Stelpur rokka! and GRCA Europe present:
Music Empowerment Mobility and Exchange (MEME) Vol. 2: A Youth Rock Camp Exchange in Iceland in August!
What is MEME Vol. 2?
MEME stands for: “Music Empowerment Mobility and Exchange” and is a collaborative European project which empowers youth to engage in music making and community building. The project is co-funded by the Erasmus Plus Youth programme of the European Union.
This year, 12 different rock camp organisations across Europe will launch the second edition of MEME, following last year’s successful MEME project.
In August 2019, the Icelandic rock camp organisation Stelpur rokka! will host a week long Youth Rock Camp Exchange in Iceland, supporting over 110 people active in music empowerment across ten countries, to come together, learn instruments, form bands and exchange around community organising and media making.
MEME Vol. 2 is led by: Stelpur Rokka (Iceland), in partnership with sending organisations: ATEM (Germany), OPA / Femix (Serbia), Fundacja Pozytywnych Zmian and Stowarzyszenie Kobieca Transsmisja (Poland), Girls Rock Dublin (Ireland), Girls Rock London (UK), Girls Rock! Finland and Rock Donna (Finland), JM / LOUD (Norway), Pink Noise (Austria) and Popkollo (Sweden).
All organisations come from the tradition of “girls rock camp”, music and arts based camps where girls, trans, and gender non-conforming youth learn an instrument, form a band, write an original song, and perform a concert at a live music venue.
Where is meme vol. 2 happening?
The MEME Vol. 2 Youth Rock Camp Exchange will take place in Hvanneyri, a small village approx. 80 kilometers north of Reykjavík. Leaders and campers will stay together in buildings belonging to Iceland’s Agricultural University, offering fully accessible spaces for all activities and accommodation.
The final concert will take place in an old barn!
When?
The Youth Rock Camp Exchange will take place from Monday August 5th to Monday August 12, 2019.
During the week, we will host a press conference and an open house for those interested - date and time to be announced!
We also welcome everyone to the final concert on Saturday August 10th - stay tuned for an invitation with details on time and location!
Who are taking part?
60 young people aged between 16 and 30 will take part in the MEME Youth Rock Camp Exchange in Iceland, coming from at least 10 different countries: Serbia, Poland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Ireland, the UK, Finland, Austria and Germany.
30 leaders, organisers and musicians will travel to Iceland from 11 rock camp organisations in Europe, along with leaders and volunteers from host organisation Stelpur rokka!
Participants are:
both cisgender and transgender girls and women
trans and gender non-conforming youth and adults including trans boys and men
intersex youth and adults
people who generally have fewer opportunities and role models within music scenes and society in general
The project is designed and intended for youth with fewer opportunities, and in its preparations we aim towards making the rock camp an accessible and supportive space for young people who face different hurdles and have diverse needs.
Why MEME Vol. 2?
The goal of MEME Vol. 2 is to promote gender equality and combat discrimination through an intersectional, anti-discrimination approach to empowerment through music and creativity.
All of the participating camps are members of the Girls Rock Camp Alliance (GRCA) and have learned a lot from each other about making rock camps and building movements. Through the MEME Vol. 2 project we can learn from each other by doing, in a very practical and youth centred way. We come together to express ourselves, support each other, try new things, create, and have fun!
Everyone who participates in the project has an influence on how it is carried out. We want to make spaces in which we can value and see each other and take responsibility for our actions. We hope that the bonds and experiences created through the MEME Vol. 2 project will spark further initiatives and create a thriving creative network in Europe, led by young people!
How?
he MEME Vol. 2 Youth Rock Camp Exchange is a week-long camp. There are three “tracks”:
-Music making and band formation-
8 to 10 practice rooms will be kitted out with equipment and music instruments.
Just like in a regular rock camp, participants will receive instruction in instrument playing, write songs together and perform together at a final concert.
-Documentation and media making-
There will be a film, documentation and media centre with computers, cameras, a sound recorder, microphones, etc. The camp will be documented through film, recording interviews, writing texts and taking photographs.
-Organising-
Participants will learn about organising, project management and starting own projects, anti-discrimination work, conflict management and community and movement building. They will work together with the camp coordinators to run two events: a concert during the week by local bands and the final concert by camp bands.
In addition to the tracks, there will be a range of selective workshops, excursions, and evening activities such as film screenings, arts and crafts, yoga, games, dancing and karaoke. And of course free time just to hang out together!
Stay tuned through the MEME socials:
For more information, email audur@stelpurrokka.is eða info@stelpurrokka.is