What exactly do guardians do? Guardian / Gatherings Date: Dec 12, 2003 - 05:10 PM Answer: "Guardians... --each Guardian is scheduled to work one 8-hour shift per day. There are three shifts per day; 8am-4pm, 4pm - Midnight, Midnight to 8am. Generally, there are two Guardians scheduled per shift to ensure complete coverage of the site and to act as "back-up" to one another, should the need arise... --when not officially "on-shift", each Guardian is expected to be "on-call" the remaining 16 hours per day, in the event of an emergency... as a result, all Guardians must be legally sober at all times during an event, even when officially "off-shift"... --if there are at least 8 Guardians working an event, then each Guardian gets one "off day"... if there are less than 8 Guardians working an event, then generally each one works 8 hours per day for 5 straight days, with no "off-day". --though Guardians are only required to work 8 hours a day, each of us has stories of the 12, 18, or even 24 hour-plus shifts worked when an issue occurred and had to be attended... working more than 8 hours a day is actively discouraged by the Guardian Coordinator, but sometimes the longer hours can not be avoided (as anyone with any law enforcement, EMS/medical, or fire rescue training is well-aware)... --much of what a Guardian does is walk and observe. We are paying attention to: Group dynamnics, potential safety hazards, illegal behavior, folks in need of a helping hand... --we are often the first ones on the scene of any medical emergency; we are also the ones called when someone's child is missing, someone is intoxicated and creating a hazard, a couple is having a domestic-dispute moment, someone can't sleep because of the drumming, or for any other type of inter-personal societal complaint or concern... --we are the ones that interface with the local law enforcement when they come to investigate a noise complaint... --we are the ones that interface with the local "cowans/mundane" when they come to "party with the naked Satanists"... --we are the ones that escort off-site those who sneak in for their own selfish reasons... --we are the additional bodies that assist other Staff members, in particular, Medical and Site... --we offer a shoulder to those who need to shed tears... we offer a hand to those who need a comforting touch... we offer a heart to those who need a moment of strength... --we also stock the bathrooms with toilet paper (when Site is running crazy)... pick up trash... haul firewood... dig ditches... whatever needs doing... --we run through camp screaming "Guardians running A-muck -- a-muck, a-muck, a-muck" and leading the community in the "Warrior's Chant" ("when in danger, or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!") during Opening Ritual, just for the fun of it and to bring laughter to others -- at our own expense -- because it makes us happy when our community is happy... --we also set Wards prior to an event -- magical shields designed to assist the Guardians in providing quality care to the community that we love and serve... --our work is voluntary... we work in the daylight and in the dark... when the sun is shining and when the tornadoes are touching down... when folks love us and pet us, and when folks throw fists and make threats... To answer the question, "Do we need Guardians?"... I ask this question in return, for society, in general... Do we need EMS? Do we need forest rangers? Do we need law enforcement officers? Do we need firefighters? Do we need game wardens? Do we need military personnel? Do we need sanitation workers? Do we need road maintenance workers? The Guardians and Staff fulfill for the neo-pagan community that we serve the same types of functions that the jobs listed above fulfill for the greater mundane community, of which we are all a part... If there comes a time when we, as a society, no longer needs... ...someone to respond to our 9-11 call... someone to respond to the threat of a bear in a campsite... someone to stop the "bad guy" from hurting us... someone to keep the fire from destroying all that we hold dear... someone to stop the poacher from killing an endangered species... someone to leave his/her home and family for months just to ensure that the rest of us can stay home with our own families safely... someone else to pick up our trash by the curb at 5:30 in the morning... someone else to work out in the broiling sun to fill the potholes in the road.... Well then... at that time in human development, we will no longer need Guardians and Staff... or folks who fulfill the same functions as Guardians and/or Staff, even if they don't label themselves as such.... Rowan Another in a series of articles that Rowan is contributing concerning guardians. In an efforet to collect a comprehensive set of information about Guardians and Guardian activities This article comes from Phoenix Phamily - Supporting the Phoenix festivals community http://www.phoenixfestivals.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.phoenixfestivals.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=311