In this episode we discuss the global and regional impact of Burners Without Borders (BWB) and the Civic Ignition Grants (CIG). The panel highlights BWB's grassroots origins during Hurricane Katrina and its ongoing mission to foster community resilience, environmental regeneration, and collaborative problem-solving through Burning Man principles like gifting, participation, communal effort, and civic responsibility. By sharing their personal experiences with the CIG application process, the guests illustrate how these grants help crystallise community-focused ideas - ranging from co-housing symposiums and maker spaces - into actionable realities, providing valuable project management insights even for unsuccessful applicants. The conversation also celebrates the unique intimacy of microburns, specifically the Canberra Winter Solstice, demonstrating that transformative, community-driven magic can thrive in smaller, self-reliant settings by deeply connecting participants without the overstimulation of larger burns.

Host: Stevan ‘Silent Disco’ Lay

Guests: Cris ‘Holy Dooley’ Clucas, Jessica ‘Tripitaka’ Fairbairn, PY ‘Double Shot’ Wong, & Shannon ‘Kali’ Clark

Produced by PY Wong & Stevan Lay

Theme music by Will & Kate

USEFUL Links:

Burners Without Borders: https://burnerswithoutborders.org/

Bonza Community: https://bonzacommunity.org/

Civic Ignition Grants: https://bonzacommunity.org/civic-ignition-grants/

Burning Man: https://burningman.org/

CIA: https://capitalincendiaryauthority.org.au/

Burning Man Canberra facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanberraBurners

How Burner Makerspaces are Wiring Cities for Belonging: https://journal.burningman.org/2026/06/black-rock-city/building-brc/burner-makerspaces/

Burners Without Borders at 20: A Testament to Burning Man Culture: https://journal.burningman.org/2026/02/global-network/burners-without-borders/burners-without-borders-at-20/

Burners Without Borders: 20 Years of Civic Action from Burning Man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qixeviRt0Vg

Creating Healthy, Connected Communities in Canberra through Co-housing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiNLcLa_7oo

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Intro theme

[00:00:30] Intro panel

[00:01:29] Jessica's role

[00:02:43] Shannon's role

[00:04:48] BWB history and background

[00:06:05] BWB projects and mission

[00:12:05] Civic Ignition Grants

[00:17:37] Creative alchemy burner culture

[00:23:04] How to get involved?

[00:26:47] Local BWB impact

[00:28:44] Co-housing symposium

[00:30:05] Sparkhaus

[00:36:05] Ten principles

[00:39:15] CIG process experience

[00:47:33] Previous CIG recipients

[00:49:00] CIG assessment criterias

[00:56:58] CIG application tips

[01:14:22] Winter solstice & CIA

[01:27:27] Micro burns

[01:33:15] Canberra burner community

[01:40:01] Shoutouts & gratitude

[01:45:50] Outro theme

The information presented in the following audio program is for informational, educational, entertainment, and archival purposes only. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed on the Bonzaar Podcast are solely those of the hosts and the guests and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the entire burner community. Bonzaar Podcast is an independently-produced, volunteer-led, and community-funded project and is not associated or affiliated with the burning man organisation or it's world-wide subsidiaries.

This episode was recorded on 16 June, 2026

Transcipts

Episode 29: Burners Without Borders & Civic Ignition Grants (Cris, Jessica, PY, & Shannon)

USEFUL Links:

Timestamps:

Episode 30: The Poolroom @ Blazing Swan (Jodie, Mandy, & Marcus)

Episode 28: 2026 BoNZA Summit Review (Dani, James, Luci, & Paul)