Our volunteers make our world go round. Do they feel appreciated, taken advantage of, or even prepared? Join Pragmatically Kinking and their panelists to find out. This panel is for volunteers, event organizers, presenters, and anyone else that wants to learn more. Together we will ask the tough questions and hear about failures and successes. How should volunteers be compensated for their labor? How should we treat volunteers? All this and so much more!
Panelist Bio - Shaan Lashun
Shaan Lashun (they/he) creates resources to support sex workers, kinksters, and queer and trans people of color. He’s co-founder of Molly House Project, the organizer behind Virtual Bootblack Jam, and a consultant with Reframe Health & Justice. He’s worked with organizations and presented conferences nationwide, including the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference, NYC Department of Health, Grindr for Equality, the George Washington University, and the US Conference on AIDS. Lurk his thoughts and doings at https://www.shaanlashun.com.
Panelist Bios - Team Soup
We are Team Soup! Perverts who really like to do dirty soupy things. We are dedicated to having fun and laughter within our lives. We are committed to a leather lifestyle, M/s and heavy play.
Polar is a sadist with a creative sense of humor and a passion for finding new ways to do mean things with a smile. His play and workshops lean towards the edgier styles of play; knives, hatchets, rough body play and bare-handed impact, and blood play to name a few. Polar is the Master, Owner, Daddy and partner of nephesh. She is his collared property and together.
nephesh is The Tentacle, a Wonder Woman and His bratty pitbull . nephesh is a heavy
masochist and smart-ass who thrives on pain, blood and fleeting amounts of consent. nephesh is the devoted property of Polar.
Together we are Team Soup!
Panelist Bio - blueberry
blueberry (she/they) is a queer, service-oriented, Relationship Anarchist, who approaches service-based endeavors with sincere intention towards ease, pleasure, and convenience. In the absence of a sunshiney disposition, blueberry has a sincere focus on self-development and unwavering awareness.
As property, blueberry aims their focus on being useful and pleasing in their service; they particularly enjoy mixing the sacred with profane and practicing filthy acts in refined atmospheres.
As an active community member since 2014, blueberry enjoys bringing their professional experience to the table by providing comprehensive and thorough attention to her service based endeavors.
Providing the community with a beyond-the-surface level of awareness is where blueberry thrives. By bringing a litany of intersectionality to the table as a neurodivergent, poverty surviving, person of color, blueberry does their best to inform through experience and introspection.
blueberry has served many entities over the years, and is currently a proud member of the founding team for the Service Oriented Conference as Volunteer Director.
Panelist Bio - Scout
Scout, International Mr. Bootblack 2014, is a man with a passion for all things boots and leather-related. A founding member of the PDX Bootblacks and a self-identified sadist, Sir, Handler, and Bootblack, Scout has been building the leather community for almost 20 years. Winning the first of his four bootblacking titles in 2006, Scout travels all over North America spreading his enthusiasm to others. He is Brown, Disabled, Intersex, Gay, Trans, Neurodivergent, and Jewish. Scout is committed to making the leather world accessible and welcoming to people like him. He Is one of the producers of Kinky Queer Weekend an event dedicated to centering those often found on the edges of the community. Leather, boots, bondage, ball-busting, fisting, and roughhousing are just the sexy tip of the iceberg with Scout. In his free time he can be found hiking, camping, going on road trips, working in his leather family, and bootblacking!