Sanctuary
What is Sanctuary?
It’s a calm place of safety where anyone having challenging experiences in the dust (and at our events elsewhere) are able to be helped.
Participants can often become overwhelmed by the extreme desert conditions: wind, dust, soop (sound out of place), temperatures, intense partying and the stress of camping.
Radical self-reliance when things get hectic can look like leaning on camp mates, neighbours and friends, asking for help, and figuring out ways to prevent common challenges before they happen. Sanctuary, created by both the org and the community as a gift of support to Tankwa Town, is one of the places to come and ask for help.
Sanctuary offers a safe and supportive space at Off Centre Camp between Medics and Ranger HQ, to regain balance through peer support and practical help with wellbeing like rest, refreshments and care. Sanctuary also works with the organisers to put prevention strategies in place to reduce future community problems.
How to volunteer with Sanctuary
There are 4 roles open to volunteers that meet the approval criteria:
Tangle (peer support)
HarbourMaster (shift lead)
Space- Keeper (zen wrangler)
Door- Keeper (greeter)
Shifts are 24/7 beginning when the gates officially open, and ending on the Monday of exodus, 6 hours long:
6:00 to 12:00
12:00 to 18:00
18:00 to 24:00
24:00 to 06:00
To sign up for a Sanctuary shift you need:
- to receive approval of your application
- to complete Sanctuary training before your first shift. Orientation is provided when you arrive in Sanctuary for your shift.
NB: It would be super if you had previous harm reduction, medical, mental health, and/or psychological counselling experience (psychiatric nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, registered counsellors and social workers most welcome).
Want to make magic with us? Want to help people who are overwhelmed with awesome? Click here to volunteer for Sanctuary.
If you need any other info, mail Kay on [email protected]
Green Dot
Green Dots are our mobile Sanctuary crew who are there to catch you if you wobble out in the wilds of Tankwa Town. Green Dots cruise the dust keeping an eye out for participants who are lost or overwhelmed by their experiences or environment.
Green Dots provide the TLC or guidance needed to find the right direction home. Other participants who may be in need of more professionalised support can be chaperoned over to Medics and Sanctuary where the community care team offers a calm space, counselling and / or medical care if required.
Should you have experience in trauma counselling, harm reduction or looking to up-skill your Dirt Ranger skills, you’re more than welcome to volunteer and join our team by applying here.
(just be aware that in order to volunteer as a Green Dot, you’d need to train up as a Ranger first).
Looking for our Ranger page? It’s this way.
