Today, International Day of the Girl Child (#DayoftheGirl), is all about ensuring girls all over the world  have an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential. This is something we at the “I Have A Dream” Foundation truly believe in, as we’ve spent the past 35+ years working towards a world where every child has equal access to the educational and career opportunities they need to succeed in school, college, and career.

This past weekend, 5th grade Dreamer Essence from  “I Have A Dream” Foundation – New York had a special opportunity, thanks to New York board member Mansi Mehan, to visit the United Nations to take part in the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) video shoot for #DayoftheGirl. Essence was selected by Program Director Angela Wyche for her positivity and supportiveness of her fellow Dreamers. Essence is the only girl on her East Harlem cohort’s soccer team, where she earned the title of “Most Valuable Player” for one of their games.

Essence enjoyed the video shoot as she shared her insights on her own experiences as a girl, ranging from strategies for dealing with bullies to the meaning of “Girl Power.” On bullying, Essence says, “I understand and respect that some people just ignore bullies, but my strategy is to get to know them because they are just kids that maybe need a friend.”

Check out the full video below, where the UNFPA asked girls ages 10-17 what “Girl Power” means to them. Essence says girl power means “Courage,” then asks, “What does Girl Power mean to you?”

You can help us spread the word on #DayoftheGirl by retweeting the video or sharing the post above on Facebook!