Back to My Roots: How It Felt to Celebrate IDG Alongside Girls From My Hometown

This year, Global G.L.O.W. celebrated International Day of the Girl locally with two of our HerStory partners in The Bronx: Bronx Academy of Letters and The Girl’s Circle. As a native New Yorker, I was ecstatic to meet and spend the day with young women who share my home and guide them on a fun-filled, girl-powered experience. Our day did not disappoint. 

Members of The Girls Circle during our IDG celebration

Rewinding a few weeks back, myself and the Global G.L.O.W. program team were planning and thinking about how to structure this year’s International Day of the Girl celebration. Interacting with two of our New York-based partners felt like a meaningful and special way to celebrate. Both schools are located in The Bronx and we wanted to create a space of learning and exploration, as well as cultivate a HerStory sisterhood between the two sites. Having a morning of community building activities, an afternoon scavenger hunt, and an evening at The United Nations, felt like a great way for the girls to engage and connect with one another. 

While mapping out our scavenger hunt, myself and our team wanted to focus both on powerful women that came out of The Bronx and women activists who have and continue to fight for gender equality. On the 6 Train, our girls read their scavenger hunt clues and eagerly tried to figure out our next location and its significance to women and girl’s empowerment. Their excitement was inspiring. It was amazing to work alongside the girls during the entire day and share my insights, as well as learn from them. The girls from Bronx Academy of Letters and The Girl’s Circle are passionate about environmental sustainability, transgender rights, and equity for women as a whole. It was an honor to facilitate discussions and learning opportunities on said topics throughout the day. 

IDG scavenger hunt at Museum of the City of New York

“It was amazing to work alongside the girls during the entire day and share my insights, as well as learn from them.”

International Day of the Girl was impactful for our entire Global G.L.O.W team and was especially impactful for me because of the opportunity it gave me to connect with my roots. I saw so much of myself in the girls, from their hair styles, the slang they used, and the passion they had to change the status quo. I am proud to come from the same neighborhoods as these young women and even more proud to have had the chance to teach, learn, and grow with them. Thank you Bronx Academy of Letters and The Girl’s Circle for a wonderful International Day of the Girl. I am beyond excited to see what the future holds for such a phenomenal group of girls! 

About the Author

Binta Freeman is the Senior Program Coordinator for Global G.L.O.W. In her role, Binta works closely with international partners to understand how the organization can best support their partnership and meet their needs. She also assists in curriculum development and project planning.