Rock and Roll Camp for Girls facts for kids
| Formation | Summer 2001, Portland Oregon |
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| Purpose | To empower girls through music |
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Region
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Brazil, Canada, Europe, UAE, US, Argentina |
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Membership
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Over 60 camps world wide |
| Website | www.girlsrockcampalliance.org |
The Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls is a special non-profit organization that helps girls learn about music. It started in Portland, Oregon, United States. This camp is also the inspiration for many other "Girls Rock Camp" groups around the world.
At the original camp in Portland, girls aged 8 to 18 get to learn how to play rock instruments. They form their own bands, write songs, and even perform them! Most of the staff are volunteers and women. They work hard to help campers feel good about themselves and support each other through music. The very first camp happened in August 2001.
The idea for the camp came from Misty McElroy. She started it as a project in 2000 while studying at Portland State University.
Since then, the idea has spread globally. The main goal of the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls is to empower girls through music. This has become a worldwide movement! Girls Rock Camps now exist in over 40 cities in the United States. You can also find them in places like Dubai, Germany, Brazil, Canada, Sweden, Finland, and Australia. Each camp is run by its own community. However, organizers share ideas and help each other through a group called the Girls Rock Camp Alliance.
Contents
Rock Camps Around the World
The idea of Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls is growing as more people start camps in their own towns. Each camp is created by the local community. This means many camps offer slightly different versions of similar music programs.
Here's a look at some of the camps around the world:
| Canada | United States | Europe | Australasia | South America | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississauga | Jacksonville, Florida | Berlin (Ruby Tuesday) | Canberra (Founded 2016) | Brazil (Founded 2013) | Dubai |
| Montreal | New York, New York (Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls, Founded 2003) | Paris | Brisbane | Buenos Aires, Argentina (Chicas Amplificadas, Founded 2016) | |
| Peterborough | Austin, Texas (Girls Rock Austin) | Sweden (Popkollo) (Founded 2003) | Melbourne | ||
| Saskatoon (Founded 2015) | Los Angeles, California (Founded 2010) | Iceland (Stelpur Rokka!) (Founded 2012) | Wollongong | ||
| Toronto | Boston, Massachusetts | Helsinki, Finland (Rock Donna and Girls Rock! Finland) (Founded 2012) | Sydney | ||
| Victoria | Seattle, Washington | Lower Austria, Austria (Pink Noise Girls Rock Camp) | Auckland, Aotearoa | Curitaba (Founded 2018) | |
| Vancouver | Portland, Oregon (Founded 2001) | Munich, Germany | Wellington, Aotearoa | ||
| Dawson City | Boise, Idaho | Stavanger, Norway (Loud!) (Founded 2012) | |||
| Whitehorse | Vermont www.girlsrockvermont.org | ||||
| St. John's, Newfoundland | Rhode Island | ||||
| Winnipeg | Rochester, New York | Joint Euro Camp, Pink Noise (Founded 2018) | |||
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Girls Rock! Philly, Founded 2007) | |||||
| Roanoake, Virginia | |||||
| Richmond, Virginia (Girls Rock RVA) | |||||
| Washington, DC (Founded 2008) | |||||
| Athens, Ohio | |||||
| Columbia, Missouri (Como Girls Rock Camp) | |||||
| Columbus, Ohio (Girlz Rhythm and Rock Camp) | |||||
| Grand Rapids, Michigan | |||||
| Madison, Wisconsin | |||||
| Twin Cities, Minnesota (Girls Rock n Roll Retreat) | |||||
| Chicago, Illinois (Founded 2006) | |||||
| Indianapolis, Indiana (Founded 2010) | |||||
| Milwaukee, Wisconsin | |||||
| Warren, Ohio (Girlz Voices) | |||||
| Oakland, California (Bay Area Girls Rock Camp, Founded 2008) | |||||
| Anchorage, Alaska | |||||
| Las Vegas, Nevada | |||||
| Santa Barbara, California (Girls Rock SB) | |||||
| Orange County, California | |||||
| Denver, Colorado (Founded 2008) | |||||
| Omaha, Nebraska | |||||
| Des Moines, Iowa (Girls Rock! Des Moines) https://www.girlsrockdsm.org/ | |||||
| Athens, Georgia | |||||
| Atlanta, Georgia | |||||
| Columbia, South Carolina | |||||
| Charleston, South Carolina | |||||
| Durham, North Carolina (Founded 2004) | |||||
| Orlando, Florida (Rock n Roll Camp for Girls Central Florida) | |||||
| Dallas, Texas | |||||
| Houston, Texas | |||||
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |||||
| Knoxville, Tennessee | |||||
| Charleston, West Virginia (Rock Camp for Girls Appalachia) | |||||
| Murfreesboro, Tennessee (Southern Girls Rock Camp) | |||||
| Baton Rouge, Louisiana | |||||
| Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Rock 'n Roll Camp for Girls OKC) | |||||
| Seattle, Washington (Rain City Rock N Roll Camp for Girls) | |||||
| Bellingham, Washington (Bellingham Girls Rock Camp) | |||||
| South East Los Angeles, California (Chicas Rockeras) | |||||
| Nashville, Tennessee (Y'eah, Founded 2003) | |||||
| Charm City, Baltimore (Founded 2025) | |||||
| New Orleans (Founded 2014) | |||||
| Detroit (Founded 2014) | |||||
| Asheville, North Carolina (Founded 2014) | |||||
| Charlotte, North Carolina (Founded 2014) | |||||
| Carbondale, Illinois (Y'all Rock, Founded 2014) | |||||
| London (Spark the noise, Founded 2015) | |||||
| Japan (Founded 2015) | |||||
| Lawrence Illinois (Amplify Lawrence, Founded 2015) | |||||
| Lawrence Illinois (Amplify Lawrence, Founded 2015) | |||||
| Lima, Ohio (Warmi Rock Camp, Founded 2016) | |||||
| Pine Ridge (Rock the Rez, Founded 2016) | |||||
| St. Pete (Founded 2016) | |||||
| Canberra (Founded 2016) | |||||
| Dublin (Founded 2016) | |||||
| North Ireland(Founded 2016) | |||||
| Serbia (Founded 2016) | |||||
| Mozambique (Loud, Founded 2017) | |||||
| Porto Alegre (Founded 2017) | |||||
| Rosebud, South Dakota, Pink Noise (Founded 2018) |
Girls Rock Camp Alliance: Working Together
The Girls Rock Camp Alliance (GRCA) is a group of music camps that all share the same goal. Their mission is to empower people through music. The GRCA helps camps connect and share ideas. It's a place where camp organizers can meet in person and get new ideas from each other.
The GRCA holds a conference once a year. At this event, organizers from different camps come together. They learn new skills, share helpful resources, and build a strong community. They also talk about different ways to run camps and how to grow the movement.
Girls Rock Camp in Books and Movies
The Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls has been featured in different forms of media.
- In 2008, a documentary film called Girls Rock! was released. It followed the stories of three young girls during their week at the Portland camp.
- Also in 2008, the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls wrote a book. This book encouraged girls to play music. It included drawings by artist Nicole Georges. The book also shared a short history of women in rock music. It featured stories from past camp volunteers like Nicole Georges, STS, Carrie Brownstein (from Portlandia and Sleater-Kinney), and members of The Gossip.
- In 2012, the documentary Hit So Hard was released. This film was about drummer Patty Schemel from the band Hole. It included a part about the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls.
Other Cool Programs
Many Girls Rock Camps offer more than just summer camps. They have other programs that follow the same idea of empowerment through music. Some of these programs include:
- Ladies Rock Camps: These are usually 2-3 day programs for adult women. They get to try similar workshops and music lessons that girls receive during the summer camp.
- After School Programs: These programs vary by location. Some focus completely on music, while others combine music with community and school activities.
- Special Events: Many Girls Rock Camps host special events throughout the year. These can be anything from movie nights to concerts.
There's also a camp called Queer Rock Camp in Olympia, Washington. It's a week-long summer camp for queer youth aged 12-21. It was inspired by the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls. Like the Girls Rock Camps, it aims to empower queer youth through music, creativity, and special workshops.
See also
- Girls Rock!, a documentary film about the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls
