A loud shout out to those who attended the first Wanderer’s Exchange. It was a vibrant collaboration and we will have many more. The Wanderer’s Exchange is the #1 way to make sure your voice is heard about future Skooliepaloozas. This first virtual gathering was about the Arizona but there will be others for Utah, PNW and just general get connected sessions. You can watch the unedited video recording of the Wanderer’s Exchange here.
We have some results from the 2024 Survey. We had a total of 115 people respond to the survey. Of those that responded the average number of Skooliepalooza events they attended was 1.55. Which is awesome because we were able to receive feedback from people who have been to more than one.
We all want friends
The #1 reason that people wanted to attend Skooliepalooza AZ was to meet other nomads with 81 total responses. Unfortunately, we also had a significant number of people (34) who were concerned with safety, especially around unleashed dogs, sanitation, and to a lesser degree drug use and unwanted interactions. Lastly, we had a small number of people concerned that we are going to make the Arizona event a paid event (12) or that BLM would shut us down.
Unleashed dogs
Unleashed dogs are illegal in Arizona. The majority of Skooliepalooza is not held on public land (BLM) but on private land, via Arizona Trust. If you are going to attend Skooliepalooza AZ, leash your dog.
General Safety and BLM
Sanitation is a big concern and was discussed in the Wanderer’s Exchange. While the organizers didn’t order the porta-potties, they were illegal. That isn’t to say it wasn’t a good thing to do, we think it was. You can not legally pull in a dumpster, porta potties, sell services or publish the location of the event publicly without a Special Land Use Permit which we are currently trying to acquire. You also can’t do any of these on BLM land without a permit.
Paid event
Skooliepalooza AZ is a free event.
Drug use and unwanted interactions
Rule #1: Be Nice. The organizers do not care what you do with your body. However, If what you are doing is causing unwanted interactions or a feeling of insecurity to other attendees, you are not welcome.
Thank you to all that attended the Wanderer’s Exchange. We will be posting about the next opportunity to join and collaborate soon!