Girls Rock Camp Showcase, March 14

by Lisa Hix

As summer approaches, so do the days we send the young 'uns up to the wilderness to learn how to make fire with sticks or melt marshmallows for 'smores. Some campers, however, prefer to learn survival skills for a more urban sort of wilderness - the boy-dominated world of independent music.

The Bay Area Girls Rock Camp is busy tying up the premiere season of its Girls Rock After School Program and getting ready for its second-ever youth summer camp, plus a new weekend workshop for wannabe rockers who are fresh out of high school.

What does this mean to you? It means that they're looking for volunteers: music instructors, grant writers, and street-teamers — as well as donations of cash, instruments, and other music gear. The nonprofit's wish list includes items as big as a permanent space with practice rooms and an office, as well as shows and benefit events for Rock Camp. But you can also help them out with donations as small as a button maker and button-making supplies or books, CDs, zines, and comics relevant to grrls wanting to dominate the worlds of hip-hop, punk, country, or blues. More information is here.