i’m really excited to be volunteering for the rock ‘n roll camp for girls oc this august in garden grove.  from their website:

We want to eradicate all the limiting myths about music and gender that make girls afraid to speak up, sing out, and make noise. We want to abolish all the obsolete traditions that restrict many girls’ and women’s free musical expression and obstruct their access to the world of music. We seek to demonstrate—through lessons, mentorship, positive examples, and the shared experiences of the staff and volunteers—that every genre of music from the heaviest to the most delicate, and every technical job and creative endeavor in the music industry, is available to any girl or woman who wants to explore it.

The enormous amount of community support given to girls at camp affords them a unique opportunity to express themselves in any way they wish. RRC4GOC is dedicated to providing a wide variety of useful tools to its students: amplifiers, distortion pedals, drum lessons, PA systems, self-defense classes, band coaches, zine workshops, mentorship, and true belief in their abilities. It’s not just about rock ‘n’ roll, it’s about all musical genres. And it’s not just about being a musician, it’s about being an active agent in music culture and industry. We believe that by teaching these things, we can help girls develop—musically, mentally, and emotionally—toward their own ideas of who and what they want to be.

While “reverse discrimination” doesn’t exist, discrimination does. The concept of “reverse discrimination” seeks to imply that one group who is a minority or discriminated against has the ability to discriminate against a majority group or group with regular privilege. By having an all girl and women learning environment, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls OC supports the right for everyone to learn music in a positive environment, making up for the significant lack of such an environment for women and girls.

RRC4GOC and places like it will continue to be overwhelmingly supported until women and girls appear in music magazines as something other than a sex object; guitars, amps, and drumsets appear as birthday presents to girls just as often as boys; and the mainstream response to our success is not a demand to return to the kitchen to make someone a sandwich. Thanks to women and girls, campers and students, staff and volunteers, all of our wonderful community including businesses, in kind supporters, and donors understand the need for girls to have a place like RRC4GOC to learn music in a positive and supportive environment.

seriously, if you are a southern california local lady and have even a little bit of extra time you can donate to this camp this august, i think you should volunteer!  you don’t need to have any musical experience to help out, there are plenty of non-instructional openings available including zine workshops and drama trauma/crisis counseling.  they are also looking for instructors to teach bass and drums.

we are also actively hoping to enroll more young girls before camp begins in august!  financial aid is available if you know any girls who could benefit from this program but might not be able to afford it.  please pass the word on to anyone you know who might want to get involved with this incredible opportunity.  girls NEED this.

www.rockcampforgirlsoc.org