Hello GRC friends and family,

In this time when we are living update to update, we wanted to let you know what we are up to. GRC has canceled all in-person events through May including Rock Roulette. We hope that together we can flatten the curve of new cases soon enough for Youth Summer Rock Camp, but only time will tell. We are planning full steam ahead, including accepting volunteer and camper applications.

We are staying curious about ways of building community, staying connected, and leveraging all of our resources to support one another. We are reaching out to volunteers and workshop leaders to find new ways to bring GRC home to you. Be on the lookout for live streaming video lessons and more.

We have moved our Gear and Rummage Sale online – follow us on Facebook to join the auction.

WE ARE GRATEFUL BEYOND WORDS TO OUR SUSTAINERS, WHOSE MONTHLY DONATIONS ARE THE REASON WE CAN CONTINUE OUR WORK. YOU PROVIDE THE ESSENTIAL RESOURCES WE’LL NEED TO GET THROUGH THIS MOMENT, AND WE DON’T KNOW WHERE WE’D BE WITHOUT YOU.

We know it’s a difficult time, and every donation—no matter the amount— means we’re more prepared to serve our community as the needs shift. Thanks for your continued support.

As a staff, we can’t begin to know what direction our organization will need to take to navigate the coming weeks and months. As we explore new ways of supporting our communities, let’s focus on staying healthy, protecting each other, and keeping the songs of our hearts turned all the way up.

We are all in uncharted territory, but we trust the principles of our work to guide our decisions as we move forward.We would love to hear from you!

Reach out with suggestions and tell us how you’re rocking at home.

Yours in Rock,

GRC Staff

VOLUNTEER & SUPPORTER SHOWCASE

March 28, 2015

We think our volunteers and supporters are rock stars! It’s time we get them onstage!

Women 18+

No music experience necessary!

Applications are closed, and that means Girls Rock Columbia is even closer to rolling into  our second year of summer camp!

This year’s camp will take place on July 21st – July 25th. As you know, our one-week long day camp exists to foster a community of girls ages 8-17 through music, performance, and various workshops. The program specifically encourages an environment that cultivates self-confidence, challenges gender stereotypes, promotes positive female relationships, creativity, and leadership.

In honor of Mother’s Day coming up on May 11th, we are asking our community to donate in honor of their mother, or a mother figure in their lives. Donate any amount between now and Mother’s Day and share your story with us about how a mother has touched your life.

At Girls Rock Columbia we seek to empower women through mentorship and by providing role models; something we believe all mothers provide. What better way to honor a mother in your life, than by sharing her amazing story with our young campers! 

Here’s a story from one of our organizers and music instructors, Molly, about her Mom and how she influenced her:

“My mom is the person who thought I should have a guitar. She put me on a path (around the time this photo was taken) that I have never left. This summer Girls Rock Columbia is going to be working with a lot more girls – we have grown! We are a volunteer army of ladies who want to help your daughters experience this thing that is getting up and playing your own song. We are going to need a lot of microphones and guitars and drums and more! This Mother’s Day, any donation you can make (in honor of a mom-figure who encouraged you to follow your dream), helps us keep inspiring each other.”

Molly and her Mom

Make a donation online (https://girlsrockcolumbia.org/) and share your story with us through social media.

Donate to Girls Rock Columbia in honor of your mom this week, make it your gift to her because camp will impart to our girls so many of the things that she has imparted to you, and to let her know how much she rocks.

Until next time, Rock On.

Love,

Girls Rock

Camper applications have been rolling in here at GRC and we cannot be more excited about what we are seeing! We are counting down the days until all our campers meet and form their bands for the very first time.

One of the most important parts of camp is not only music instruction, but our educational workshops. Our super cool workshops are held in 45 minutes sessions twice a day during camp. Our workshops focus on many areas of arts education, female empowerment, and what it takes to be in a band. These workshops are each proposed by women in our community who are willing to volunteer their time and energy for our camps and have years of experience working in these areas. Instructors are welcome to stay for lunch with campers and watch the rocking bands who play each day before the workshops start!

This year we will have a total of 8 workshops, and while the proposals have started rolling in, we need more! Do you have a great idea for camp? Send us a proposal for a workshop by using our form here.

Last year’s workshops included stage presence, self defense, vocal instruction, women in history, screen printing, zine making, dance, and rock photography. Think of a proposal that fits into one of these areas or think of a totally new area to teach our young campers
! We can’t wait to see what you all have to come up with. If you have any questions, send us a shout our way at hello@ed6.349.myftpupload.com.

Counselor Jamie instructs campers during a zine making workshop.

Counselor Mollie teaches campers how to kick butt during a self defense workshop!

Have you heard the news? Yes, it’s true our camper registration forms for our second year of camp (July 21st- July 25) have launched! (Find them here!)

We’ve  kicked it into high gear to make this year’s camp the best it can be. We are looking to grow camp from our 17 campers of last year, to 40 campers this year. And growing the number of campers we have this year means we have to grow our gear! 

Last year our amazing campers formed 5 bands, and it was only through the outpouring of generosity from our community that we had enough guitars, basses, keyboards and drum kits to help each of our fledgling artists preform their original songs for the first time. While some of the gear was donated to our organization other items were loaned out from working musicians for the week of camp.

Campers rocked out with a variety of gear loaned or donated from the Columbia musician community- like this crazy cool Mortal Kombat themed drum kit!

Hosting 40 campers means that this year we get to form 10 bands! So what do we need this year to help 40 campers rock all week long?

This year we will need:

Camp consoler, Diana rocking out the Mortal Kombat kit during assembly at 2013’s camp.

This year the GRC team has been working non-stop to make 2014’s camp even better then last year’s. It’ll be a hard task, but we are ready to do it!

Getting ready for camp doesn’t mean waiting patiently until July. We’ve been out and about getting Columbia excited about another inspiring year of Girls Rock goodness. Here’s the highlight reel of where we’ve been and what we’ve been up to so far in 2014.

January found us getting back to our Riot Grrl roots with a screening of The Punk Singer at the Nickelodeon Theater. Members of Haus Werk and Those Lavender Whales (forming Haus Whales for the night) opened the evening exploring the story of Bikini Kill singer, Kathleen Hanna, and the Riot Grrl movement. Following the documentary, a panel of musicians and scholars led a rousing discussion with the audience. The night was another great opportunity to connect with the community and further GRC’s educational mission.

Top: Haus Whales rocking some Bikini Kill tunes for the crowd.  Bottom: Panel made up of past GRC counselors, teachers and musicians. Right: a killer poster for the screening of The Punk Singer, the Kathleen Hanna Story.

With the start of spring Girls Rock got the chance to march in the annual Mardi Gras Parade as part of the Mardi Gras Queen’s court. Volunteers, musicians, past campers and parents got to reconnect and march the parade route with the rest of the community.

Campers and Volunteers made signs and banners to celebrate Girls Rock in the Mardi Gras Parade!

A great day to march with campers and friends at Mardi Gras!

Friend and longtime supporter of GRC, Jasper Magazine, welcomed GRC as a beneficiary of their latest magazine release celebrating Women’s History month. Girls Rock organized talented female musicians to perform that night and debuted our brand new photo booth!

Ladies who rock at the Jasper release party- from left to right: Jade Blocker, The Prairie Willows, Beth Dickerson, and Stefanie Santana

GRC organizers rocking out in the photo both! Join us in the booth this spring to take your best rock photo!

While we were busy in town this spring, three of our dedicated volunteers and organizers made the trek up to Philadelphia to join other Girls Rock Camp representatives at the annual Girls Rock Camp Alliance Conference. The organizers had the opportunity to learn from other camp organizers, musicians and volunteers from across the country. We cannot wait to take the learning that we gained from the conference and put it to good use during camp this July.

Girls Rock Columbia is now an official member of the Girls Rock Camp Alliance!

We brought what we learned back to Colatown to help put on our very first Gear Drive and fundraiser show held (and helped!) by the good folks at Hunter Gatherer. The crowd came out to see great performances by Buried Beds and My Brother My Sister. We hosted our very first live auction event that night, auctioning off incredible items like swag from Columbi-Yeah, prints from The Half and Half and a dance party from the Greater Columbia Society for the Preservation of Soul. We had a blast raising funds for camp while raising awareness for our programs!

Camp organizer, Mollie, leading the auction and pepping up the crowd.

Girls Rock was pleased to be invited to participate in the opening home bout of the Richland County Regulators this past weekend. Girls Rock representatives were on hand to meet with interested parents, community members and youngsters to find out more about camp and how they can get involved. The Regulators named GRC their official charity of the night.

We’ve been busy all spring prepping for camp, bringing in new volunteers, and learning from each other and our other ally camps and partners. July is coming up fast and there is so much more to do, but we are here to roll up our sleeves and  get to work, come see us when we are out and about, and always, feel free to lend us a hand and join our team!

Until then, rock on. Love, Girls Rock Columbia.