WHAT’S UP WITH GIRLS ROCK DETROIT?
For those of you who don’t know, Girls Rock Detroit is a community organization dedicated to fostering creative expression, positive self-esteem and community awareness for girls, women, gender expansive, and transgender people through music education and performance. By encouraging creativity, confidence, and collaboration in a supportive environment, we strive to empower young people to challenge preconceived notions of what they can do, what they can become, and become engaged members of our communities.
The Past Couple Years
In 2020 Girls Rock Detroit had been on a steady rise since its inception in 2015. We were looking for a permanent space to host our annual summer music camp for girls and gender nonbinary youth AND looking to expand into adult programming. Community development projects and fundraisers such as Rock Roulette—a fundraiser which sees adult musicians assigned to bands with folks they’ve never played with before for eight weeks with the goal of creating a band name, brand, and 15-minute set to be performed at a fundraising event–were becoming community mainstays. The COVID pandemic knocked our once entirely in-person programming on its head. 2020 was a wash. In 2021 a fresh Board developed and launched year-round digital programming for youth and adults.
The Present
Girls Rock Detroit is still looking for a permanent space for in-person programming, which we hope to be able to resume in 2022. Monthly free or pay-what-you-can Music and Social Justice workshops and virtual community events, such as GRD Volunteer Hangs and GRD’s Book Club, are reconnecting us with our existing community AND connecting us with GRD supporters near and far!
The Future
The future will see a rebrand from “Girls Rock Detroit” to something more gender-diverse friendly. The future is youth led. The future has leadership as diverse as the communities we serve. The future sees Girls Rock Detroit with a permanent space with functions as a community hub. The future is a safe space. The future is active. The future is hybrid.
We miss being in and amongst our community in Detroit, yet love how digital programming has allowed us to expand our community and offerings. We plan to expand both programs in future, and are looking for like-minded individuals who want to help us do that! For more information on how to get involved, visit our website at www.girlsrockdetroit.org and follow us on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GirlsRockDetroit/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GirlsRockDet
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlsrockdetroit/
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