Organizing a ride in Australia

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A message from the WNBR Australia Coordinator

Thank you

WNBR Australia welcomes interest by everyone who would like to organise a World Naked Bike Ride event. Thanks for taking an interest.

Becoming an Organiser for the WNBR in Australia is something you need to consider. It is a fun and rewarding experience but requires some dedication and work. Everyone who wants to help promote WNBR is always welcome. You could print some flyers for the coming event and give them out among your friends etc. http://wiki.worldnakedbikeride.org/index.php?title=Australia#Publicity:_flyers.2C_posters.2C_images_etc or invite your friends to join the relevant facebook group.

As WNBR Australian Coordinator I would like that people who volunteer to be Organisers are going to make a fair contribution and understand what is expected. It is easy and fun to organise a ride. If you have participated in a WNBR before it is a good start. There is an introduction to the role.

There are some rules and requirements

Also see the Organising a ride page.

• I would like you to convince yourself that you are committed to the task and have some organising skills. Have you done any organising for a community group or organised an event before? Apart from guidance from the advice on this and the other official website, other organisers (past and present) can support and mentor you if you proceed. Please agree to give your cooperation including timely communication if you seek the guidance or support of one of these mentors.
• WNBR Organisers succeed when they have the ability to gain the support of like minded groups and people. The ability to find helpers in your role is important. Are you active in any related community groups?
• WNBR Organisers need to live in or close to the city where they are planning their ride. Do you live in or near the city or town where you would like to organise a ride?
• WNBR is a free grassroots event that never demands money from the participants or seeks endorsement or sponsorship from commercial entities. It is not a fundraiser. Local rides may raise money through the sale of T-Shirts, (calendars, stubbie holders and the like) and/or ask for strictly voluntary donations to offset costs associated with promotion (like photocopy and printing costs for posters and flyers). Some rides have the support of local, grassroots organisations. WNBR is organised by volunteers.
• WNBR events are held in public places (not nudist resorts or private property). Ideally, the WNBR goes through the main street of town as part of the route. Spectators are not charged to watch either.
• WNBR is not an invitation only event. The assembly place for the ride, the time and date are publicised widely on all promotional materials and websites.
• WNBR Organisers must make a sincere effort to publicise the ride in their city.
• Decide the time, date and assembly location for their event. Do this early and publicise these details on all possible media.
• WNBR Organisers must be able to ride a bike well and be regular bike riders. An exception to this rule occurs in circumstances where rides such as Canberra have a tradition of many participants skating on roller blades and roller skates and it would not invalidate the candidacy of potential Organiser if they were a skilled skater.
• WNBR has a policy of non-discrimination and everyone is welcome to participate.
• WNBR is non-sexual and overt displays of a sexual nature are forbidden.
• WNBR is a protest event with the following Mission Statement:

"We face automobile traffic with our naked bodies as the best way of defending our dignity and exposing the unique dangers faced by cyclists and pedestrians plus all the negative effects of oil, cars, war, consumerism and non-renewable energy."
Which is pretty wide and allows individuals to express their particular passion with signs, flags, chants, slogans and body paint on the ride. Please notice that positive body image and having fun being naked or other weak excuses for exhibitionism are not included in the protest themes.

• Riders are encouraged to body paint themselves but this is not compulsory. Organisers can provide the materials for this or allow busking body and face painters to do it and accept donations to offset costs.
• The event is clothing optional rather than nakedness being compulsory. Individual participants are left to decide how much or how little clothing they wear. No one is pressured to wear more or less than they want to.
• WNBR Australia and International does not indemnify participants in the event against accidents or arrest. Organisers should be aware of the laws that could affect the rides within the legal jurisdiction of the ride, communicate this information to participants plus plan strategies to protect the health and welfare of riders.
• Only human powered wheeled transport is allowed (bikes, tandems, roller blades, roller skates, scooters, unicycles and the like) as the event protests against oil and powered vehicles. Some rides allow joggers to join (it is a protest for the rights of pedestrians too) but it is rather impractical because they are the slowest.
• Organisers are encouraged to get photos of the event and hold a post ride party.
• Organisers are responsible for producing a poster and flyer for their local event, updating the page on this wiki for their town and the list of rides in particular the time, date and assembly location for their event.
• Deadlines apply to the initiation of rides in locations that have not held a ride in previous years or have lost their Organisers from the previous year(s) (through retirement etc.). Coordinators in the United Kingdom apply a similar rule. The reason for this requirement is that a new or re-starting ride has a very poor chance of being a success with less than 6 weeks before the ride date to be properly organised and promoted. Typically the media start giving the WNBR publicity in the last couple of weeks before the event and although this encourages many people to ask about the opportunity to have a WNBR in their new location, in practice it does not work but they are more than welcome to volunteer to organise for the following year.

So, can you consider the rules and requirements please. You need to convince yourself and your peers that you are willing and capable.

If you are convinced you want to become an Organiser, I can give you some moderator powers over the WNBR Yahoo! group and/or Facebook group (appropiate to your city/town) so that you could approve messages that are posted to the group etc. The Yahoo! group and Facebook groups will be responsible for 5% or less of the participants that attend a WNBR. Any idea that the group is the key to the fortunes of a successful ride is a recipe for dissaster.

Thanks again for your interest.

Yours truly naked in two wheeled protest,

Marte Kinder
World Naked Bike Ride Australia Founder and First National Coordinator

email: [email protected]
website: http://australia.worldnakedbikeride.org/index.html

Discussion group/s

See the page for the city or town.

Note

Marte Kinder has stepped back from the role of full time WNBR Australia Coorinator increasingly from 2012 due to other commitments. Marte Kinder does not take responsibility for the organisation, planning and execution of any of the other cities and towns in Australia. Organisers need to continue to hold the confidence and support of their city/town riders and helpers and use democratic and consultative methods to make decisions that affect their rides.