How to Help

Donations

Girls Rock Camp Austin stays alive only through fundraising and donations from people and organizations that care about the camp and want to help us empower and enrich the lives of girls and young women through music. We are happy to give you a receipt for your tax-deductible donations.

If you are interested in making a donation, you can mail a check or money order to:

Girls Rock Camp Austin
P.O. Box 41912
Austin, TX 78704

If there are any questions, please contact the Camp Director, Emily Marks.

Services

As a nonprofit, we need help from local and national businesses to make this camp happen. Things we need include: musical instruments, amps, power chords, and other equipment; food and beverages; art and music supplies; first-aid supplies; office supplies; prizes for raffling; yoga mats; and good old-fashioned sponsorship. In turn, you will be listed on our website and on any and all programs and press materials as our sponsor.

Volunteers, General Info

We love volunteers! Although Girls Rock Camp Austin for the most part does not pay the talented, hardworking people who volunteer with us, we do offer camper scholarships, and there are limited, need-based stipends available for camp workers. We appreciate your efforts dearly and believe that you will be rewarded handsomely by working with, teaching and empowering girls. Your availability during camp determines which positions you can work. We will try to be flexible, but please be upfront about when you can offer your services.

While there's plenty to be done at camp, volunteers also meet on a regular basis throughout the year to organize benefits and discuss camp issues. They also work on donation drives, outreach, publications, and much more. Since the Austin camp is young as an organization, there is a lot of initial set-up to do. We are in immediate need of help from legal, financial, and nonprofit professionals. In addition, we are looking for volunteers with skills in fundraising, grant writing, promotions, booking, publishing, web design and site maintenance, graphic design, photography, and many more areas. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the Camp Volunteer Coordinator.

Camp Volunteer Positions

Music Instrument Instructors (music experience required, band experience a plus). Instructors must have basic/and or advanced knowledge in the instrument they are teaching and must be prepared to teach students with widely varying levels of experience. Some students will have never had day of practice in their life, and others will have been playing for several years. Having experience with working with kids in a school or camp setting is a plus. We're looking for instructors who can teach the following:

Non-instrument Music Instructors (music experience required). Instructors must have basic/and or advanced knowledge in the practice they are teaching and must be prepared to teach students with widely varying levels of experience. Some students will never have had a day of practice in their life and others will have several years' worth of experience. Having experience with working with kids in a school or camp setting is a plus. We're looking for instructors who can teach the following:

Band Coaches (music experience required). On the first day of camp, girls will form bands, and each band is assigned a coach. The coach will monitor each band practice and help the band members prepare for their live performance at the end of the camp. The coach will guide the girls in all aspects of working in a band: setting up, tuning, songwriting, learning to play as a group and learning to listen to one another, stage presence. The coach will help students break down instruments after each practice and at the show. She should also be prepared to mediate the occasional dispute.

Counselors (music experience not required). Counselors serve as mentors to the campers and must be available throughout the entire day. Different counselors will be assigned to keep track of a particular group of girls, usually grouped by age, and they will need to keep an eye on the girls' dynamics. They will provide advice and support to students who come with issues such as low self-esteem, difficulties with other band members, or even issues unrelated to camp. Experience working with children in a school or camp setting is a plus.

Workshop Instructors (music experience not required). Instructors will teach various hour-long classes based on their interest and experience. These will include but are not limited to social-issues workshops related to gender roles, girls and women in the media, girls and women in rock history, the evolution of feminism, discrimination, and creative workshops including zine-making, silk-screening, button-making, art instruction, poster-/flyer-making, etc. Experience working with children in a school or camp setting is a plus.

Yoga Instructors (music experience not required). Must be experienced in teaching yoga; experience teaching children yoga is a plus. Applying yoga teachers should specify which type(s) of yoga they have experience teaching. The purpose of the yoga training is to teach students basic stretching, breathing techniques, and concentration skills, in order to help them avoid injury or strain when playing/performing.

Self-Defense Instructors (music experience not required). Must be experienced in teaching self-defense; experience teaching self-defense to girls and young women a plus. Instructors will teach students basic self-defense moves, to be aware of their surroundings, and how to help avoid being put in a dangerous situation.

Roadie (experience preferred). Roadies move and set up equipment when and where necessary at camp each day; tuning and such is a plus. Roadies are especially needed for the end-of-camp showcase, during which they will move, set up, and tune equipment.

Food Team (music experience not required). Members of the food team will be in charge of obtaining food donations, picking them up, planning meals, organizing serving, and cleaning up for volunteer breakfast and lunch. They will be in charge of camper snacks and making sure that the students who qualify will get free lunches. In general, parents are asked to send lunch with their child, but this is not required. We will make sure that all of the girls are fed a lunch.

Show Team (music experience not required). These volunteers will help organize and operate the end-of-camp showcase. Positions will be needed for running sound, stage management, putting up posters at the venue and around town, publicity, creating programs, and clean-up for after the show.

Floaters (music experience not required). These volunteers called upon for the tasks long-forgotten but essential to the success of the camp. Floaters might be sent to Kinko's or the hardware store, to fill in for a volunteer who can't make her shift, and to generally be available for whatever comes up. Floaters must have a car and a cell phone. (Scheduling is flexible for these positions; you can sign up for as many or as few shifts as you want.)

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