Wide Awake Radio | Ep. 007 | DanceSafe & Zendo Project
For the seventh episode of Wide Awake Radio, we sat down with DanceSafe’s Kristin Karas and Zendo Project’s Ryan Jay Beauregard to speak about issues following the dance music community since it’s outset. From risk assessment to safe havens, governmental oversight to police mediation, drug taboos and stereotypes, and more, these two experienced harm reduction professionals lay it all out candidly on the table. Above all, Karas and Beauregard open up an honest dialogue for both entry-level festival-goers and deep-in-the-lifestyle dance music fanatics to (re)assess their lifestyle choices, their response rate to emergency situations, and their open-mindedness to an issue that’s been a conundrum for all festi-heads since the 1960s.
Kristin Karas is the Director of Operations for DanceSafe, a widely respected public health organization known for promoting health and safety within the nightlife and electronic music community. Founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1998, DanceSafe has been held up by the community for their open-minded approaches to harm reduction and peer-based, popular education. Armed with a Bachelor’s Degree in public health, with a concentration in community health, from East Carolina University, Karas is equipped to deal with the many risks associated with “rave drugs” that are prevalent across our community.
Ryan Jay Beauregard operates in a similar vein for Zendo Project, a non-profit organization that continually demonstrates that safe, productive psychedelic experiences are possible without the need for law enforcement-based prohibitionist policies. Bringing a BA in Psychology from Claremont McKenna College, Beauregard has shown a continued commitment to intrapersonal healing continued with his involvement in permaculture, natural building, and ancestral grief rituals throughout his ten-year tenure in the field.
Together, these two harm reduction specialists show listeners that “fighting the good fight” isn’t about fighting at all. It’s about listening and awareness of one another’s needs, especially in times of real awakening and psychological realization. To put it simply, the best thing one can do for themselves in these times is turn to the professionals, who will show you love and acceptance to an extent that not even your closest festival family may be equipped to show you.
Wide Awake Radio | Ep. 007 | DanceSafe & Zendo Project
Wide Awake Radio is a podcast series that features emerging and established artists within the EDM community with a thought-provoking format to encourage conscious listening. Got a story you want to share? Hit us up on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #WideAwakeRadio, or email us at music@consciouselectronic.com. We want to hear from you!
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Information seeker. Dog lover. PhD drop out. College professor by day, EDM photographer by night.
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