DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, & NON-DISCRIMINATION

CGR! is a community that encompasses people of varying ages, racial and ethnic identities, economic situations, gender expressions, sizes, abilities, musical interests, learning styles, nationalities, religions, citizenship statuses, and sexual orientations. We promote respect and do not tolerate racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or other discriminatory behavior or expression. 

Chattanooga Girls Rock! is primarily dedicated to the inclusion of women and other marginalized groups in music. The organization exists to give girls, so often excluded or discouraged from playing music (particularly of specific styles and genres, or from playing particular instruments), the opportunity to learn to play in a safe, positive, and encouraging environment.

We believe that feminism is only just when it is intersectional. While all women face challenges on the basis of their gender, we affirm that people of color, transgender and gender non-conforming girls, girls with disabilities, and other marginalized girls face additional obstacles in accessing music education. Intentionally creating space that supports these campers is crucial to our mission, and through recognition of the challenges faced by people of multiple marginalized identities, our volunteers and campers learn firsthand about the importance of inclusivity in creating strong communities. We work to maintain an environment where every camper feels welcomed, safe, included, and accepted by their peers.

Although CGR! was founded as a space for girls, we welcome nonbinary and genderfluid folks alongside our female campers. We recognize that gender is not binary and that women-centered spaces are often important safe spaces for nonbinary and genderfluid folks as well. Because transgender boys often face challenges when participating in entering male social spaces, we seek to make our programming safe for transgender youth regardless of identity.

Safe Space

We are determined to provide safe space for all CGR! campers. This includes prioritizing their physical safety with background checks on camp staff, keeping a secure location, maintaining a very high staff-to-camper ratio, and enforcing strict sign-in/sign-out policies.

We also seek to maintain the emotional well-being of campers. Girls of all backgrounds participate in camp and we encourage them to feel completely secure in their individual means of expression. Our program is designed to be resist bullying, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and classism in policy and practice. Bullying of any kind will not be tolerated. We want every camper to feel great about their experience at camp, and we will do our best to foster an environment where they can.