Working with Recess: What to Expect
Here at Recess, we pride ourselves on being different. And unless you understand (and embrace!) those differences, working with us can be a little bit less than elegant. On this page we hope to explain our expectations so that we can become your favorite people in the world to work with, rather than a flash back to that last relationship gone bad.
We Don't Hire People, We Assemble A Team
When we ask someone to DJ, teach, perform, or participate in any conscripted manor we are not your boss. We are not paying you to do our bidding or even to do what we asked you to do. Rather, we are inviting you to be a TEAM MEMBER. We will schedule enough compensated sets and classes for you to know that we are committed enough to you for you to commit to us. However, once on site, everything is liable to (and probably will) change and be tweaked. You will be expected to be a full participant to help make the event as big of a win as possible.
System Based Organizing, Not Outcome Based
While many events organize by trying to plan what will happen, we focus on creating a system that enables us to make the best decision for any moment in that moment. We utilize tools from Open Spaces Technology as well as other horizontal organizing systems to make this happen. If you are hired to teach a class know that you are able to change its time and content in anyway you feel is needed to make that offering and the event as a whole the biggest "win." Examples of this may include: recognizing skill holes in the community and shifting curriculum, moving scheduled classes to accommodate volunteered skill shares offered at the moment, or giving yourself space for personal self care. We will have a system in place to make these moment to moment changes and to communicate it to the larger event organization. The system is designed for it, be empowered to take advantage of it.
When am I doing my thing? A Rolling Schedule and Vibe Check
When you are teaching classes you should know that Recess plans to be 15 minutes behind all posted time. Our system is dependent on participants being present for announcements, so we plan "on time, 15 minutes behind" so that people are present and are thus involved. We also run all of our night time parties and special events on "vibe checks." This means that we transition venues on times like "cold - 30," or 30 minutes after the cold is starting to chase people away from the party. Our announcements happen at "Brunch Critical Mass," or when the most people are present at the Brunch meal. Know that when you are on stack to DJ that you must be present most of that evening to be sure that you are there at the right time. You can also always check in with the organizer in charge of DJ wrangling to ask what to expect for the night. Every night is different.
How We Make Decisions: How To Get Plugged In and Stay Informed
On the event site, every morning we make the big decisions on what is happening for that specific day. We have a morning meeting of all committee heads or "Spokes" at our Spokes Council Meeting. The time for the next day's meeting will be posted on the organizer board the day before. If you want to know what is happening feel free to join the meeting, otherwise all changes and outcomes of the meeting will be posted on the organizer board.
Being A Leader: Utilizing Your Social Capital
We are very careful and deliberate with the people we decide to give space to at our events, a.k.a. the people we "hire" or invite into our team. We very much know that in giving you a visible role of authority at a Recess that you become a leader and a lived example of what this community will become. We expect you to uphold respectful language and behavior with all bodies, ages, races, sexuality, and genders. This means checking all assumptions, "ism's," oppressive habits, jokes, and judgement at the door. We know that it is hard work to change things we learned as children, behaving in inclusive ways has been challenging for all of us at times. But you must know that you will be held accountable to your actions and how they effect others. While Recess is flexible about most all things, being respectful and inclusive in real ways is one where we have hard line expectations.
What are we looking for in our MP3J (DJed music) sets?
Recess is looking for everything that falls under the category of "good music to move to." We love Blues, Funk, Soul, R&B, New Orleans Jazz, Latin Pop, Dancehall, Glitch Hop, Electro Pop, the list is endless. We particularly like rhythmic-centered music. Probably the only thing we are not super stoked on are "cheesy" (trying too hard and inauthentic) or bad music. We are looking for DJs that are present for the event and can play what they feel will make the moment pop. That may be an acoustic Blues set at 4am after an entire night DJs playing EDM, or a Dance Party set to keep the dance floor warm when the mountain temperature drops. Be prepared for anything and everything. We are also not looking for a set full of "scene favorites." If we know most of the songs and/or artists in your set, while it may be great music, its not what Recess is striving for. We want music that draws people to the floor because they can't help it, not because they know it. If you are interested in putting your name in the hat for Recess in general or a specific event, send Justin a prospective DJ set (Soundcloud.com, Spotify.com, or Youtube.com all work) at [email protected] with a list of events you are interested in DJing for. Currently we like to offer MP3Js (DJs) between 2 to 3, 60-90 minute sets, for a standard Thrus - Monday event, and more for longer events. Our standard compensation currently is free entrance, vegetarian meals, and beds at bed-rich venues. If DJs what meat meal tickets they will have to purchase their own.
Recess Organizer Ticket Exchange
As a giant "Thank You" to other community organizers in our community as well as an attempt to get organizers to more community events, Recess offers a ticket exchanges to other organizers. If you would like to exchange entrance to something that you organize for a Recess event, contact us at [email protected] with what feels like a comparable exchange and the Recess event you would like a ticket to and we will get back to you about the exchange.
