Playing in high school bands as teenagers first brought Nicole Gaffney and Billie Rogers together, and now the duo is urging youth to find their voice through music.
As the driving forces behind school holiday programme Girls Rock! Aotearoa, Nicole and Billie welcome a group of young women, transgender and non-binary youth aged 12 – 18 to their week-long workshops in Auckland and Wellington.
The concept follows a similar model that was first rolled out in Portland, Oregon in 2001, which aimed to provide a judgement-free and creatively rich learning space for youth, a unique concept to what already existed in traditional education.
After learning about its existence and visiting Girls Rock! Canberra, the pair was inspired to launch Girls Rock! Aotearoa in January 2018. “People who are interested can attend Girls Rock! in another city, learn the model and bring it home. We travelled to Canberra and decided it was important we start Girls Rock! in New Zealand,” Billie says.
“The idea translates so well because we are able to tailor the programme to suit the specific needs of the community it’s being held in.”
Nicole says the success of Girls Rock! lies in its message of inclusivity. “The social pressures of the modern world can be very unforgiving, so having access to a programme that connects and empowers people is pivotal. It’s all about making positive change – listening to each other and offering useful, pragmatic guidance,” she says.
The format sees attendees organised into bands, where they’re encouraged to write their own material under the guidance of camp mentors. Each band works on their material during the week, before a showcase is held on the last day for friends and family.
This is the pay-off moment for Nicole and Billie – watching kids that first arrived at Girls Rock! feeling shy and nervous, beaming on stage with their new friends. “It’s so rewarding to see them feeling proud to perform their original songs, sometimes having only just learned to play their chosen instrument,” Billie says.
The ultimate goal is to have campers leave with a stronger sense of community, new friendships, creative inspiration, a sense of achievement and heightened self-worth, the pair explains.
“We encourage pride in their individuality and are optimistic for a more positive future in terms of acceptance and equality,” Billie says.
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Advertise with NZME.According to Nicole, it’s not easy being female in the music industry. “There wasn’t really diversity in the independent music scene in Auckland 10-15 years ago,” she says. “It often felt like a gnarly place with a competitive vibe – it was a bit of a rough time. But we stuck with it and went on to release albums and tour the world.”
Nicole was one half of punk rock band Carb on Carb, while Billie played bass and sang backing vocals for rock band Street Chant.
“Girls Rock! felt like the perfect avenue to put our experience to use and help foster positive change in music culture. We have even started playing together in a new project with fellow Girls Rock! mentor, Xanthe Brookes,” says Billie.
"The team at Girls Rock! want to offer the mentorship that we ourselves would have loved to have. We hope to remind these kids that they rock and can do amazing things," Nicole says.
What started as a passion project soon became a busy side hustle for the pair. And with the next Girls Rock! Auckland camp pegged for January 2020, the team is busy organising volunteers and subcommittees to ensure everything gets ticked off the list.
Couple this with plans to run a school outreach, host fundraising drives and vet interest from people wanting to establish programmes in Dunedin and Hamilton – and there’s certainly a lot going on.
“We are looking for ways we can best support that happening and can’t wait for it to spread. It would also be great to eventually do day programmes in schools – we’re dreaming big,” Billie says.
“There is a growing representation and acceptance of gender minorities in the music industry but there is still a long way to go. Change can’t happen quickly enough!”
For more information, head to Girlsrockcamp.co.nz and subscribe to the mailing list for regular updates, or donate, buy merchandise or listen to the music created by previous attendees. Later this month, Girls Rock! will host their own stage at The Others Way Festival in Auckland on August 30. Tickets are available at Eventfinda.co.nz.
This is part of a special Viva and Dilmah editorial series. To see more, go to Viva.co.nz/Dilmah.
