Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls

I'm volunteering at camp this week so posts are going to be slow. Every year I use my vacation time to take a week off and spend it rocking out with a bunch of girls at rock camp.

I can't say enough about how awesome this place is. The whole mission of the camp is to "build girls' self esteem through the creation of music." To give girls a voice, because too often we are told to be quiet, to be ladylike, to subdue ourselves. By allowing these girls to get loud and have a voice we're giving them the power to make social change, because how can anything ever be different, better, without being talked (or better yet shouted) about?

Girls form bands and write a song with their band in one week (the length of a camp session). On the Saturday following the session there is a showcase where each band performs for an audience made up of 700-800 of their closest friends and family, as well as anyone else who wants to come see the show. Each girl signs up to learn an instrument at camp and while she doesn't have to actually play that instrument in her band if she chooses not to, she does take two hours each day of instrument instruction. They can choose between keys, guitar, bass, drums, vocals, and one session each summer there is also a hip-hop elements class where the girls can learn turntables and how to mix and cut tracks. Each day of camp there is a workshop and at some point during the week each girl will participate in self defense, screenprinting, songwriting, zine making, and a workshop on image and identity. There's tons more fun that goes on but really it could take me days to explain. Here's the link to the camp's site if you're interested: http://www.girlsrockcamp.org/main/

Besides being an awesome place for campers it is the most unique place I have ever been in regards to interactions between grown women. Everyone is accepted and accepting. There's no judgment and it's all about respect. All the volunteers are so varied in every aspect, it's really magical to watch all these different women come together and have a passion for the same cause.

There was also a documentary made about the camp. It's called Girls Rock! Here's a trailer. I highly advise everyone to find it somewhere and watch it. Like, now.



Oh, by the way, this camp was around way before that Disney movie with the Jonas Brothers.