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PEERS — Placement's Exploration & Engagement Research Squad — is a Placement volunteer team that celebrates theme camps and gathers neighborhood-level observations across Black Rock City. The name is deliberate: "peer" means "of equal standing." Squaddies aren't inspectors — they're fellow citizens spending a few shifts spreading joy and listening to camp leads.

Volunteers (known as Squaddies) visit every theme camp in pairs during 3-hour shifts, Monday through Friday, between 8am and 10pm. Each visit has three jobs: celebrate the camp and the people who built it, listen to how their placement experience went, and observe the neighborhood — including a few photos. Tablet surveys keep the questions consistent; training is provided.

What PEERS hears feeds straight back into Placement's camp files, helping the team assemble better neighborhoods year after year. Anything urgent gets escalated on-playa to Rangers, Camp Support, or Placement leadership. Anyone can volunteer — new Burners, veterans, camp organizers. We're looking for friendly, respectful, curious people who are willing to collaborate, stay objective, and have a good time doing it.

To read more about the PEERS program — what we do, who we are, and how to get involved — visit the PEERS page on burningman.org. Past PEERS Population Reports are still linked under the Reports tab for background reading.

Questions, comments, or want to volunteer? Reach the team at peers@burningman.org or use the Contact form in the tablet menu.