Girls Rock Philly Winter Fundraiser

GIRLS ROCK PHILLY

CELEBRATE OUR PAST

& SUPPORT OUR FUTURE!

2013 was a transformative year for Girls Rock Philly! We expanded our staff and our space, filled out our programming to 5 days a week, built new relationships within our community, and served over 115 girls through our programming - it feels like we’ve grown in every way possible! Through it all, you’ve been an amazing source of support for us. This summer our camp theme was Time Travel: we invited our community to reflect on their histories, their roots and the possibilities for our future. Travel back in time with us to see what we’ve been up to this past year…

“I really enjoy GRP and I love what they do and I’m proud to be part of it.” - Shayla, 13

GRP’s new marching band, “Bring It!,” in Spiral Q’s Peoplehood Parade through West Philly.

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

This year we further expanded the After School Program in order to offer stand alone lessons for the first time. In 2013 the After School Program has served 18 girls, creating 6 awesome new bands. Join us for their final showcase December 20th! Location TBA.

SHARK TANK

Early in 2013, GRP teen participants worked with staff to create Shark Tank, our teen leadership program, which provides teens the opportunity for a deeper engagement with our mission. In the spring and summer, the group organized two events featuring youth and adult artists: first a benefit show for Ladyfest, then a concert for the international music celebration Make Music Philly, at the Free Library. This fall, they created personal audio projects exploring education funding in Philadelphia and representations of youth in the media, which included visits to Scribe Video Center and Youth United for Change.

We renovated our rehearsal rooms to better serve both GRP students and our larger community

LADIES ROCK CAMP

This year we decided that because we love our Ladies Rock Camp program so much, we would do it twice! Ladies Rock demystifies the creative process and creates a space for adult women to raise their voices, find their musical identity, learn an instrument, and form a band - our April session saw the creation of 5 new bands in a single weekend and by the end of the year LRC will have served over 45 women!

BARRACUDA CLUB

“Everyone deserves to be heard.� GRP student, Kayla, 11, quoted in Issue 4 of CRED magazine.

Barracuda Club has remained a consistent drop-in space for girls to meet, have fun, and learn new skills in a relaxed and dynamic atmosphere. Doors are always open on Wednesdays at GRP!

“Interning with Girls Rock Philly is amazing.”

Brianna, a 10th grade intern from Simon Gratz Mastery Charter, prepares a workshop for Barracuda Club in our library.

SUMMER MUSIC INSTITUTE A new creation in July 2013, the

Summer Music Institute was a 5-week audio recording project themed “Explorations in Sound.”

We offered instrument lessons, supported improv jam sessions, built our own microphones and went on field trips to the Art Museum and the Free Library.

Participants’ projects were later showcased at a youth technology fair in August at the Free Library.

GRP after school band rocking out at the Trenton Avenue Arts Festival and Kinetic Sculpture Derby.

LENFEST

We launched our first offsite program in July at the Lenfest Center, a community center in the Hunting Park neighborhood of Philadelphia! This satellite program is modeled after our successful after school and dropin programs, bringing together music and mentoring for girls. We returned to Lenfest in September for year round programming!

SUMMER CAMP

In August we held our 7th annual Summer Rock Camp, for the first time at the University of the Arts: 73 campers learned new instruments, formed bands, wrote original songs, attended workshops, performed and recorded their songs with the help of 60 volunteers - all in one week! This year, we developed a camp internship program that created new leadership opportunities for our teen participants.

Who rocks? We rock! GRP campers on stage before playing a sold out Union Transfer show.

PARTNERSHIPS

Girls Rock Philly is proud to be a part of a vibrant network of musicians, artists, activists, and youth leaders committed to improving the lives of youth in Philadelphia. We’ve been collaborating all year long! Growing our relationship with the Free Library, GRP hosted open jam sessions at local library branches in May and June. In the fall, four GRP bands were invited to perform at the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance’s launch party for the STAMP pass, which offers Philadelphia high school students free access to cultural institutions across the city.

Now, in December,

we are reflecting on what we’ve accomplished and learned in 2013 and what we want to carry into 2014. We have learned that providing a reliable year-round safe space, open to all forms of creative musical expression, is vital to fulfilling our mission and creating the vibrant community we want, and that our youth deserve.

We have learned how to better use the invaluable feedback from our program participants to help them successfully turn their ideas and dreams into reality.

In our 7th year, we’re beginning to see girls and young women come full circle, from camper, to intern, to volunteer! Never before have we had so much support, resources, and capacity to commit to youth leadership building. We have seen the impact of our program on the lives of our participants and believe in the infinite possibilities of their future.

“Girls Rock Philly is hands down the best program I’ve ever been a part of. It not only encourages me to do the one thing I love but also expands on that by giving me a sense of purpose within my community.” - Daizha, 17 “My daughter has FUN and feels good about herself!” - Stephanie, parent “Life changing, revitalizing, awesome.” - Kati, volunteer

We’ve visited the past, now step with us into the future!

In 2014, we will take the lessons learned from our program expansion and invest in them for even greater impact. We will focus on solidly transitioning into a year-round, creative community space that supports not only our participants, but our neighborhood and beyond. We have the plans in place and the staff and volunteers ready to help make it happen… but we need your help, too.

This year, to see our dreams through, we need to meet a goal of $7,000 during our Winter Fundraiser.

We are reaching out to you because you understand the importance of providing safe spaces for girls and young women to explore, create, learn, and ROCK! Please help us continue to provide that space through a tax deductible contribution to Girls Rock Philly. Thank you for being a part of our growing community!

<3, Diane Foglizzo Program Director

Brielle Talarico

Fundraising Coordinator

Aimee Miller Board Chair

…and all the GRP staff, board and volunteers.

www.girlsrockphilly.org/donate