Omaha Girls Rock

About

Omaha Girls Rock (OGR) was founded in Omaha, Nebraska in 2011 with the purpose of empowering youth–specifically those who identify as girls or femmes–to find their voice through music education, performance, and creativity. 

We started as part of an international movement, Girls Rock Camp Alliance, to host summer camps rooted in gender empowerment with a rock music DIY approach. Women and femmes were exclusively at the helm volunteering their time, talents, and spirit in order to work against entrenched societal forces that tell girls implicitly and explicitly from a young age to make themselves pretty, small, quiet, and submissive et al. While attending our 5-day camp, youth learn an instrument (guitar, bass guitar, drums, or keyboard), form a band, co-write original music and lyrics, and perform those same songs in a public showcase. Youth attend workshops led by our volunteers and community partners on topics ranging from songwriting to identity to advocacy to gear maintenance to “taking-up-space.”

At age 11, OGR has evolved into a spunky arts and education nonprofit that works to embolden girls, femmes, trans and gender-non-conforming youth and teens throughout the Omaha-metro. Our programming has grown to include year-round individual and small group instrument instruction, after-school programming, band laboratories, and gear loan in addition to summer camp for youth 4-18 years old. 

We use the historical impact of women and of artists and leaders from oppressed communities, diverse musical genres, and popular music to learn, reflect, react and act. We challenge ourselves to combat the non-profit industrial complex and we ask ourselves to honor our organizations roots and continue to disrupt, to take up space, to find joy, to make noise, to collaborate and to care for our community. At Omaha Girls Rock, we use our voices (and our art) towards our own liberation. Join us.