There are so many amazing things happening in our world- hands joining to bring communities together, and in some cases, voices and instruments! At Wear Your Music, community is why we do what we do. Making strides to make change. Our favorite? When music and community come together. We wanted to share about a great non-profit, Girls Rock Philly, which brings together an amazing opportunity to learn, explore, create and rock!

Girls Rock Philly is a volunteer-based non-profit music and mentoring organization. The people who make up GRP are dedicated to empowering girls and young women from the greater Philadelphia region through music education and activities that foster leadership skills, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. Responding to a gap in music mentorship and healthy development opportunities for pre-teen and teenage girls, Girls Rock Philly formed in 2006. It is a part of an emerging group of like-minded nonprofits across the U.S. and internationally. GRP's first program – a one-week summer camp – was held in August of 2007 with only 20 campers, but has grown enormously! Over 140 youth have the opportunity to participate in Girls Rock Philly each year!

Girls Rock Philly provides a community driven response that is dedicated to identifying and deconstructing gender-based oppression while addressing the ways it manifests itself in female socialized and/or identified youth: behaviors such as competitiveness, self-doubt, and negative self-image. Using supportive, mulch-generational, peer mentoring model, a safe space is created that encourages the fearless expression, artistic experimentation, thoughtful analysis, and imaginative action of all participants.

GRP creates programming dedicated to the mutually reinforcing themes of sound exploration and self-empowerment. While acknowledging the forces that shape the realities of young people in Philadelphia, GRP offers a program rooted in untold histories and memories upon which supportive group environments that create celebratory expressions of sound can be created.

Girls Rock Philly’s programs provide ongoing opportunities for learning, community-building, advocacy, and social justice. Their major programs and projects include:

• Their signature week-long summer camp program;
• Barracuda Club, a weekly drop-in program;
• Sound Scholars (formerly Shark Tank), teen leadership program;
• Band Experience, it’s like camp year-round!;
• Group Lessons, stand-alone instrument lessons on-site at GRP in bass, guitar, drums and keys held after school during the academic year;
• Summer Music Institute, a 5-week summer program that offers a deeper STEAM-based project approach to music and their mission and includes field trips around Philadelphia;
• A resource Library on music and feminism for campers and volunteers;
• Two rehearsal rooms, free for youth and at low-cost for members of the GRP community;
• A gear loan program for practice at home year-round; and
• Ladies Rock Camp, which offers the camp experience twice annually to empower and educate women 19+ across the region.

Find out more about Girls Rock Philly on FACEBOOK and TWITTER.

We love supporting Girls Rock Philly with 100% of the net profits from the sale of our Candlebox guitar string bracelets! Check them out HERE!