We Came Here to Rock
Imagine a place where young girls are encouraged to write songs about revolution and scream about how hard they rock. Where adults get to circle up as if they were kids, and creatively work with strangers learning how to play instruments and become part of a band for the weekend. Imagine how amazing it would be to get to try something that you would never get the chance to in daily life, and try it LOUDLY. Well it turns out that this magical place actually exists, so of course we wanted to know more...
RAIN CITY ROCK CAMP
by Co-Founder Natalie Walker
Rain City Rock Camp empowers female & non-binary individuals to engage their creative potential through music, champion equity, and thrive in a community of allies and activists. At our camps, we give people the opportunity to learn an instrument, join a band, write an original song, and perform that song on stage at one of Seattle’s popular venues. Equally important to the music aspect of our programs is our focus on building community and facilitating conversations around empowerment, body positivity, social justice, feminism, and other crucial topics. At RCRC, we envision an equitable world that celebrates creativity, embraces authenticity, and values all voices.
In 2008, I started RCRC with co-founder Holly Houser after being inspired by my experiences at Portland's Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls. Over the past 10 years, I have seen RCRC grow and adapt in ways that I am very proud of. We learn by listening to the voices of our youth participants about issues such as gender, race, ability, and socioeconomics. We change and expand our programs, and I think that is extremely important for a program to stay effective and relevant. I have seen young people grow up, join bands, become leaders in their schools, volunteer for our organization, and position themselves in their own communities as change makers. One of our strengths is that we run programs for youths and adults. Our youth programs inspire the future; our adult programs heal our past and train our adult allies to become mentors.
In the Seattle area and want to get involved? Click here to be part of the village, or just learn more.