pocket card you can actually carry
- Access to our live Q&A on 8/23
No prior training required. If you are ready to shine your Zendo light on the playa, this was made for you.
Live Q&A: Taking care of each other on playa
Sunday, August 23 at 12pm PT / 3pm ET. 90 minutes, live.
Bring your real questions: What can I say? How do I find medical support? What if it’s my own campmate? What if I am the one who is not okay?
Two trainings on playa
For a deeper dive into sitter skills, join our on-playa trainings, Principles of Psychedelic Care for Black Rock City:
- Tuesday, 2:30 to 4:30pm at the Foam Dome (9:30 between E and F)
- Wednesday, 2 to 3:45pm at Opulent Chill Space (10 and Esplanade)
Free, open to anyone, no signup needed. Bring your camp.
Whether you are heading to the playa or not, these skills are gold. They work at a festival, at a kitchen table, and in the middle of an ordinary Tuesday when someone you love is having a challenging time.
The skills came from Burning Man, festival experience, and non-ordinary states of consciousness. But let’s be real. What is ordinary anyway? Non-ordinary moments happen all the time. Psychedelics teach us how to be community as we move through life’s inevitable complexity.
A new harm reduction app for Burning Man
Zendo Project is collaborating with a new project spearheaded by longtime harm-reductionist, Mitchell Gomez. The Temple of Harm Reduction is creating an offline field guide for responding to common health, substance-related, and emotional emergencies at festivals – launching next week at the burn!
Download the app before you go for the most up-to-date version.
Have a camp providing harm reduction or care services on playa? We’d love to include you. Let us know!
And, if you’re interested in volunteering with the Temple of Harm Reduction in their chill space at Camp Questionmark, they’re still looking for experienced hands.
Zendo SIT: Fall dates are open
You’ve been asking, and it’s here!
Zendo SIT is our full training in Zendo’s Four Principles of Psychedelic Care. Live, online, taught by people who have been doing this for over a decade. CE credits available.
October SIT meets Tuesday, October 6 and October 13. Sessions run from 2–6pm PT / 5–9pm ET.
Early Bird Pricing
The first 20 students to enroll with coupon code EARLYBIRD100 will receive $100 off their registration fee.
Subsidized Access
If cost is a hurdle to access this training, submit your application by 11:59pm on September 28. Subsidized spots are limited and awarded on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early.
Join 10,000+ trained sitters making a difference through compassionate care. Together, we’re helping care become the foundation of the psychedelic community.
Thank you to our donors and supporters
Many hands created this year’s Zendo Project offerings. We are grateful to the thousands of volunteers who sat with guests over the years and helped us collect this wisdom, and to the camps who are opening their space for the on-playa trainings. And an enthusiastic thank you to our donors who make Zendo’s mission possible. This work couldn’t happen without our incredible community.
