And just like that, summer is a WRAP!
We also completed a brand new, first of its kind program, SoundTrapXGRP!
This August, 16 youth participants spent four weeks exploring music theory and composition, digital audio workstations, and formed 5 new bands to create an out of this world mixtape. We were missing a theme this summer, and Soundtrap ending up taking on a tone of intergalactic, Interstellar dream weaving! Our songs and conversations created a constellation of adventurous, powerful sci-fi MAGIC. Check out the finished mixtape here!
Design by Kah Yangni
We’ve been lending all of our rock camp skills and audio equipment to literally amplify youth leaders and community organizers, fiercely advocating for arts funding, racial justice and social equity throughout Philly. We’re part of the people’s bailout and platform presented by the Alliance for a Just Philadelphia, and have been grateful to contribute music and all of our rock camp skills to the fight for equity in Philly.
We believe that music is our birthright; no one should be turned away from musical instruments and experiences due to lack of funds. We’ve been working hard to improve our gear library this summer, and can’t wait to make it easier than ever to offer musical equipment free of charge to community members.
It’s hard to believe how quickly the time has gone, but here we are: Mid-September. All summer long, GRP made good use of the light, hard at work building liberatory futures in uncharted digital territories. We knew it wouldn’t be the same, but we couldn’t have anticipated such an amazing summer of first and favorites!
We’ve hosted our second C.A.R.E. LAB– Creative Art and Resource Exchange– and this summer, it was YOUTH to the front! From mindfulness and creativity-boosting play spaces, to drumming and digital music making, to Social Justice and Youth Organizing teach-ins, C.A.R.E Lab centered the creativity, curiosity, and community that makes GRP so special. Open mic made our hearts sing!
All of our programs feature youth as creators of our curriculum and facilitators, but we owe a special shout-out to the youth internships and leadership that stepped up in the midst of so much unrest and tumult, taking space and shaping our work this summer. Shout outs to Jadyn, El and Mason for their leadership and commitment to creating incredible offerings for our youth community, in spite of the digital divide, y’all made us feel closer and more connected than ever.
We’ve also officially added Alexis Cannard to our staff team as a social media and administrative assistant, helping us keep the communication clear...and super cute!
photos by Aleks Martray and Jordany Uceta
This August we welcomed OVER 50 NEW SUSTAINERS to our work! The dream team of GRP support and fancy manifesters is bigger and more magical than ever!
We will always remember this summer season and all the shifts we made to adjust to the unknown; our collective vulnerability, courage, and creativity... we stayed in the magic during a global pandemic and during a national uprising. Rock Camp is truly the practice we need to build the world we want.
We are so honored to call you our community, to march and move with you, to keep going, keep loving, keep dreaming with you. As we navigate a new season at a distance, we want to remind you that we always have your back. Wishing you all ease in the transitions, we’re learning and adapting right alongside you.
-Sam Rise and Girls Rock Philly