Land Acknowledgement
Girls Rock Camp Vancouver acknowledges that we exist on the traditional, ancestral, unceded Indigenous land belonging to the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Mission Statement
“Girls Rock Camp Vancouver is a non-profit society that builds self esteem in girls and non-binary children and youth through music creation and performance. By providing workshops and technical training, we create leadership opportunities, cultivate a supportive community of peers and mentors, and encourage social change and the development of life skills.”
Girls Rock Camp Vancouver
Girls Rock Camp Vancouver is a project for girls and non-binary children and youth ages 8-17. We provide girls and non-binary children and youth the opportunity to explore, access and create music with the guidance of positive mentors. We believe that girls and non-binary children and youth possess power and agency and that we provide tools to amplify their already strong voices.
Girls Rock Camp Vancouver strives to align ourselves with and be part of a movement that diminishes sexism and other forms of oppression. We believe that every person deserves to love and believe in themselves regardless of (but not limited to) economic status, sexual orientation, ability, age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, citizenship, language, resources or size and that every person deserves the opportunity to develop the necessary skills to move through their lives with success and confidence.
We value multiple learning styles and encourage learning opportunities in all interactions. By creating an environment that respects and fosters diverse learning styles and holds space for diverse forms of information processes and expression, we hope to encourage female youth to respect each other’s differences.
Through collective collaboration in song writing, learning and engaging with music, participants increase their self-esteem, broaden their identity, increase communication and learn new skills.
We believe in carrying the spirit of camp in our work and that our joy is a revolutionary force. Creativity, positivity and community are key elements of personal and collective empowerment and transformation.
Who We Are
We are a community of organizers, instructors, musicians, artists and talented volunteers who came together in 2009 to plan Vancouver’s first ever Girls Rock Camp, an action we felt was crucial to promoting change in both the music industry and the lives of young women.
Girls Rock Camp Vancouver is a registered non-profit organization in British Columbia, Canada. The collective is entirely volunteer run and operates and makes decisions using a consensus-based model.
Past, Present, and Future
The Girls Rock Camp concept originated in Portland, Oregon in 2001 (originally a thesis project!) and is now a well-established organization that has inspired and influenced dozens of sister camps. The Portland Rock N Roll Camp for Girls has now expanded into three (3) sessional camps with various program options as well as a showcase performance at the end of camp with more than 700 attendees.
The first Girls Rock Camp Vancouver was held in August of 2009. The camp’s space was graciously donated by the Urban Native Youth Association, with our showcase event at the newly renovated historical East Vancouver theatre, The Cultch.
We’ve had over 240 campers, 64 new youth bands, countless volunteers, 40 local lunch time bands, thousands of showcase attendees, and endless bouts of laughter and juice boxes during our existence.
We are now in our 14th year and continue to invest our time on positive programming for youth.
2019 Camp
The 2019 Camp was July 8-12 at The Croatian Cultural Centre and the Showcase was at The Wise Hall.
The 2019 Camp was generously supported by Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia.
Girls Rock Camp Alliance
Girls Rock Camp Vancouver is a member of the Girls Rock Camp Alliance, an established community of camps that support existing and new camps all around the world.
“The Girls Rock Camp Alliance is an international 501(c)3 coalition of organizations whose shared mission is to empower girls and women using the tools of music education to foster self-esteem and confidence. To this end, the GRCA promotes, strengthens, and expands services provided by its affiliated camps. GRCA provides resources and networking opportunities for its member camps, and promotes the establishment of like-minded institutions worldwide.”
Images by Sarah Race Photography