Award-Winning Dominican-American filmmaker and storyteller Launches Global Empowerment Project for Teenage Girls.

She is the Universe, a collection of videos through which girls and their stories are shared globally to inspire and empower them to stand in their own stories.

Dominican-American filmmaker and storyteller Laura Peña is traveling the globe with her project, She is the Universe: stories of girls told by girls.

The project is a platform designed to amplify the voices of teenage girls from around the world, to inspire and empower them to stand in their own stories. This self-funded project has created a collection of videos that capture the diverse yet universal stories of these girls.

She is the Universe aims to amplify the voices of 111 girls from six continents. Laura Peña is producing and publishing these videos to enable girls aged between 13 and 19 — of all shapes, sizes, colors, languages, and cultural and socio-economic backgrounds — to be seen, heard, and celebrated. By sharing these stories, She is the Universe is helping build the confidence of young women worldwide to pursue their dreams.

the girls: 51 of 111 interviews

“Girls around the world still receive societal messages that lead them to believe that what they have to say, what they want, and what they dream does not matter,” Peña explains. “She is the Universe gives girls the power to voice their dreams and start to believe in possibility. By witnessing the stories of other girls, they can discover they are not alone, they can hear how others have overcome obstacles, and gain the confidence to create new narratives.”

These stories are shared at www.sheistheuniverse.org. Peña has conducted interviews in the United States (her home for the past 14 years), The Dominican Republic (her country of origin), Colombia, Peru, Iceland, The UK, The Netherlands and Denmark. Her journey will continue to countries in Africa, Asia and Oceania.