The 40up community
There is so much that makes the 40up Facebook group such a special place. After seeing how the group interacts and to witness the vibe over time, I believe we have ascended from a mere Facebook group to a community.
Even though we have grown considerably, with currently (Aug 2023) over 7500 members plus 100ish new members a week, the group still feels as close knit as in the early days.
New members
It starts the moment someone is approved and enters the group. It seems to be the equivalent to clearing security at an event and walking in to see and feel the energy for the first time.
It’s typically not long before many introduce themselves, show pictures of recent events, thank us for adding them and say how happy and/or thankful they are to have found us. When a new member introduces themselves, the group is always responsive in a very kind and supportive way.
Our Admins and Moderators are very involved, well known with the group, and also welcome our new members. New members get to know our leadership from early on and realize we’re just like them, plus have responsibilities to the group.
If they ask about others near them or going to an event, the group quickly responds. This is a large contributor to so many friendships being made so quickly. People who thought they were alone in their scene discover that they have peers nearby. It’s such a wonderful game changer for so many.
Group support
Before you can understand how unique and supportive we are, you first have to grasp a core dynamic of our group.
Many of our members have either recently discovered the electronic culture or have been away for many years adulting. So, while we all have a wealth of life experience, many may have only experienced a small glimpse of current Rave culture.
Imagine discovering or rediscovering something you truly love to find that almost everyone is half to a third your age. You have children as or older than your fellow Ravers. It can be daunting and cause you to be a bit timid and uncomfortable.
A common question newer members ask is what is appropriate to wear to events “at our age”. The consensus is to wear what you want and members post pictures of how they go to events. Even though the scene has changed over the years, it’s still a judgement free zone to express yourself however you want. Want to dress comfy and conservative; cool. Want to join the modern lingerie look; go for it. Wear.WTF.You.Want!
All of a sudden, you have someone who was apprehensive about going to an event hyped up to go and thankful for all of the support. Once they return, they typically post pictures at the event, tell how wonderful of a time they had, and thank everyone for the encouragement. It’s always a wonderful sight to see.
Friendships
Once members settle in and start interacting with the group, you can see the friendships begin. I can’t even imagine how many online and real life friendships have been made because of the 40up group. I’m sure it’s a staggering number.
It seems that friendships happen so naturally amongst our members because they share similar energies and not just locations. So many resemble long lost friends who are now magically reunited. As leadership, it warms our hearts to see this aspect of our group.
Connecting fellow older Ravers was, and always will be, the building block of our group; period!
Meeting in real life
Another thing that keeps us so close knit is everyone’s desire and excitement to meet other members in real life. Members are always asking if anyone is going to a particular event and if the group has a meetup planned. Depending on the event, typically large festivals, the response can get really high and we try to plan group meets.
Unless it’s a small local/regional event, there are typically other members going too. We have grown to the point that we have members in most all areas of the US. So the chances of someone else going is getting higher every day and we are so happy for that.
Our vibe
To understand the 40up vibe and energy, you first have to realize how seriously our leadership team values PLUR in the group. To them, it’s not a phrase or symbol but a way of life. Plus, our membership self polices like we did in the early days.
Our Admins and Mods screen every member request and are adamant about maintaining a calm respectful vibe in the group. They’re extremely selective and becoming a member is somewhat of a big deal.
So far, it’s worked out very well in creating an open loving environment for our members.
Members, whether new or OGs of the group, all feel safe to express themselves and interact with others. While being supportive of each other, our members, many times, will be the first to take action if a “situation” arises.
In, now 2 years, we’ve had less then half a dozen dumpster fire posts that I can remember. When one does start, our members not only DM a leader or report it to leadership, they, many times, smack the offender(s) with a PLUR stick first.
It’s amazing, as a leader, to look through the comments of said post and see how our members maintain PLUR while putting an offender in their place. It almost feels as good as a parent proudly watching their munchkin handle a tense situation.