About YAAL
We are a community organization committed to creating safe, inclusive, and celebratory spaces for self-identified girls, women, and gender expansive and/or trans youth and adults. The core of our work revolves around camp week. In partnership with local businesses, we offer a week-long music camp for youth ages 12-18. In that space, we cultivate community both to self and others through an intensive week of learning, music, and relationship-building. Our work extends beyond camp-week as we build a web of connection through our volunteers, organizers, and donors. We are deeply committed to the work of increasing representation and opportunity for womxn and womxn-identifying folks in music spaces locally and beyond.
We believe that youth are inherently powerful.
Our Mission
YAAL is dedicated to empowering self-identified girls, women, and gender expansive and/or trans youth and adults through creative expression, musical exploration, and social agency.
Our Story
YAAL Rock! was started as CoMo Girls Rock! in 2012 by Luci Cook, Leola Davis, and Amanda Rainey. The three were inspired by the girls rock camp movement and the supportive community of Columbia to create the organization. They began organizing benefit concerts and events to get the word out in fall of 2o12 and offered the first girls rock summer camp in June of 2013. The first camp was a huge success with 20 campers, 25 volunteers, 5 bands, and 250 showcase attendees. It inspired us to offer a Ladies Rock Camp as well, held over MLK weekend. Since then, the camp has been going strong in addition to other fundraisers and events we hold that support the mission of empowering self-identified girls, women, and gender expansive and/or trans youth and adults through music.
YAAL Rock! is proud to be a member of the Girls Rock Camp Alliance which networks and provides resources for girls rock camps all over the world. Learn more about the GRCA and the girls rock camp movement on their website.