Mission Control is your community more than you may even realize. Each of you creates this community through your financial contributions, volunteer efforts, and participation. The community and events are a reflection of your standards, values, acceptance, generosity, and good cheer.

The PAL System

As your community, Mission Control engages you to be responsible to and support each other. Rather than relying on "party police," every person who participates in an event is encouraged to manage their own behaviors and to encourage awesome behavior in others. When people have a friend to support them at an event, everyone tends to be more at ease and better able to navigate and negotiate responsibly. In order to help maintain a safe, playful, and responsible playspace, we use an approach called the PAL system (Pervy Activity Liaison). Whatever your gender, if you want to come to most events at Mission Control the following rules apply:

Please arrive & leave with a trusted friend (not necessarily a date) as your PAL.
Your PAL can be the same gender, a different gender or even a couple or a group.
You are responsible for your PAL's behavior and they are responsible for yours!
You can't PAL someone you don't know. You must know them and trust them.
If either of you violate consent or the event agreements, you will both be held responsible.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to be a PAL?

You and your PAL need to know each other well enough that you have an idea of each other's character enough to say "yes, I trust that this person will be a good and trustworthy event attendee." Arrive together and make sure you and your PAL understand the event agreements. PALs should plan how to best support each other, how often to check in, and when they will leave. PALs are required to leave together.

How can I be a great PAL?

PALs can expand their conversation to the things that will help them be very supportive of each other. Anticipate difficulties such as feeling awkward and shy, or drinking. The best PALs will bravely give each other feedback if one is "overdoing it" or being a wallflower, and will be gracious in paying attention to feedback. If your PAL is having a difficult time keeping the event agreements, do what you need to do to stop the problem behavior and don't be afraid to ask for help from the event staff! You can often easily support a PAL by just doing things together: attend a playshop, dance, meet new people, go for a walk around the space or visit the garden. Make a point of introducing your PAL to the people you meet and include them in your conversations. When PALs are doing these things they become not just good PALs to each other, but great event attendees!

I am a single guy. Can my PAL be another single guy?

YES! As long as you know and trust them, you can testify to their good character and agree to keep an eye on each other, your PAL can be any gender.

We are a couple and we have a single friend--can we bring them with us?

YES! Please do!

I am a single female. Do I really need to bring a PAL?

YES! They can be another person of any gender, a couple, or a group.

I am a single guy. Am I welcome?

YES! You and your PAL are very welcome! Please be respectful, understand and follow the event agreements, meet the event dress code, and participate creatively.

I am a genderqueer/non-binary person. Am I welcome?

YES! People of all genders, identities, and sexualities are very very welcome at Mission Control events.

Can I meet someone online, arrive with them, and then go off and party?

NO! You must know your PAL, be able to testify to their good character, and trust them. To come to the event with someone you don't know and trust is disrespectful to our community and compromises the safety of the event and the other attendees. And when you try to circumvent the PAL system, and even when you do not stay in contact with your PAL, you are not being responsible to and with them, nor can you help to keep each other responsible to the event.

What if I am new in town, single and don't know anyone?

Check out our facebook group, come to an event that does not require a PAL like a Volunteer Day, take classes or join a support group or go to munches for your kink or identity--make some new friends and invite them to come with you to our events. Invite someone from your life who is willing to try out something new and different--your agreement with them can be "let's check it out and if either of us is uncomfortable we'll leave." Whoever your PAL is, make sure you get to know them before you bring them to an event as your PAL. You MUST know and trust your PAL.

Can I make last minute plans, call my friend who is already there, and get them to meet me at the door and be my PAL?

YES! As long as they can meet you at the door when you arrive or let the front door staff know to expect you. DO NOT expect our volunteers to go in and find them!

If I arrive 15 minutes before my PAL can I hang out till they arrive?

YES! But we will ask you to wait at the entrance so that you are there when they arrive.

Can I come with a group of three or more PALs?

YES! As long as the first two arrive together, all agree to support and be responsible for each other, and the last two leave together.

Why do you require that PALs leave together?

The PAL system is in place so that all PALs have someone to support them, stay in touch with them through the event, and be responsible for each other. This goes from the time you arrive until you both leave. How would you be responsible for and to another person if one of you is not there?

The ONLY way you can leave without your PAL is if you really trust them to be responsible AND make an agreement with someone else to support them as their PAL after you leave.

What happens if my PAL misbehaves?

The best way to resolve and prevent inappropriate behavior is for you and your PAL to check-in throughout the event, before things get out of hand. As the person's PAL you have an agreement to be responsible to each other and the event, so your feedback can help correct possible problems early. Often just mentioning what you observe and gently talking about it will make a difference early on: "Hey, you hit the sauce a little hard, let's have some water and take a walk to sober up, ok?" or "Your flirting isn't getting you anywhere with this person, let's go do something else for a while."

When an inappropriate behavior is noticed or reported, someone from the event team will talk to your PAL and will find you and talk to you. Consequences will be appropriate to the level of the problem.

Will I get kicked out if my PAL misbehaves?

You might. So help your PAL be an awesome and respectful guest!

Questions? Email us !