BAY AREA GIRLS ROCK CAMP
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Mission Statement
Bay Area Girls Rock Camp is a nonprofit music and mentoring organization dedicated to empowering girls through music and promoting an environment that fosters self-confidence, creativity and collaboration.
About This Cause
▷ ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND: At Bay Area Girls Rock Camp, we believe that arts education can transform young people's lives. Our innovative programs provide opportunities for girls to build creative, leadership, and teamwork skills while receiving support from caring mentors. BAGRC serves as a vibrant artistic hub that brings together diverse groups of girls from throughout the Bay Area and connects them with professional female musicians based in a wide variety of genres. BAGRC was founded in order to provide access to music education to girls and gender expansive youth of all backgrounds, especially those in underserved communities with little access to enrichment programs. We offer a safe space for youth to develop their unique voices and leadership styles as they engage in both personal development and community building. Through music lessons, workshops, and performance, our participants build confidence while acquiring skills that help them shine on stage and everywhere in their lives. We rely on support from a community of 300 passionate volunteers, who devote 6500 hours a year to our organization. BAGRC is a founding member of the Girls Rock Camp Alliance, an international organization that shares best practices in our field. BAGRC's recent honors include an award for "Best Program to Engage Youth" from the East Bay Express and a five-star rating on GreatNonprofits.org. We also offer an 'Adult' Rock Camp spin on our youth programs. ▷ OUR PROGRAMS: At BAGRC, youth develop their unique voices via an innovative approach to music education. Music education often focuses exclusively on technical skills, making classes feel daunting and elite, especially for the beginner. In our programs, music is hands-on and accessible to girls of all levels. Our main programs are Summer Camp (3 week-long day camps) and Girls Rock After School Program, or GRASP (10-week fall and winter afterschool program). These two programs offer the same approach and structure, with varied timelines and scope. We serve over 265 girls each year. Program activities include instrument instruction, band practice, workshops, and performance. Campers form bands based on musical interests and experience. Small class sizes (3-5 students) allow girls to receive individualized attention that facilitates dramatic growth in their musical skills. Campers also attend interactive workshops in which they build technical and artistic skills, explore identity and community, practice leadership and communication, and bond with peers and mentors. Topics include Songwriting, Women's Music Herstory, Image & Identity, Healthy Relationships, and more. Our unique mix of activities helps girls develop the confidence, technical skills, and tools for self-expression they need to realize their full creative potential. Campers share their new skills at the showcase finale, where they perform original songs for enthusiastic family, friends, and community members. As our participants build musical and life skills, they develop the confidence necessary to pursue their dreams and goals at Rock Camp and beyond. ▷ COMMUNITY NEED: Oakland-based Alliance For Girls (AFG) completed a 2021 report on the increasing inequities during COVID-19 for girls/TGNC youth, especially those that identify as Black and Brown. The report concluded increased barriers to basic needs and isolation; loss of enrichment and specialized services number only a few of these challenges. While the gap in infrastructure resourcing girls/TGNC youth in the Bay Area is worsening at large, girls/TGNC youth continue to rely upon community-led spaces. API Equality Northern California (APIENC)’s 2020 TGNC Needs Assessment reported over 50% feeling most supported by community spaces, more so than relationships, schools, or home. While community spaces are evidently critical to the wellbeing of LGBTQ+ individuals (Horizon Foundation), the operation of these spaces has been precarious for decades. Increased closures of LGBT+ spaces (Spectrum News), and 2021 setting the record for anti-trans lawmaking (Human Rights Campaign) are rapidly compounding the issues AFG reported in the support of girls/TGNC youth. BAGRC is proud to be modeling practices to empower youth through gender-specific education. Youth who attend our programs are integrated into an intergenerational community-based support system, while using strengths-based pedagogy to encourage girls/TGNC youth to identify their needs, find their leadership, and amplify their voice. Our programs are sliding scale with no one turned away for lack of funds. We provide need-based financial aid to over 50% of participants (74% of GRASP and 46% of Summer Camp). Our work is truly transformative because we empower girls to express themselves in the heavily male-dominated arena of music. Even in the liberal Bay Area, girls tell us they face discrimination from music teachers and classmates, and feel silenced and excluded by the fact that most bands on the radio and in the media still don't feature women playing instruments. BAGRC provides a unique opportunity for girls to receive musical training in a girl-positive environment staffed by female mentors. We offer the only music programs just for girls in our region, and we serve girls age 8-18, which is a crucial period in their development. According to Dr. Marty Beyer's Justice By Gender Report, girls report significantly lower levels of self-competence than boys as they move into adolescence. Some girls, who once excelled, stop excelling to avoid competition and become afraid of distinguishing themselves. BAGRC works to counter these trends by creating a supportive, noncompetitive atmosphere free from bullying and discrimination. In our programs, girls work together across differences and thrive in an atmosphere of mutual support and respect. ▷ COMMUNITY IMPACT: "The best thing about BAGRC is you embrace being a girl more and you aren't afraid to be yourself because no one is going to judge you. This is the best kind of environment for learning new challenging things. It's good to be pushed out of your comfort zone because it helps you grow as a person." - Youth participant "Your efforts and instruction did wonders for my little girl. She is more confident and positive and isn't afraid to shine." - Parent