Yeah, fair question. You hear “ExCom” thrown around a lot, but it’s not always super clear what they actually do, right?
We in the Department of Propaganda (a volunteer department) are always dealing with other volunteer departments. So we might be guilty of occasionally forgetting that not everyone reading the EFP (all six of you) are not actually in the crew, and therefore don’t know who’s doing what all year long. With two farewells to key ExCom members in the EFP this week, we thought we would dig in a little and bring some of the hard work, sweat and tears of being an ExCom member to you this week.
Basically, ExCom is the group that (mostly) keeps Kiwiburn from imploding. They’re not the ones building art or setting up cones, but they’re making sure the people doing those things have what they need to make it happen. They help make big decisions, smooth out interdepartmental hiccups, and deal with all the weird stuff that doesn’t fit neatly into one box. Most ExCom members are facilitators with a big portfolio – be it Art or Comms or Infrastructure, so when they are all together they are awesome, like Voltron! But cuddlier.
They’re also the ones dealing with the more boring, but really crucial things like council relationships, insurance, land use, safety planning—all the legal stuff that makes the Burn possible in the first place – fun fact, you actually can’t just show up en masse in a field and party for a week, there are many many forms to fill out first. If something’s a bit messy, a bit risky, or could have wider ripple effects, it usually lands on ExCom’s desk (real or metaphorical).
A lot of the work of ExCom is working with people, whether it’s Burners, members of the local community, the press, you name it. It’s a work of Heart (hear hear on the theme!) – our ExCom members really pour their heart and soul into their work. It’s a Party in the Paddock, but it’s a party that means the world to thousands of people. Thanks, ExCom, for bringing this world to life for us, not just every January, but all year round.
ExCom are also (and this is the important bit) ALL volunteers, just like everyone else. No secret salaries, no fancy perks. Just spreadsheets, Zoom calls, and the occasional fire to put out (again, real or metaphorical.
So yeah. That’s ExCom. Not gods, not villains. Just a bunch of real people doing their best to keep the lights on and the chaos (slightly) organised.
We’ll be diving deeper into each facilitator and their department, so keep an eye out!
