Striking Chords of Support, G.I.R.L.S Rock Sacramento's Melody is One of Empowerment, Inclusion and Acceptance.

Jeff Holden: [00:00:00] [00:01:00] Hi, I'm Jeff Holden. Welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. Our purpose and passion is to highlight a nonprofit organization in each weekly episode giving that organization an opportunity to tell their story in their words, to better inform and educate the respective communities they serve, as well as provide one more tool for them to share their message to constituents and donors.

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Runyon Saltzman Incorporated, RSE, marketing, advertising, and public relations creating integrated communications committed to [00:02:00] improving lives. And Western Health Advantage, a full service healthcare plan for individuals, employer groups, and families. Gender inclusive, radical love and support. That's a statement.

It's also an acronym for girls. The challenges our youth and teens face may never have been greater as they mature. Social media has changed that landscape, and at times, it can be brutal. Helping those who are struggling with the myriad of teenage issues is one thing, but those who are also dealing with gender identity, creativity, and sense of belonging can really be a difficult place to be.

Where do you go? Who can you speak with? Where can you get support from people who understand? Larissa Briski is my guest today and she's responsible for Girls Rock being present in the Sacramento market. This is truly a unique program using music and creativity as a common thread to join students together with a purpose [00:03:00] through music.

And no, you don't need to know anything about an instrument. Let's hear how all this came to be. Oh, you may have noticed that's not our usual music intro. Well, that's because we chose to play an original song created by Girls Rock Sacramento. Larissa Briskey, welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network.

Larisa Bryski: Thank you. Thanks very much for having me. I appreciate it. 

Jeff Holden: Excited for the conversation. You know, I love the name Girls Rock as it conjures up the likes of Heart and Joan Jett and Blondie, but I'm probably getting a little carried away here, right? 

Larisa Bryski: Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Your, well, rock is a word that has.

several connotations, right? So, like, it's a genre of music. And then it's also a verb. And in the context of what we do at Girls Rock Sacrament, I think that's how we use it the most, is for our campers. We tell them, you know, you rock a lot of times they come to us and they may be trying to learn something new and they're being self deprecating.

And [00:04:00] so they say, Oh, I suck, you know, or I can't do this. And then we say, no, you rock. And then we encourage them to say, I rock. So, so that's a part of it. But then part of what you said is also true. However, I would, I would say maybe more related to Big Momma Thornton, you know, as, as inspiration or Joan Jett is accurate.

If it wasn't for Joan Jett, I don't think Girls Rock Camps would exist in general. And then there's, you know, Bikini Kill was a big part of our origins too. Bands like L7, a lot of punk rock bands, a lot of underground bands. 

Jeff Holden: And one of your first concerts was not any of those at all, right? 

Larisa Bryski: My personally?

Jeff Holden: Yes. 

Larisa Bryski: No, one of my first concerts was Linda Ronstadt. 

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Larisa Bryski: So you, you found that out. Yeah. That's on the website. I forgot about that. 

Jeff Holden: Yep. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. One of my first concerts, concerts was Linda Ronstadt. I was probably seven years old. Yeah. That was, yeah. It's amazing. I was like, okay, I want, I knew I wanted to be a singer, but now I was like, Oh, she's really good.

And she's [00:05:00] like leading a band at the time it was the Eagles backing her up, you know, Don Henley and those guys. And I was like, I'm going to do that. It's a lot harder than it looked. Yes. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Well, tell us a little bit more about the program. I mean, it really is about acceptance and love and understanding, but that's just scratching the surface to what you've put together starting in like 2016, right?

Larisa Bryski: Mm hmm. Yeah, it's interesting. Kind of in a weird headspace right now because in 2015, one of my, I've been a vocal teacher for in Sacramento for a long, long time, about 25 years. And one of my vocal students came to me and said, Hey, Larissa, I, you know, think that, You should start a girls rock camp in Sacramento.

She was a young adult at that time. When she started working with me as a student, she was a teenager. When she was a teenager, she had attended the very first rock and roll camp for girls up in Portland, which is kind of how the whole movement started. So ours isn't the first camp of its kind. There's many, many, many all over the world.

[00:06:00] She, Emma, came to me and said, Larissa, we need one of these in Sacramento. This was in 2015, and this was right around the time that, you know, the Women's March was, people were getting upset because of things that were happening in the world, in the country. I was like, okay, what do you, what do you want me to do about this?

Oh, we should start one. We should just go for it. And at the time I was teaching at Skip's Music. I'd been teaching there for, I don't know, 15 years or so and running their program, their, their youth music program, Stairway to Stardom. 

Jeff Holden: Which for many of us in the market, And I think a lot of people have known for so long because it was just a neat production, you know, a concert of unknown artists.

Larisa Bryski: Yeah, yeah. And it started out as a youth and adult program mixed together. When I first started working in the program, I was coaching a band. I was probably 20 years old and I was coaching a band. The youngest person in the band is 14. I think the oldest was like 32. It was really weird. And then Yeah, [00:07:00] I was involved in that, the Stairway program for a long time and affiliated with Skips Music for a long, long time.

And yeah, they, they, so there were adults and youth and then they split those two programs apart. Now they have an adult program and then they have the youth program, Stairway to Stardom still, still happens, still exists, which is super cool. But there was definitely, being part of that program and even running that program, there was, there were never as many girls as boys who came through the program and it was interesting to see.

To observe, and it was interesting to sort of witness some of the inherent sexism and misogyny that some of the girls would have to endure. And and myself being head of the program, it was like I was, I was always kind of on the lookout for that. And I was kind of like, Whoa, wait a minute, you know, who are you talking to right now?

So I felt like we, the community, Sacramento, we needed some place where. Women and girls could come and feel like they could do something radical that's [00:08:00] historically reserved for men. And the music industry, even now, is still male dominated, all aspects of it. Whether it's radio, production, sound engineering, you know, and people on stage, even though we're not talking about Taylor Swift and Beyonce, we're talking about like, musicians, right?

And they're musicians too, but you know what I'm saying? 

Jeff Holden: Yes. 

Larisa Bryski: And so we went to the Chalk It Up festival and we set up a table and we're like, Hey, what is, what do you think Sacramento? Do you, do we need this? And everybody's like, yes, you know, sign me up. And so that's how it all started. And, you know, It started with me and Emma and a little tiny studio in North Sacramento, which is still our headquarters, and 14, I think, kids initially that first summer in 2016.

And then in the fall of 2016, we did our first adult camp, which was five or six women. And, and then, then it's grown every year, like just more and more people and more and [00:09:00] more interest from, you know, You know, female musicians from the community who want to work with us and work for us. That's how it began.

Jeff Holden: Tell me about the constituents. Tell me about the girls that participate. I should say the people that participate in the program, because it's not just exclusively girl oriented, correct? 

Larisa Bryski: Right, right. It started out, That way, and then, and then almost immediately it became clear that it's like, well, we are not the only people who feel marginalized, just us cis women, you know, we, we have, and even my, some of my closest friends are non binary trans people, and they're like, well, wait, we don't feel marginalized.

safe or welcome in the music industry either. Why? And I've never been encouraged to pick up drumsticks before. Like, what about, you know, we never, I never had those conversations, but I was aware. And then also all of our sibling organizations and the Girls Rock Camp Alliance were doing similar work. We have to, we have to get with the program.

It was the right thing to do. [00:10:00] And so girls became an acronym for gender inclusive, gender inclusivity through radical love and support, which works really well. And so that's where we are. And this past year, 2020, 2024, we've had just such diversity in. You know, not only women and girls, but non binary kids, trans kids and adults, and really reaching out into the BIPOC community, like working with indigenous, you know, communities and doing outreach camps in Del Paso Heights and Oak Park this past year, and working with kids who had no idea who we were.

They were just like, their parents would bring them to camp and they're like, what is this place? And they're like, Oh, okay. I'm going to play a bass guitar. What's the difference between a bass guitar and a regular guitar? You know? So, so things like that. So. We've gotten to a place, I feel like, finally, just like scratching the surface of what we're really capable of doing going forward, which is fantastic.

Like that's, that's what the goal has been. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. Talk a little bit about the programs that you've got [00:11:00] and the age range because it starts young and goes to Older. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: So, so tell us about that. 

Larisa Bryski: Let's see. We've had a camp last, a couple of winters ago, we called our, our tiny camp for five and six year olds, which was super fun.

It was just during the winter break. So I don't know that we'll have, we'll be able to do that this year because of the way the school break, the, the winter break works with, cause I think the holidays land, like Christmas holiday lands on a Wednesday, which doesn't work for camp, but I would say five to 75.

You know, we just had our first 75 year old in our adult camp this couple weeks ago. She played the drums. She'd never played the drums before. It was fantastic. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, that had to be so fun. It was 

Larisa Bryski: a blast, yeah. And we have mini camp is one of our signature summer camps, and that's for ages 8 to 11. And then we do our teen camp, which is for ages 12 to 17.

And then we also have a peer mentor program for some of the kids who've been in our programs for a long, long time, who are like our older [00:12:00] teenagers or, or young adults who've kind of aged out of our camps and they come and they work with the younger youth too. Yeah. And then our adult campers, a lot of them end up being our best volunteers and some of them end up on our board of directors.

Jeff Holden: Oh, that's fabulous. They get the program once they've gone through it and then want to give back. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. It's great. It's quite the community 

Jeff Holden: with, with regard to that, the, the, the music community in the market, you know, in, in the greater Sacramento area, are they aware of the program? Is that where you, you see some feed for people who participate?

Where do the students come from? 

Larisa Bryski: Students come from, I mean, it's a lot of it has been word of mouth over the years. I feel like it could be wrong because sometimes I live in a little bubble. We're just girls rock all the time. I feel like we've gotten, we've, we've kind of ascended to a place where our reputation kind of speaks for itself.[00:13:00] 

And. It's still word of mouth, but because we have a lot of returning campers who bring their friends and then people, you know, in our adult programs who do the program and they invite their friends to the show and the friends are like, Oh my God, that's amazing. You got up there and you like played the bass guitar, like so crazy.

A lot of it is social media and, but we, we don't necessarily advertise a lot. We don't have a problem filling the camps that we're able to execute at this time. We actually end up with waiting lists now. What we have a problem with is being able to accommodate more camps. Yeah, we just don't have the capacity right now.

Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: And you're saying that capacity in a nice way, but the capacity really is funding. 

Larisa Bryski: Right. Yeah. Cause we want to be able to pay. We have incredible, like when you're talking about the music community, yeah, we, we reach out to our friends in the music community to, to help spread the word, but mostly it's, you know, families.

I have good relationships with, with a lot of [00:14:00] wonderful. other, you know, other organizations that can help us spread the word. But mostly when it comes to the folks in the music community, it's, it's the artists who, you know, female and gender expansive artists who want to work with us and we'll work with the kids in the summertime.

So local artists like Katie Nip and Alicia Huff and Jessica Malone and Juniper Waller from the Gold Souls and a lot, almost pretty much honestly, almost every single. female identifying, like, badass on stage in the Sacramento community right now. You'll find at our camps in the summer, if they're able to, if they're not on tour or something, they're, they're working with their kids.

Yeah. And they spread the word too. And they tell their friends, you know, you got to get your kid in the program and to be coaching this summer, you know, that kind of thing. 

Jeff Holden: And, and to make clear, this is not for people that have necessarily a musical interest. 

Larisa Bryski: You 

Jeff Holden: don't have to have the interest or the capability or play an [00:15:00] instrument.

Larisa Bryski: No, this 

Jeff Holden: is. community wide for anybody that has that. I love the way, I think I saw it on the website, incessantly creative and misunderstood existence. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. Yeah. It's like, are you a musician? 

Jeff Holden: No. 

Larisa Bryski: Okay. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. I'll, I'm going to, reveal. I played the accordion. I grew up in a Polish family. 

Larisa Bryski: I'm half Polish, quarter Polish.

Jeff Holden: Oh no. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. Yeah. I like the accordion. 

Jeff Holden: And, and in my family, you had to play the accordion. Oh, my grandmother played the accordion. My mother, her sisters played the accordion. And then I was the first born child into the family. Oh. So Jeff was going to play the accordion. Okay. 

Larisa Bryski: Okay. And so 

Jeff Holden: I played and was relatively proficient at it.

That's a hard 

Larisa Bryski: instrument to play. It 

Jeff Holden: is, it's very hard and so yes, I, but, but I don't, I don't consider myself a musician in that sense. It was a forced, I was looking outside going, I should be playing football in [00:16:00] the street. Not, not. Yeah. So you're saying on the, on the, uh, off the record. Maybe you're right, but I'm not exactly sure that that's what I meant.

But, um, I don't 

Larisa Bryski: know if, if 

Jeff Holden: that's possible, but I'll, it doesn't seem to me like, you know, it 

Larisa Bryski: seems like that's kind of a, 

Jeff Holden: a, a, 

Larisa Bryski: a good thing to have. And like 

Jeff Holden: a, doesn't it, uh, I think 

Larisa Bryski: that to me, um, it's the, the, the, the potential about. being in a band and like writing a song together and just coming like coming together and picking up instruments and plugging them in and turning things up loud and just like it doesn't have to be perfect like perfection that's a construct like what does that even mean it's about coming together and with people you've never met before and going let's pick a band name Like, what's our song going to be about?

We have to get ready for our show. Cause we're going to be on stage at the end of the week. Like, what's this? And you have, they have a coach and somebody there to help them. And it's about, and like, I love your hair. Oh, you wear cat ears like every day. That's cool. Like, what's your name? What are your pronouns?

Like that kind of thing. And it's a, it's a place where these kids can. [00:17:00] Just do that and be super creative and, and, and completely themselves. And there's no ego because there's no competition. It's not, it's not like that. It's like, but then we have some kids who, who maybe are more proficient on their instruments than others.

And they help the ones who aren't as proficient because they have lesson instruction sessions where like all the guitars are doing one thing at one time and all the drums are doing one thing at one time. And it's very. It's magical, you know, it's really the energy that that happens in these camps. It's just like mind blowing and then at the end of the week They're like we can't there's no way you rock you can and they do and they get up on stage In front of a packed house of friends and family and it's just amazing like in all the years I've been doing this we've never had a crash and burn knock on wood.

We've never had anybody melt down and not be able to get up on stage and do it. Even the ones that are the most shy, like they're, they're like, come on, we got [00:18:00] you. We're in this together. So it's, so it's about, it's definitely about more than music. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: I can only imagine those first couple of days when you just hear this cacophony of noise maybe.

100%. It's all just everybody trying to do their thing. And then as the camp progresses, as it turns into something recognizable and then it turns into something melodic to where they actually get to perform it. 

Larisa Bryski: Right. It's so, it's so fun. And, and when they're at camp, when it gets to that point, it's usually like, you know, Thursday, cause it's a, it's a week long camp.

And so it went Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday by Friday morning, they've got it figured out. And then they're, they're inviting each other into the different rehearsal rooms. You guys want to come hear our song? And then all the other bands go into that rehearsal room and listen and yay. And then they take turns and they run around and then, and then, then you've got more than just like, This band, this band, this band, this band.

You've got like this community and they're all cheering for each other and rooting for each other. And just like your band was so good and [00:19:00] creating little Instagram pages for their bands. Oh, 

Jeff Holden: today I can only imagine the social push from what it was even eight years ago. Yeah. And how much they share and want people to hear what they're doing.

Larisa Bryski: Right. And it just feels good. And the parents are proud. And a lot of times They'll say stuff to me afterwards, like, I cannot believe this, like, I never thought in a million years I would see my kid up there banging on the drums, like I, and even if it doesn't inspire them to continue playing that particular instrument, it inspires something to build their confidence, hopefully, you know, to encourage them to continue to, to get loud, you know, and, and, Challenge gender norms and get outside of their comfort zone.

Well, 

Jeff Holden: and scream your voice. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. Yeah, 

Jeff Holden: however you choose to do it, right? Yeah. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Mm hmm. 

Jeff Holden: Tell us about the organization itself. Ebbs and flows as the camps go in terms of the people that you [00:20:00] have to employ and your volunteer load and all that sort of thing. 

Larisa Bryski: Mm hmm. 

Jeff Holden: How many people? Let's say in an average year, because I'm sure that that changes as funding comes in and out in your programs vary year to year, but if there's an average year, how many people do you have engaged with the organization overall?

Larisa Bryski: Overall per year, probably 50, 

Jeff Holden: 50 

Larisa Bryski: to 60. That's cumulative over the year, but that's, you know, a majority of the time it's just me. Yeah. Which is crazy. 

Jeff Holden: Because you do have a full time job too. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. Well, I, yeah, I still teach voice lessons, that's my primary occupation. Have about 30 students a week. And then I, I run this organization part time.

So, yeah, it's, it's, it's always really interesting and I was, you I have a really engaged and incredibly talented board of directors. They're wonderful. There's seven people, really diverse group of folks too. And they, they do a lot. They support me. I don't, I would not be here without their [00:21:00] support. They all have different expertises and they, you know, they come, some of them are musical.

Some of them are from the world of philanthropy. Some of them are in marketing. You know, they just come from all over. Some in radio. But most of the time it's just me, except when camps are happening. And if there's a camp happening, then I'll have, you know, five instrument instructors, you know, 10 band coaches, workshop leaders, because we don't do just music.

We do that. We do. Music is the vehicle and that's the biggest component. But we also have like yoga, songwriting, that's musical too, but we do do yoga workshops. We will do like maybe a gender justice kind of workshop. We'll do self defense, which is a hugely popular. Everybody loves the self defense workshops.

We might do some sort of a screen printing, you know, they make their own logos for their band t shirts and they get to screen print them themselves. So we have a lot of people who come in with different talents and expertise and we pay those folks too. So, and then, you know, we have multiple camps in the summer and we have guest performers who come in and perform for the campers at lunchtime.

Oh, that's going to be 

Jeff Holden: special. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah, it's really. And [00:22:00] so they get to see like people doing what they want to do. Ultimately, some of what some of them want to do. And then we also, we, it's really important to us that we are able to provide food for, for kids who come from places where they have food insecurity.

And so we, you know, we pay for lunch and we hire, you know, a sandwich place to come and bring in sandwiches for the kids too. So. Yeah, it'll, it'll go from, from one to 40 in a minute and a week. Yeah. And so it's like, Whoa, here we go. Camp time. And then we have, of course, just an amazing roster of volunteers who are really dedicated and wonderful.

Who we work with. 

Jeff Holden: How exciting what Larissa Briskey is doing with Girls Rock Sacramento. We'll be back with more right after we hear from the people making this program possible. I was in the media business for over 35 years and had the great privilege of working with Runyon Saltzman RSE, Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations.

We collaborated on many [00:23:00] different campaigns, but their commitment to the non profit sector hasn't changed since their founder Gene Runyon started the agency. Over many years and many campaigns, Runyon Saltzman has been committed to improving lives by tackling California's most challenging issues.

Guided by research informed strategies and insightful, creative solutions. RSC develops innovative communications campaigns that raise awareness. educate and reduce stigma in diverse communities throughout our state and beyond. To learn more about RSE, visit rs e. com. 

Scott Thomas: Hello, this is Scott Thomas with CAP Trust in our Sacramento office.

I specialize in working with local nonprofits and associations. Annually, we survey private and public nonprofit organizations across the country to better understand challenges they see in today's environment. In our more recent survey, we heard concerns about proper board governance, mission aligned investment, and how to implement alternative investments.

If you would like a copy of [00:24:00] the survey or to discuss your organization, look me up, scottthomasatcaptrust. com. 

Jeff Holden: I'm thrilled to have Western Health Advantage partnering with us as they do so much to support so many non profit agencies in our community. As a truly local health plan, you'll find individual and family options, employer options, plans for CalPERS and Medicare Advantage.

From medical services to pharmacy, health and wellness support, as well as behavioral health care, Western Health Advantage has a plan that fits what you need. As an employer, for profit or non profit business, individual or family, you can find more at WesternHealth. com. Does the program cost anything to the participant?

Larisa Bryski: Yeah, I mean, it's I think it's 400 for our mini camp per session, per camper, and it's 500 to attend our teen camp. And our adult camp right now, I think the tuition is 250. But it's sliding scale, so if, you know, if someone is, you know, And need, you know, they just can't pay [00:25:00] it. We can encourage them to pay what they can.

And there's a process that they can go through to apply for that. And then we also offer scholarships. We offer a lot of scholarships. So we try not to turn anybody away. 

Jeff Holden: And that scholarship, we will touch on funding in just a second because I want to get to the collaboration. You know, the people that you work with, and it's such a diverse group of organizations in town.

Larisa Bryski: Mhm. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Which is, is really neat because you're touching all these different entities. Share, share with us some of the people that you do work with and collaborate with the program. 

Larisa Bryski: It depends on what we're doing. Yeah. Because when we're not doing our, our programs, like our, our, our music programs. camp programs where we do tabling events and we help with other fundraisers and we collaborate.

So you've had, you had buddy in here from land music Landria and we've collaborated on a couple of fundraising events in the past. And you know, when we've needs, when we've needed stuff, we reach out to him. And when he, when we have cool stuff, yeah, we give it to him. Like we've given him some instruments in the [00:26:00] past and he's just a generally great human being.

So we'll always, you know, help, help out Library of Music Landria when we can. We've also done some work. For and with the folks at Loaves and Fishes, they have the Mustard Seed School, and sometimes their kids will come. I was just talking to them yesterday about this actually, have their, some of their kids come in to do a little field trip in our studio, and we'll do like, like a round robin so they get to experience all the different instruments in a rock band, and they can go to each station and spend like a few minutes like banging the drums or playing the guitar.

We also have coordinated breakfast services for our, our youth. Like when we're not at camp, there's a way of like getting back together and showing kids it's not, let's get together and do something for somebody else, for some, another organization. So doing like, you know, winter breakfast service and things like that.

And then most recently we've worked with a mutual assistance, mutual assistance network out in Del Paso Heights because we brought an outreach camp to the Robertson Community Center there back in July. And then also St. Hope, which [00:27:00] runs a There's some, the school's out down in the Oak Park area. And so we actually did an outreach camp on their campus as well, which was super cool.

So yeah, we've, that's just an example of some of the places we've worked with and 

Jeff Holden: yeah, 

Larisa Bryski: there's more. Oh, I'm sure you, you, you touch so 

Jeff Holden: many. It's just, and, and your outreach, this isn't necessarily just underserved communities. These, it could be in any community that we. And we see participants in the program.

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. And that's, I think, thank you for bringing that up because not a lot of people talk about that very much. It's important to us that like kids who can afford to come to our camps are placed in bands with kids from the community. You know, maybe, maybe a kid from Del Paso Heights who maybe can't afford to come to our camp.

We, we really want to like, we want these kids to come together and play music together. Like, and that, that's part of like the whole equity component. It's like, we're all doing the same thing for the same purpose. We're all, [00:28:00] you know, on the same page here. So yeah, we, we really want that. We, we love that. We want to be as diverse and open and equitable as possible.

Like so many organizations do. Yeah, it makes that 

Jeff Holden: socioeconomic with the identity and everything else that kids go through as they, uh, as they mature. 

Larisa Bryski: Right. 

Jeff Holden: How about budgeting? How, how big is the organization? Yeah, this is the fun part, right? Right, 

Larisa Bryski: right. Well, okay. So thankfully I have an amazing, that our board treasurer, Heidi Stevens is That's what she does, she, for her full time job is working for, as the financial person for another non profit organization.

So thankfully, Heidi. It's in charge of, you know, figuring out our budget. So I, our budget is variable. I can tell you that last year it was, it was significantly more because we got this really wonderful grant from the city of Sacramento, it was called the Creative Core Grant and it was for 117, 000, which was like, like what?

Like we started with a budget in [00:29:00] 000. So the fact that we were able to. get to like 50, 000. I think it was around 50, 000 in 2022 last year. Then this, this past year, 117, 000 on top of what we typically make. So the purpose of that grant was to do these, these outreach camps that we did, which were super successful.

And once all that money was gone, it was gone. So we don't have that anymore. So I would say in general, and I could be wrong. So Heidi can correct me later, but I want to say it's around 75, 80, 000 is what our annual budget is. If we're doing really well with our fundraising and stuff. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: And then vice versa, if you get grants, so you do grant applications and any other ways that you can find, are there any fundraisers or events that you do as well?

Or is it predominantly through the, the fees and 

Larisa Bryski: contributions? Yeah, a lot of it is through the, the tuition fees. The adult camps that we do in the, the fall and the [00:30:00] spring are fundraisers. So, and we, we try to advertise them as like you're participating in this weekend, you know, condensed version of what our youth camps do as an adult.

You know, we throw you into a band, you get to play a show at the Torch Club and that show at the Torch Club is a fundraiser for our youth camps. Perfect. So it's not a, it's not a huge moneymaker for us. So we really, we do a lot of our fundraising around. Giving Tuesday, which is coming up. And then we also, you know, participate in the big day of giving, which has been a, such a gift, you know, to the whole Sacramento community.

Yes. But that was a game changer for us, especially during COVID. We raised probably 15, 000 and that's typically what we'll do. Yeah. And then, yeah. And then applying for grants and then just, We, little things here and there throughout the year. We don't, we don't have, I don't have a development team. Like I don't.

Jeff Holden: Yet. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. Yet. Yeah. We have folks on our board who have expertise in those areas and they have some wonderful ideas but we just haven't been able to, to facilitate any of them yet because we just don't have the capacity. Right. So, [00:31:00] yeah. But can, all things considered, we do pretty well. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Looking forward.

I think it's just such a neat program. 

Larisa Bryski: Thank you. In 

Jeff Holden: terms of what you do. If money weren't an object, what would it look like? What 

Larisa Bryski: would the organization look like? Yeah, what 

Jeff Holden: would be different? 

Larisa Bryski: I would have more people. On staff. I'm a big, big fan of paying. Paying artists what they're worth. You know, paying talented people.

You know, what they're worth. So I would love to hire more talented people to work at this. I'm going to be teaching at the organization all the time. You know, I would certainly love to be full time. You know, that would be amazing. Not that I want to stop teaching anytime soon, but it would be nice to, to just like be able to relax a little bit and just focus on Girls Rock without having to hustle in other parts of my life so much.

But the big one I think would be one of the things that makes our programs a little bit, I don't want to say frustrating, but sometimes it can be a struggle and it was especially this summer because we had four different [00:32:00] camps and in three different locations. And so we had to hustle, you know, nine drum sets and 15 guitar, you know, guitar amps and all of the equipment and PA system, you know, PA equipment and speakers and, and administrative equipment and like a huge truckload of stuff in the middle of summer.

to multiple locations. And then we have to set everything up, and then we have to tear it all down, and it's exhausting. So I, my dream, and the board knows this, if they're listening, they know this, is I would love to have a place where we can just be. And, and people, it's a nice central location, you know, where it's easy for people to get through via public transportation, where we can be and people can come to us.

We would still have our big concerts at local music venues, because I think that's really important that we support the local music scene and the local music venues. But in terms of the camps, just a really big space where we can have. You know, a giant community [00:33:00] space where we could potentially do after school programming, because that's something people have been asking us about for years.

You know, can you do, do you have anything during the school year? Where, and where we, like during the school year, where And when we don't have, we don't have camps happening, we can provide instrument instruction, you know, like, like, you know, like I teach vocal lessons and I know a lot of our, our friends and, you know, family out there in the GRS community teach as well and maybe they can come and teach there and then we can do workshops throughout the, you know what I mean?

So, and then a place where that we can have our dress rehearsals and our adult camps and just, and maybe other people can use it too. 

Jeff Holden: I can, I can see where it'd be fabulous if you had a facility where there's, there's piano, there's guitar, there's drums on a regular basis for participants. Yeah, 

Larisa Bryski: exactly.

And then at the same time, we could have like, we have a good friend of ours, DJ Lady Shahr, who's a great DJ. You know, DJ console, we have, we have DJ equipment and we are hardly ever able to use it because we [00:34:00] don't have like a way to teach that right now. And so that would give us a way to, and give, and give her a place to teach too.

So. That's a component that I've been really wanting to integrate into our camps is the DJ component. Okay, 

Jeff Holden: so we got to get that for you. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah, yeah. 

Jeff Holden: And back to reality. Yeah. If we come back now and we're looking at greatest need, what would you say going forward is the greatest need that you see 

Larisa Bryski: in 

Jeff Holden: sustaining?

Using 

Larisa Bryski: my practical brain? 

Jeff Holden: Yes, not the creative side. 

Larisa Bryski: That's hard for me to tap into sometimes. Honestly, we, we need, what's the right word? Well, I guess I'll just explain it. We could use administrative support. So I could use, we just need maybe, maybe enough money to be able to pay another person a part time salary.

So that I have someone who can help me and then build from there. Yeah, with the 

Jeff Holden: less than fun stuff. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah, yeah. The stuff that I'm, I'm, maybe, I don't want to say I'm not good at it, but I [00:35:00] just, you know, like paying the bills and communicating with the property managers who, you know, where we rent our space and like those types of things.

So answering, you know, emails and phone calls and all that kind of stuff. So yeah, just, just, I, we, we definitely need a little more funding so that we can, we can make that happen. I think that's, that's like a natural progression for us. That's like a reasonable next step, I think. Yeah. And it'd be tremendously helpful.

I could do a lot with that. 

Jeff Holden: And, and to, to the point of what you're saying there, it's, that's not a big ask. 

Larisa Bryski: No, 

Jeff Holden: it's a little, that will accomplish a lot. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. Yeah. Well, and then the other part of that too, is we would need a place to put that person. We have a, we, we would need like a nice reception desk, like a work, a work, a desk for that person.

So yeah, a person, and then a place for that person to be. 

Jeff Holden: What is the best way if, Somebody's interested in learning more about the organization, where do you send them? Where do you want them to go? 

Larisa Bryski: Where do we tell 

Jeff Holden: them to go look? [00:36:00] 

Larisa Bryski: I would say the website, yeah, girlsrocksacramento. com or girlsrocksacramento.

org is probably the best place. Oh, 

Jeff Holden: you have it at both ends? Yeah. Com and org. Com 

Larisa Bryski: and org. Yeah. I, for some reason, I don't know, we signed up for the website. We did com first and then org and I was like, but we're a nonprofit. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Then both of those will send you to the same website. And again, 

Jeff Holden: girlsrocksacramento.

com or org. 

Larisa Bryski: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. And. We were talking a little bit before we got started about the opportunity to hear something that has been produced at any of the Camps. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah, 

Jeff Holden: and you said they actually have a Spotify Platforms being played 

Larisa Bryski: right 

Jeff Holden: and it is girls rock 

Larisa Bryski: Girls Rock Sacramento. Sacramento Spotify, yeah.

So we were very lucky, not this past summer, but the summer before. So in 2023, a good friend of ours, Ashley Ray, runs a local recording studio called Rosa Mortem Recording Studio. She's the director. Amazing. Phenomenal. Talented. And [00:37:00] she offered to record the songs that each of our five teen camps wrote at camp that summer, which was a phenomenal learning experience for them.

And she came in and did a little recording workshop for all the campers and told them what to expect and how to prepare. And it really made them. Kind of like they spent extra time crafting their songs. I feel like that, that week. And so as a result of that, they each got to record, each band that summer got to record their song.

She donated the studio time. She did it all for free. It was amazing. And then one of our board members was able to, to set up the Spotify account for us and upload all the songs. And so yeah, all five of their songs are on Spotify. So I'd love to be able to do that again, maybe the next year or two. 

Jeff Holden: How neat.

And how appropriate for these. students because everything's so social today that they can just go, Hey, you can hear me. No, it's right here. I'll just send you the link to Spotify. 

Larisa Bryski: Yep. 

Jeff Holden: It's, it's right there. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: That's, [00:38:00] that's fabulous. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: So again, it's girlsrocksacramento. com or. org to go and learn about the programs and what the opportunities are when the programs are coming up.

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. I would say also, sorry to interrupt. I would say we have, we have a presence on Instagram also, we're in Facebook, but probably more so Instagram. Whenever we have something that's happening, like right away, we're definitely follow us on Instagram. Or if you're, if you are on our website and you can sign up for our email list.

We email updates about things all the time. 

Jeff Holden: Sure. I'll put those on those handles in the show notes as well. So anybody that's listening can go right there and sign up or grab the links. Okay. Is there anything that you would like to leave the audience with before we close? Anything about the, the program?

that is significant other than what we've already spoken about? 

Larisa Bryski: I think it's, it's interesting that you asked me that question kind of coming out of this, this week and the things that have happened this week. And in a weird way, cause I was talking before about how our [00:39:00] organization started and kind of why it started.

And I feel in a weird way, I kind of feel like we're, we're back at the beginning again, just because the, the political climate in our country is so unstable right now, especially as. People respond, react to people who look like me. And so I, sometimes I get asked like, what about the boys? Cause people, I think that was my mom.

Honestly, I asked me that like, as soon as she found out what I was doing when I was starting this organization, she's like, what about the boys? And I'm like, okay, well, Is there, do boys and men typically have a problem finding success in the music industry? Like, and so I would just say to people, just, just kind of, you know, remember that, that, you know, Girls Rock Sacramento is about, it's about music, but it's also about, it's a kind of a, it's kind of a global movement.

You know, to try to make things fair and equitable for, for people in this industry. And so it's [00:40:00] not just about, it's not just about like, Oh, how cute that girl, she's wearing a pink tutu and she's playing a little pink guitar. Like it's, it's about something a lot bigger than that. And if you, uh, if you talk to any of our campers who've been with us from the very beginning and a lot of them are going to college now and pursuing careers in the arts and in activism, they'll, they'll tell you that, that it's, that it's about, it's about more than that.

Like, it's about, it's a little bit revolutionary. 

Jeff Holden: It's an empowerment. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. For sure. 

Jeff Holden: Mm hmm. 

Larisa Bryski: So that's what I would say. 

Jeff Holden: And, and the acronym. Gender inclusivity. Inclusive, 

Larisa Bryski: inclusively 

Jeff Holden: radical love and support. Yes. Girls. 

Larisa Bryski: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Love it. 

Larisa Bryski: Thank you. 

Jeff Holden: Larissa, what a Herculean task you took on when you started this in 2016, probably with no idea what it was going to look like and how much it was going to take to do.

True. But it's such a unique and novel way to address some of the very serious social issues our teens face, you know, and as they grow into their own unique individuality, they need that support in [00:41:00] so many cases. So thank you and the supporters for the organization, for what you bring to the community.

in an alternative way for people with alternative situations that maybe aren't necessarily always as well accepted. And I think you just summed it up in the, you know, that, that, that closing statement. So we appreciate what you're doing. Thank you so much. 

Larisa Bryski: Thank you very much for having me. Appreciate it.

Jeff Holden: Thank you for listening to the nonprofit podcast network. I hope you enjoyed the episode. If what you heard moved you, please reach out to that organization and do what you can to help. If you [00:42:00] like and appreciate what we're doing to support local nonprofits, please give us a positive review, subscribe, and share.

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