History

The very first Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls Summer Camp took place in August, 2001, on the Portland State University Campus. Since then, the organization has grown into a year round institute where girls learn music in a positive environment and develop into strong women who play awesome music.

Shortly after the 2002 Summer Camp in the NAYA building on N. Mississippi, the Rock Camp moved to its current location in an old industrial sewing machine factory.

Volunteers spent the better part of winter and spring of 2003 to prepare for that year's Summer Camp by cleaning, painting, building walls, and setting up rooms for instruction and band practice. As in '01 and '02, hundreds of girls between the ages of 8-18* sent in applications in hopes of getting accepted into the coolest summer music camps for girls in the world.

Immediately after Camp, the Girls Rock Institute opened its doors to 7 girls in the fall of 2003. While the first session of the after school program was limited in number, it was not small in spirit. GRI has grown to offer instrument instruction, band formation, band practice, workshops, private lessons, band coaching, and more to hundreds of girls in Portland and the surrounding areas.

The first Ladies Rock Camp, April 2004, answered the most asked question: Why didn't this camp exist when I was a girl? In the course of 3 days, 20 women formed bands, learned their instrument, and had a rockin' Showcase performance. The event generated enough funds to support financial aid requests for the upcoming Summer Camp season.

In response to the growing interest in Summer Camp, a second session was added in 2004. As always, each camp was entirely operated by a dedicated force of talented volunteer organizers, instructors, coaches, band managers, workshop leaders, and support staff.

After another great year of GRI, LRC, and Summer Camp, early leadership changed hands. In October of 2005, founder Misty Mc Elroy resigned to pursue other endeavors. At this time, several long term volunteers and GRI instructors formed a crew of staff members dedicated to continue providing and improving upon RnRC4G programs.

In 2006, RnRC4G experienced incredible growth and success. TACS (a local service to non profits) joined saff and the Board of Directors to further develop strategic planning, board development, and new programs. Once again, GRI saw increased enrollment, and campers joined waiting lists in hopes of attending one of the two Summer Camp sessions.

With incredible support from the community, parents, students, campers, musicians, and foundations, RnRC4G began forming a new program: the Girls Rock Camp Alliance. GRCA founding members include 7 girls rock camps from around the world and share in common a mission to help build self esteem and leadership skills for girls through music education and performance.  GRCA affiliates now total over 20 girls rock camp organizations worldwide.

In 2007, RnRC4G brought camper enrollment up to 250 girls over 3 sessions of Summer Camp. The organization also added an on-site, all volunteer/intern run record label and distro called 16 Records, as well as a year round intern program, Youth Advisory Board, Hip Hop Elements, Summer Sampler, and further developed Band Center services.

"Girls Rock! The Movie", a documentary about our beloved Camp hit the big screen March 7th, 2008.  Following closely on its heels came Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls, The Book: How to Start a Band, Write Songs, Record an Album, and Rock Out! published by Chronicle Books and edited by Marisa Anderson, a long time RnRC4G staff.  Nicole Georges, sts, and Katy Davidson rounded out the year with a month long book tour on the east coast. 

In funding success, the Paul Allen Foundation granted $40,000 to start up Rock Camp Studio where girls learn skills in recording engineering, record their own band, and learn more about promotion through creating CDs and other merch.  The NAMM foundation granted $40,000 to support the Girls Rock Institute in 2009 and 2010.  Other grants continue to come in including support from Best Buy, The Equity Foundation, Little Red Hen, and the Domini Foundation.

We are in a great place, and looking forward to finding a new building to house our ever-growing programs. Summer Camp is currently offering 4 sessions of day camp and one week of Rock Camp Studio.  We are mentoring over 400 girls year round.  Girls Rock Institute has expanded to include Girls Rock Studio as well as the old stand bys, Hip Hop Elements and Rock Block. 

* Starting October 1st, 2010, Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls will change the age range of girls we serve to ages 8-17.  The first program this change will affect is the fall 2010 term of Girls Rock Institute.